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This dish is widely found in the
Lebanon and Syria. The stuffing is a delicious blend of meat, nuts
and rice and makes a great dinner party dish.
Ingredients
- chicken - 2 x 1kg/2¼ lb
- butter - 15ml/1 tbsp
- salad and yogurt - to serve
For the stuffing
- oil - 45ml/3 tbsp
- onion - 1, chopped
- minced lamb - 450g/1lb
- almonds - 75g/3 oz/¾ cup,
chopped
- pine nuts - 75g/3 oz/¾ cup
- cooked rice - 350g/12 oz/2 cups
- black pepper and salt
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180˚c/350˚F/
Gas 4. Remove the giblets, if necessary, from the chickens and
rinse the body cavities in cold water.
- Heat the oil in a large frying
pan and sauté the onion until slightly softened. Add the minced
lamb and cook over a moderate heat for 4--8 minutes until well
browned, stirring frequently. Set aside.
- Heat a small pan over a moderate
heat and dry fry the almond and pine nuts for 2-3 minutes until
golden, shaking the pan frequently.
- Mix together the meat mixture,
almond, pine nuts and cooked rice. Season with black pepper and
salt, and then spoon the mixture into the body cavities of the
chickens.
- Rub the chickens all over the
butter.
- Place the chickens in a large
roasting dish, cover with foil and bake in the oven for 45-60
minutes.
- After about 30 minutes, remove
the foil and baste the chicken with the pan juice. Continue
cooking without the foil until the chickens are cooked through and
the meat juices run clear.
- Serve the chickens, cut into
portions, with yogurt and salad. Serves 6-8.
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