Apricots, Too

[madbaker]

This week's Resolution Recipe: Mishmishiyya (Apricot Stew)

Clean and wash a plump chicken. Disjoint it and put it aside. Choose ripe apricots, which are yellow and sour. Put them in a pot with some water and bring them to a boil. Press and mash them with the water they were boiled in, and strain them into a bowl. Now go back to the chicken, put it in a clean pot and add the white part of fresh onion, cilantro, and rue. Add as well a piece of galingale, a stick of cassia, and whole pieces of ginger. Light the fire underneath the pot and let it cook. Then sprinkle the pot with onion juice and add enough of the strained apricot liquid to submerge the chicken. Sprinkle the pot with coriander seeds, black pepper, and cassia, all ground. Let the pot simmer until cooked and serve it.

Source: Ibn, Sayyar, Nawal Nasrallah, Sahban Ahmad Muruwwa, and Kaj Ohrnberg. Annals of the Caliph's Kitchen: Ibn Sayyar Al-Warraq's Tenth-century Baghdadi Cookbook : English Translation with Introduction and Glossary. Leyden: Brill, 2007. Print. ISBN 978-90-04-15867-2.

1/2 chicken, about 2 pounds
1 large onion (8 ounces), chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch arugula or radish leaves, chopped
1 pound pureed apricots
1 cup water
1/2 teaspoon each ground galingale, ginger, and cassia cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cassia cinnamon
(1/2 teaspoon salt)

Disjoint the chicken and brown in a pot, then add onion, cilantro, and arugula or radish leaves. Cook for five minutes longer over medium heat. Add apricot puree and water along with spices. Simmer for one hour.

Rue is an abortifacient in large quantities; I substituted arugula (rocket) or radish leaves for rue as they are bitter and so have a somewhat similar flavor profile. I also used all powdered spices for convenience.

I pureed a large amount of fresh apricots a few months back, so I used that along with some water to equate to boiled, mashed apricots.

What worked: I liked the flavor. The wife said it smelled and tasted like Arabic food.

What didn't: It could have used more liquid. I might add 50% more apricot.

Will I make it again? I might. It would be an easy tourney dish and one that would work well simmering in a pipkin over the fire all day.
What I'm reading: Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio ed, All-New Tales

Comments

[allison-is.livejournal.com]

This recipe sounds really good and I'm adding it to my list of things to cook. I love these posts. :)

[loup_noir]

Hmmm, this sounds v. tasty, and I've got rue growing, too. The problem, of course, is ripe stone fruit up here. I'll have to see what the fruit stand has on our way back from Radio Sunday.

It sounds like it would be quite sweet.

[dakini-bones.livejournal.com]

Was it very?

Sweetness

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

Nope! The hot spices helped, as did the apricots not being overly sweet.

[wufmew.livejournal.com]

I love this recipe a friend and I made it for a feast once in Northshield!