Maraqat al-Khudra -- Ragout of Green Vegetables with Mutton (Tunisia)

I had a large, lovely bunch of rainbow chard that was calling out for some interesting and new preparation.  What answered was the book, A Mediterranean Feast, by Clifford Wright.

ISBN 0-688-15305-4

I've used this book before with excellent results:  Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts, Eggplant the Perfect Way, and Maccharruni con Pesto Trapanese.  I felt confident in choosing another recipe from it.

This recipe was a bit of a challenge for me.  Not because of the cooking techniques but because of one ingredient:  harisa (harissa) sauce.  He gives a recipe and mentions you can buy it premade, so that was not the problem.  So what, then?  I am a wimp when it comes to chiles, peppers, hot spices that have fire.  Can I handle this?  I needed to know.

Maraqat al-Khudra -- Ragout of Green Vegetables with Mutton (pages 108-109)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 pound boneless lamb or mutton shoulder, trimmed of all fat and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 1/2 teaspoons tabil (see recipe below)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 medium-large onions (about 1 pound), chopped
1 pound Swiss chard, washed well, trimmed of the heavier part of their stalks, and chopped
Leaves from 1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
2/3 cup cooked chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons harisa
1/2 cup water
Juice from 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground red pepper, such as Aleppo or cayenne

And the chard!

1.  In a medium-size nonreactive casserole, heat the olive oil over high heat.  Toss the lamb or mutton with the tabil, salt, and pepper.  Brown the meat and onions in the hot oil, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2.  Reduce the heat to low and add the Swiss chard and parsley with the water clinging to them from their last rinsing.  Cook until this liquid is mostly evaporated, about 10 minutes.

2.  Add the chickpeas, tomato paste, and harisa diluted in the water, the lemon juice, and black and red peppers.  Mix well, cover, and simmer over a very low heat until the meat is very tender, about 2 hours, moistening the ragout with small amounts of water if it is drying out.  Serve.  (Makes 4 servings)

My Notes

I had a nice piece of lamb shoulder, which I cut off the bone and cubed.

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The tabil recipe is on page 522:

2 large garlic cloves, chopped and dried in the open air for two days, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

In a mortar, pound the garlic with the coriander, caraway, and cayenne until homogeneous.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.  Keep in the refrigerator if using fresh garlic for up to 2 months or indefinitely if using powdered garlic, although the pungency will decline as time goes by.

I used garlic powder.  My coriander was already ground, so I pounded the garlic powder, caraway, and cayenne together, then added the coriander to get about 1/4 cup.  I doubt if this mixture is as pungent as intended, but it is what I had.

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When I got ready to brown the meat, I put the onions in first.  This had the advantage that the meat did not stick to the bottom of the pan.  I set the timer for 5 minutes and let it cook.



I used a 6 quart pan for this, and the chard-plus-parsley mix filled it to the top.  Once it cooked for a little while, the mass reduced in size.  In ten minutes, most of the liquid was gone.

Then I added the rest of the ingredients.  Yes, the entire 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pungent harisa!  (Store-bought.)  I also used cayenne for the red pepper.



The heat was at its very lowest and the lid was on tight.  I checked it every 30 minutes to make sure it wasn't drying out.  It wasn't, not even getting close.

After 1 hour and 15 minutes, I tested the lamb.  It was so incredibly tender that I declared the cooking done and got it ready to serve.



The Verdict

I served it with a mushroom and herb couscous, which seemed like it would be a mild counterpoint to a spicy dish.

You can't really see the heat it contains...

The maraqat was not dry.  In fact, it was rather juicy, so when I scooped it, I tried not to pick up the extra liquid on the bottom of the pan.

The lamb was tender and flavorful.  The sauce was spicy!  Almost too much for me, but I persisted (and drank milk with the meal).  It was hard for me to get the other spice flavors out of any bite because I was dealing with the heat.

I did like it!  The meat and veggies together were a nice blend of textures, and I really liked that there were more veggies than meat.  The garbanzo beans added a slightly chewy blandness, to give some relief from the fiery sauce.  The veggies gave it a slightly earthy flavor, which I liked very much.

My guest taster felt that the heat was just right.  Overall, he liked the flavor combination.

Success!

I had the leftovers the next day and included a spoonful of sour cream on top, which was a good addition.

I really wanted to see what it tasted like without so much heat, so I made it again and used only 1/2 teaspoon of the harisa.  The result was also good!  I liked it much better and could taste the other spices.

Overall, it was easy to prepare and cook.  The result was tasty and filling.  I think that some time I will try it with more lamb, just to shift the balance towards the meat.  The tenderness and flavor are worth it.