Qidreh

Ingredients

• 2 lbs bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 6 cups water
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 1 cup cooked chickpeas
• 8 whole garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup samneh or ghee, melted
• Salt, to taste
• Toasted almonds and pine nuts, to garnish

Before you cook

• Rinse the rice and soak it in cold water for 20 minutes, then drain.
• Peel the garlic cloves.

Steps

1. Place the lamb, quartered onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a large pot.
2. Cover with the water and bring to a boil.
3. Skim off any foam, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour until the lamb is nearly tender.
4. Lift the lamb out and strain the broth, discarding the solids.
5. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
6. Scatter the drained rice evenly across the bottom of a large oven-safe pot.
7. Scatter the chickpeas and whole garlic cloves over the rice.
8. Stir the turmeric, allspice and ground cinnamon into 4 cups of the strained broth.
9. Season the broth generously with salt.
10. Pour the seasoned broth over the rice until it's covered by about 1 inch.
11. Arrange the lamb pieces on top of the rice.
12. Drizzle the melted samneh evenly over the lamb and rice.
13. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes.
14. Uncover and bake for 15 more minutes until the lamb is browned on top and the rice has absorbed the liquid.
15. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.
16. Scatter toasted almonds and pine nuts over the top just before bringing it to the table.