Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Adding spice to Christmas
Holiday dinner inspired by Middle Eastern fare
Two bites into a plate brimming with juicy lamb shawarma, and a mostamazing mujadara with caramelized onions, my daughter and I locked up our 2018 holiday dinner menu. As is our family habit, we were thinking of a future meal while enjoying the one in front of us earlier this year at Zaatar Fine Lebanese Cuisine restaurant in Portland, Ore. My sisters and their daughters contributed ideas from their side of the table: roast vegetables, warm pita, mint tea.
We like to shake things up for Christmas dinner — varying the flavors and the cuisine influences from year to year. The one common denominator is that the host cooks a roast that feeds a crowd. Plus, plenty of side dishes to entice those who don’t eat meat.
This year, leg of lamb takes center stage. Boneless for easy carving and quick cooking. We’ll employ some of the sweet spices, such as cinnamon, coriander and cumin, found in dishes in our favorite Middle Eastern restaurants.
We enjoy lamb on the grill year-round. This dried fruit, herb, sweet spice and spinach stuffed leg tastes terrific with a bit of smoke from the grill.
Truth be told, for the holiday dinner, I will be using my oven. The benefit is the goodness I’ll have on the bottom of the roasting pan for making a quick pan gravy seasoned with red wine and a bit of the sweet spices.
For the pan gravy, I need a cup of rich stock, so I purchase it from my local butcher when it’s available. Otherwise, I keep a supply of stock concentrates on hand. I like Arom-Max Classical French Roasted Veal Demi-Glace with Roux. Just dissolve 1 teaspoons in 1 cup very hot water; it yields a delicious, not too salty stock perfect for pan gravy.
The holidays are for making new memories and keeping old memories alive. In our family, those memories always start with dinner.