PINCHOS DE CARNES MACERADAS WITH RECIPE FOR PERSIAN KEBOBS

Kebab
Photo by: Lord-Williams

Ar. shish kebab, Eng shish-kebab. Benavides-Barajas calls them pinchitos persas (little Persian kebabs). They consist of small cubed meat or vegetables that are grilled on a stick or skewer. [Benavides-Barajas. Nueva-Clásica. 1995:213-214; ES: “Cocina catalana.” Oct 15, 05;  ES: “Kebab.” Nov 29, 05; and Ibn Razīn/Marín. 2007:Sección 2:Ch 4:7:188: Otro Plato: Sección 5:Ch 1:28:250]

PERSIAN KEBOBS TRANSLATED AND ADAPTED FROM BARAJAS-BENAVIDES NUEVA-CLÁSICA PINCHOS PERSAS, p 213-214[1]

 

Ingredients for 6-8- persons

1 lb chunks of chicken without skin or bones, pork or veal can be used instead

1 chopped onion

2 mashed garlic cloves

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

1 tbsp chopped mint

1 tsp ginger

lemon juice from half a lemon

salt to taste

½ tsp white pepper

2 tbsp honey

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1 tbsp white wine vinegar

If you try this 
you risk licking the dish!
Photo by: Lord-Williams

2 c natural yogurt

Garnish: a mixture of cinnamon, cumin, cloves, cilantro lightly fried

Preparation

Mix all the ingredients. Marinade the chicken 2 hrs. or over night. Stick the chunks of chicken on the kebob sticks and grill 15 minutes or until cooked.

In the meantime puree the marinade in a food processor and heat.in a double boiler, stirring continuously. If not the mixture will curdle due to the lemon juice. Pour this in soup dishes and place the kebobs on top.

Sprinkle with garnish and serve.

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[1] As Benavides-Barajas does not document his sources it is unknown where he found the original recipe but this is recipe is quite novel, delicious and in keeping with the Hispano-Arab culinary tradition.

BARAJAS-BENAVIDES NUEVA-CLÁSICA PINCHOS PERSAS, p 213-214

PINCHOS WITH 13TH CENTURY RECIPE FOR CHEESE KEBOBS

Disaster!
Harder cheese was necessary
Helps to refrigerate before grilling
Photo by: Lord-Williams

broquetas, brochetas, OCat bastonets, Cat broques, Eng. kebabs, U.S. kabob. In Arabic, the same word “kabāb” or “kubab”, is not necessarily pieces of meat grilled or broiled on a skewer or spit but can be meatballs.

The earliest known documented recipe is from the 10^th C Kitab al-Tabeekh (Book of Cookery) written by Ibn Sayyar al-Warraq from Baghdad. He titles it “Kebab Khalis.” It consists of salted, sliced lean meat that is grilled in a frying pan without grease or oil. In medieval times Persian kings ate them but commoners only ate kabobs on Nowrooz, the Islamic New Year.

Benavides-Barajas provides a recipe of barbecuing chunks of semi-hard cheese on spits and dipped in olive oil before cooking. See espetar and pinchos de carnes.

[Anón/Grewe. 1982:I:63-64 ftn 11; Anon/Arberry. 2001:21; Benavides-Barajas. Alhambra. 1999:100; Castro. Alimentación. 1996:177:Curye. 1985:174; ES: “Kebab.” Nov 29, 05; and Ibn Razīn/Marín. 2007:Sección 2:Ch 4:7:188: Otro Plato: Sección 5:Ch 1:28:250: Sección 6:Ch 3:3:262]

Cheese Kabob
After refrigerating before grilling
Photo by: Lord-Williams

CHEESE ON A SPIT ADAPTED FROM, IBN RAZĪN/MARÍN 

FADALAT:Sección 5:Ch 1:28:250: Sección 6:Ch 3:3 Otro Plato, p 262]    

Ingredients

8 oz semi-hard cheese

kebab sticks soaked in water

Preparation

Cut cheese in chunks. Put them on a wooden kebab spit. Roast over coals until browned. Remove from sticks and serve warm.

IBN RAZĪN/MARÍN:

FADALAT: 4 OTRO PLATO, p 262

PINCHAR - PRICKING SAUSAGES AND OTHER FOOD PRODUCTS

Pricking the Sausage to Prevent Explosion
(unique sausage -  layered with
brown ground meat & white of eggs)
Photo by: Lord-William

to prick sausages once made with pins. If this is not done, the air inside the intestinal skin makes the sausage 'wrinkle' and thus spoils it. This is also true of turnovers and other food products. [Anón. Al-Andalus. 1966:1:36:9; Medieval Spanish Chef. Cordero, 25 Jul 13; Embudo. Feb 12, 14; and Intestinos. Aug 6, 15 etc; Pers. Memories. Slaughters Mostoles. 2000:2001:2003; and Serradilla. 1993:146]

PIMIENTA NEGRA WITH 14TH CENTURY RECIPE FOR PEPPER SAUCE

Pimeinta_2
Pepper getting ripe
(Piper nigrum)
Photo from: Pappadi

L. Piper nigrum, Ar. fulful, Heb. pelpil, Fr. poivre noir, Eng. black pepper. It originated from the Malabar Coast where the bays progressively collect green, yellow and mature corns. It was brought to Erez Israel after the expeditions of Alexander the Great. Due to the high cost of pepper, Jews substituted rocket for pepper when seasoning meat and at other times used vetch. They did use peppercorns to dispel halitosis. Women were allowed to put peppercorns in their mouths on the Sabbath.

The Arabs are credited with introducing black pepper to Spain. During the Middle Ages, it was called ‘black money’ as it was a means of exchange. In Barberry the majority of dishes were seasoned with black pepper, long pepper or African pepper. Pepper corns and the root were used medicinally to reduce fever and as an antiseptive, antibacterial and digestive. It was used with other specific herbs to stimulate the flow of blood when women aborted.

Stirring Pepper Sauce 
Photo by: Lord-Williams

[Castro. Alimentación. 1996:292; ES: Ibarra. Sep 1, 03; and ES: “Medicinal.” Sep 30, 02]

PEPPER SAUCE FOR CRANES WITH SAFFRON ADAPTED FROM ANÓN SENT SOVÍ #LXXXIIII QUI PARLA CON SE FFA PEBRADA A GRUES MEYS DE ZAFRA, p 120  

Ingredients

1 crane[1]

The Finished Dish with Sauce
Photo by: Lord-Williams

For the sauce:

½ tsp pepper

2 tsp mixed spices especially cloves[2]
½ tsp ground and diluted saffron

1 slice of toasted bread

½ c vinegar

1 c meat broth

Preparation

Roast crane on a spit

Mix the spices. Grind them with bread soaked in ¼ c vinegar. Heat the mixture and add the remainder of the vinegar and the broth.

Carve the crane and pour the sauce over it.

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[1] Chicken was used instead.
[2] Other spices could be cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.

ANÓN SENT SOVÍ #LXXXIIII 

QUI PARLA CON SE FFA PEBRADA A GRUES MEYS DE ZAFRA, p 120  

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