BARREH TU POR
IRAN
This recipe may look daunting, but it is fairly simple to prepare. The only drawback is that most domestic ovens are too small to take in a whole lamb, even when it is a small one—you need to use a lamb that is between 20 to 30 days old. One way to get around this is to ask your butcher to bone the legs so that you can fold them against the rib cage. In any case, it is well worth making as it is one of Iran’s most festive dishes, served on large platters on a bed of rice at weddings and other celebrations, and it is bound to impress both your family and friends as you bring it to table, either on a bed of extra rice or simply as is—the rice stuffing will be enough to serve with the meat. The glistening crisp saffron-colored skin is beautiful, and once you tuck into the meat and the sweet-savory stuffing that goes with it, you will be seduced by the rich yet subtle flavors and wonderful contrasting textures. One word of advice: When you order your whole lamb from your butcher, be sure to ask him or her to also give you the offal, as you will need it in the stuffing.
SERVES 8 TO 12
FOR THE STUFFING
2½ cups (500 g) long-grain rice (basmati or Iranian)
Sea salt
¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil
4 medium onions (1 pound 5 ounces/600 g total), finely chopped
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Offal from the lamb (liver, heart, and kidney), trimmed of any fat and outer layer, finely diced
2 bunches scallions (3½ ounces/100 g total), thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro (7 ounces/200 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley (7 ounces/200 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
A few sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped off the stems
1 cup (150 g) walnuts, coarsely chopped
¾ cup (125 g) slivered almonds
½ cup (60 g) slivered pistachios
1⅔ cups (250 g) dried apricots, coarsely chopped
⅓ cup (50 g) dried barberries (zereshk), soaked for 15 minutes in room temperature water and drained
Finely ground black pepper
FOR THE LAMB
Sea salt
2 medium onions (10½ ounces/300 g total), grated on the fine side of a grater
1 whole young lamb (about 15 pounds/7 kg)
1 stick (120 g) unsalted butter, melted
2 good pinches of saffron, steeped in ¼ cup (60 ml) water
1. To make the stuffing: Rinse the rice under cold water. Fill a large pot with water and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Drop the rice into the boiling water and let bubble for 5 minutes. Drain the rice. Rinse under cold water and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring regularly, until the onion is golden, about 10 minutes. Stir in the turmeric. Add the offal, scallions, herbs, nuts, apricots, barberries, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes, or until the offal is just cooked through. Add the cooked rice and mix well. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Take off the heat and let cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
4. To prepare the lamb: Sprinkle a little salt over the grated onion and mix well. Rub the lamb with the salted onion, inside and out. Then use a sturdy needle and thick thread to sew part of the lamb belly shut before pushing the stuffing inside it, spreading it evenly in the belly cavity. Sew the rest of the opening shut.
5. Line a large baking sheet with enough foil to wrap the lamb. Lay the lamb on the foil and brush it all over with the melted butter. Close the foil over the lamb and place in the hot oven. Roast for 30 minutes, then open the foil and baste the lamb with half the saffron water. Close the foil again, return to the hot oven, and roast for 1 hour. Uncover the lamb and baste with the rest of the saffron water and the juices that have come out of the lamb. Cover the lamb, return to the oven, and roast for 30 minutes. Baste the lamb one more time with the lamb juices, then leave uncovered to roast and color for the last 30 minutes.