Recipe Source: Anonymous. An Anonymous Andalusian Cookbook, 13th Century. Charles Perry, trans. Find the original recipe here.
Stew isn't pretty. I'm pretty sure it isn't supposed to be. It is supposed to be comforting, nourishing, filling, but not really pretty. Stews are common throughout the medieval period throughout the world, and there's a good reason for that. Stews make great use of meats that are kind of tough, not really "prime" cuts. They also enable the cook to "stretch" a little meat a long way, which is important when meat is scarce or expensive or both. I've seen some pretty fancy stews, and do you know what? They don't look any different from not-fancy stews. They look like stew.
Tharid is a dish supposedly invented by a grandfather of a Very Important Person in Islamic history. At it's heart it is somewhere between a soup and a stew. I've seen descriptions of tharid that boggle the mind, filled with all sorts of exotic meats and garnished with sausages, and I was frankly very intimidated by the very idea of cooking such a dish. Then I did a little more research and I realized that what the Caliph in Baghdad ate in 961 AD probably bore about as much resemblance to the favorite dish of the Prophet as Emperor Constantine's dinner did to Christ's daily fare. I've made tharid that was so simple it had only eight ingredients, and it was so delicious I crave it to this day. It was a popular style of dish all over the Islamic world with good reason.
This one comes to us from Andalusia. It's easy to forget that Andalusia, part of Spain (and therefore Western Europe) for centuries now, was for many centuries an important center of Islamic art, culture and learning. The anonymous Andalusian cookbook we know today comes to us from the thirteenth century AD and it's kind of fun to compare and contrast recipes from the same period in Baghdad. Sometimes the recipes are very similar. Sometimes they're wildly different but have the same name. At any rate, this one was fun and easy to make. Adding the eggs probably seems a little odd to you. It seemed odd to me too. I don't think that this dish would have been nearly as tasty without them, though, so don't leave them out if no one is allergic.
Tharda with Chard (serves 8; approx. $2.01/serving)
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds stew beef, cut into large chunks
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 red onion, diced
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 bunches chard, chopped (include the stalks)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
3 eggs
1/4 cup dried rosemary
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Water
Equipment:
- Large saucepan
- Heat the oil in the saucepan.
- Add the meat. Brown the meat on all sides.
- Add the cilantro, onion, cumin, coriander, ginger, first tablespoon of pepper and the salt.
- When the onions are softened add water to almost cover. Bring to a boil.
- Add the chard. Reduce heat to a simmer.
- Add the eggs to the mixture along with the rosemary and garlic.
- Stir well and simmer until the meat is very tender.
- Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs, remaining pepper and cinnamon.
