Making a Green Hen

Cut up the hen, joint by joint, clean it and put in a pot; throw in two spoons of vinegar and the same amount of cilantro juice, three spoons of oil, cilantro pounded with half an onion, coriander seed, cumin, pepper, cinnamon, stalks of fennel, "eyes" of citron leaves, almonds, shelled pine-nuts and enough water; cook over moderate coals and take lamb's meat, pound this and place in it everything that goes into meatballs, according to the preceeding. Make with this little meatballs and cook with the hen; reserve some of this meat to cover the contents of the pot with, and if you wish to fry some meatballs, fry them; then break as many eggs as you like and beat them with the meat from the meatballs, which you reserved, and with a little white flour, a spoon of cilantro juice and some pepper; cover the contents of the pot with it and then arrange the almonds in the platter with the meatballs and egg yolks and serve, God willing.

Widgeon, Known as the Sparrow Hawk

Cut the widgeon through all its joints into two pieces and put it in a pot; take gizzards of chicken and widgeon and clean them and cut them as fine as you can; throw in the pot with a spoon of murri, a head of garlic and two spoons of fresh oil, a stalk of rue, another of thyme, pepper, caraway, coriander both green and dried, a little onion and the whites of four eggs; beat well and throw a spoon of it in the pot and with the rest make meatballs and reserve some of it for the covering; cook the meatballs in the pot and stir the pot on all sides until the grease is properly cooked. Then take the whites of four eggs and beat with the rest of the filling, a bit of sifted flour and some pepper and cover the contents of the pot with it. You will have cooked the yolks of the eggs before this. Then arrange it on the platter, decorate with the meatballs and the yolks, and serve it, God willing.

Jimliyya of Legs and Breast of Squab

Take the legs of squab and the breast, place in a pot and add two spoons of oil, another of best murri and an adequate amount of vinegar, onion pounded with salt, coriander seed, caraway, pepper, sprigs of thyme and enough water; cook [p. 38, verso] until the sauce equals its grease and the meat is cooked; dot with four egg yolks and cover the contents of the pot with two eggs, put it in a platter and sprinkle with pepper, decorate with the yolks and serve it.

[85]Stuffed Goose

Clean a tender goose and do not cut it up, boil its gizzard and chop as small as possible, with its liver and chicken livers and gizzards also; beat with pepper, cinnamon, coriander and cilantro, ground thyme, a little vinegar, murri, eggs, salt and chopped onion; cook some of it and taste it; then stuff the goose with it, sew it up and put it in a clean pot; add a little water, oil, and murri and place it in the oven; when the top is browned, turn it over to brown the other side and let it finish cooking, then take it out of the pan and put around it tender citron leaves and cut them, pour its grease on top and serve it, God willing.

Partridge

Cut the partridge through all its joints, clean it and place in an earthenware pot and throw in salt, chopped onion, a spoon of murri and two of oil, chopped cilantro, pepper, some caraway and enough water; cook till done, then take a handful of coriander seed, ground as fine as kohl, break over it four eggs and cover the contents of the pot with them and throw some whole pine-nuts on it and serve, God willing.

Sliced Chicken

Slice the breast of the chicken, after cleaning it, and fry in the frying pan with fresh oil until it browns, then place in the earthenware pot with salt and onion-juice, a spoon of murri, two of oil and four of water, pepper, rue, thyme, chopped cilantro, pine-nuts and cut almonds; boil this on the fire and make meatballs with lamb meat, and cook with it; cover the contents of the pot with some of the stuffing and eggs; then boil the eggs separately and cut in quarters, arrange them with the almonds on the platter and sprinkle a little chopped rue on top and serve, God willing.

A Dish of Whole Turtledoves

Open up their bellies, clean and arrange in a pan, add salt, half a spoon of vinegar, one of murri and three of oil, a little chopped cilantro, pepper, coriander seed, caraway and a suitable amount of water; cook until done, then pound a piece of meat [p.39, recto] finely with two or three walnuts and cover the contents of the pot with them and with egg white and serve it, God willing.

A Jointed Hen, Veiled and this dish with partridge is also extraordinary

Cut up the chicken and place in a pot, throw in a lot of onions, some five or six, cut in quarters and all the spices, murri, good oil, stalks of fennel, citron leaves, some rosewater, sprigs of thyme, pine-nuts, skinned garlic and almond; beat eggs either alone or with the seasonings of the pot; throw it over the chicken and put egg-yolks in, put a lid on the pot and seal the lid with dough and place in the bread oven until done; then serve it, God willing.

Chicken with Stuffed Eggplants

Boil the eggplants and take out the insides, beat with eggs, ground meat and all the flavorings, murri, onion juice, salt and chopped rue; stuff the eggplants with this and fry them in fresh oil until brown and the stuffing is cooked. Roast the chicken on a spit and baste it constantly with oil and murri beaten together until it is brown and take care that is does not touch the fire and burn; then place it on a platter and put around it citron leaves and the stuffed eggplants and decorate with sliced eggs, and chop some rue and serve.

A Coral Dish of Chicken

Roast the chicken, according to the recipe for roasting in the recipe previous to this one. Take a new pan and place in it two spoons of vinegar, one of murri, three of water and two of fresh oil, citron leaves, two fennel stalks, an onion pounded with salt, cilantro, a sprig of rue, another of thyme and skinned almonds and put the pot on a low fire; if you make lamb meatballs and fry and put in it, it is good. When the onion is done and the pot has boiled several times, dot with the yolks of eight eggs, cover the contents of the pot with the whites together with some white flour and pepper; put the roast chicken in it until the chicken absorbs the sauce and sprinkle with some murri; put on a platter and pour the sauce over, chop rue over it and serve, God willing.

A Reddish-Brown Dish of Chicken

Sacrifice a fat hen and leave it overnight in its feathers; then pluck it and boil lightly whole, then roast moderately over coals and cut up its gizzards and liver before boiling the hen; cut in very small pieces with some salt, a whole onion, a sprig of thyme, four stalks of fennel, four citron leaves, a ratl and a half of scented sweet syrup, two ûqiyas of murri, two more of fresh oil, a dirham of China cinnamon and another of cinnamon, four dirham of pepper and a head of garlic for those who like it. When you have cooked this sauce, cut up the chicken and put it in the pan and cover the contents of the pot with the cooked yolks of four eggs beaten with some sauce from the pot; then serve it, after letting it sit for a while, God willing.

Palace Chicken with Mustard

Cut up the chicken and place in a pot with salt and onion pounded with cilantro, oil, coriander seed, pepper and caraway; put it on the fire until it boils, and when it has boiled gently, add cilantro juice, vinegar, and murri, and let the vinegar be more than the murri; when it has cooked, pound peeled almonds fine and stir with egg and some pepper, green and dried ground coriander and a spoon of prepared mustard; pour all this into the pan and add three cracked eggs and take it to the hearthstone to rest for a while, and serve, God willing.

The Green Dish Which Umm Hakima Taught

Boil the tender hen, cut it up and fry in fresh oil until it is browned and crisp; leave in the skillet and then take a platter and put in it cilantro chopped with onion and rue cut in small pieces, a spoon of murri, pepper, caraway and two spoonfuls of cilantro juice, cloves of peeled garlic and thyme rubbed in the hand and four spoons of water; beat it all and pour over the hen and do not stop stirring continuously until the dressing is ready and cook it, then take four eggs and break them over the dish and stir it all until the egg is cooked and the greater part of the sauce is exhausted; then serve it, God willing.

A Dish of Pullet

Cut the chicken, after cleaning it, into three pieces and place in a new pot; add a proportionate amount of salt, pepper, a good quantity of coriander seed, a spoon of murri and another of oil; put it on the fire until it boils once, and prepare onion juice for it and put on enough to cover, and boil [p. 40, recto] until done. Boil eggs, clean them and pound with them a proportionate amount of cilantro and break upon them clean eggs, and beat with them, and cover the contents of the pot with them, and taste until the proportions are good and equal.

[86]Dish Known as Mulahwaj (the Hasty Dish)

Cut the young meat in round pieces and place in a pot, take four or five onions per ratl of butcher's meat and roast in quarters and throw in; peel eggplants and cut each in eight pieces, boil lightly and wash with fresh water; throw in the pot and add pepper, coriander seed, cumin, caraway, two stalks of fennel and citron leaves, a head of garlic, four spoons of vinegar, three of oil, two of murri and enough water and salt. Boil until the meat is nearly ready; then take half a dirham of saffron, grind and pound in the brass mortar with some water until it is liquified; throw in the pot until it finishes cooking and see to it that the sauce is of a small quantity; then take four eggs and break over the margin of the pot, pour over the meat and stir with the spoon until it separates and leave it until it coagulates and take from the fire: it is a good dish.[87]

Another Good Dish

Cut the meat small and place in the pot and add two spoonfuls of oil and two more of murri, some coriander seed, thyme, pepper and onion chopped with cilantro; boil the pot with this and continue stirring until there is only oil in it; then pour in water to cover the meat and finish cooking, take ground meat and crumbs of grated bread, pepper and egg; beat and cover the contents of the pot with it and set aside until its grease is properly cooked, and ladle it out, if God wills, may He be glorified and exalted.

Recipe for a Good Dish Covered With Pine-nuts

Cut the meat in proportionate pieces and place in a new pot, stir with a spoon with a continuous movement without water or oil and do not stop stirring until the meat is delicately browned, and your fire should be low; then put in grated onion and the necessary amount of salt, three spoons of vinegar and two of murri, one of coriander juice, citron leaves, stalks of fennel and all the spices, pepper, cinnamon, coriander seed and cumin, which will be the least of all, some caraway and sprigs of rue, [p. 40, verso] peeled almonds, pine-nuts and enough water; cook until it is ready. Make meatballs for this dish and fry until brown, then take some of the meat of the meatballs and beat with some cilantro juice and grated bread-crumbs and the whites of four eggs, and dot the yolks on the contents of the pot before this and chop half a handful of pine-nuts; beat all this together and cover the contents of the pot with it, take it to the embers until the grease comes forth, pour it out and serve, God willing.

To Make the Dish Asfar (The Yellow Dish)

Cut the meat in the estimated quantity and throw on top of it half an onion pounded with salt, a spoon of vinegar, half a spoon of murri and the same amount of cilantro juice, and there is no need to increase the murri nor the coriander juice, because you are not making broth; and two spoons of fresh oil and all the previous spices, and go easy on the cumin, and enough water, but not too much. Then take about fifteen walnuts per ratl of butcher's meat, shell them and cut in halves and quarters; boil them and peel them and put in the pot about two thirds and reserve a third to cover the pot, and also throw in peeled almond and pine-nuts. You may make small meatballs and not fry them, but if you prefer them fried, do it. Take saffron according to the quantity of meat, a dirham and a half, grind half with water in the brass mortar until it is finely ground, and pour it into the pot as you begin to cook it. When the meat is done, cover [with] four egg yolks, and take the whites and beat with some white flour, and pound the rest of the walnuts until smooth and dissolve in the rest of the saffron. Beat it all and cover the contents of the pot with it; agitate carefully by the sides (of the pot) until the crust is cooked; take it for a while to the embers until it settles and the grease comes out. Ladle it out and garnish the platter with the walnuts, the meatballs and the yolks, and serve it. And if you make for this dish some very small sanbûsak and garnish the platter with it, it will be good, God willing.

Another Partridge Dish

Cut up the partridge, clean it and put it in the pot, pour in fresh water, fresh oil, vinegar, murri, a spoon of each; throw in rue, thyme leaves and an onion chopped finely, two heads of garlic pounded with walnuts and a dirham and a half of pepper; cook until done and break eggs and cover the contents of the pot with them, God willing.

Another Partridge Dish

Put an earthen pan (qaswila/cazuela) on the fire [p. 41, recto] and put in it a spoon of murri, another of oil and another of vinegar, spices, a whole onion cut in halves, sprigs of thyme and two eggs in their shells after being washed; cook it all until done, roast the partridge, cut it up and throw it in the sauce. After dissolving in the sauce the yolks of the two eggs, cut up the whites and sprinkle over the meat in the platter with pepper and cinnamon and serve, God willing.

[88]Jûdhâba with Qatâ if

Take a new qaswila [a cazuela or earthenware casserole] and wash it and pour in it fresh oil. Then put a qatâif or a ruqâq[89] (thin flatbread), according to the size of the mold (the earthenware casserole); then break over it four eggs and a handful of ground sugar or honey, then add qatîfa [the rarely used singular of qatâif] in addition, or two ruqâqs, and break over them four eggs and a handful of sugar, and do all this the same as you would chicken. Then proceed to cover it all up with fresh milk and a little fresh oil; arrange it in the tannur or in the bread oven and put on it the chicken or a fat rib or whatever fat meat you wish and leave it until it is done, arrange it on the marble, sprinkle with sugar and serve, God willing. And if you want to use sugar or almonds in place of eggs, it is very excellent.

[90]A Remarkable Stuffed Mutajjan (Fried Dish)

Cut the meat up small and place in pot, and throw in spices and a little cumin, onion pounded with cilantro, salt, a spoon of vinegar and a little murri; cook until done, and then remove the meat from the sauce and fry it in the pan with oil until it is brown. Then take the necessary quantity of eggs, throw them in on it, after beating them very well in a platter, and leave them until they set and thicken. Then put the sauce in the pan and lift it with a knife around all its edges so that the sauce runs underneath and all is absorbed, and simmer until it thickens and stays rather smooth. Turn it onto the platter and sprinkle with rue and present it, if God wills. And if you make it with meatballs, it is good.

A Similar Mutajjan with Meat Balls

Make meatballs, as told previously, and fry in fresh oil until brown, then stir eggs and throw them in and leave them until they set; sprinkle with rue, then throw in a spoon of vinegar and another of murri and the same of water, all that having been boiled in the frying pan. And if the tajine is made separately, arrange the meatballs with [p. 41, verso] the broth on the platter and pour over them the contents of the tajine, and it is good, and sprinkle it with rue, God willing.

A Remarkable Tajine

Beat the eggs with the meat, coriander, dried pepper, caraway, coriander juice and onion juice; pour into the pan and fry until browned and sprinkle with pepper and rue, God willing.

[91]Tabâhaja, Which is Fried Meat

Take three ratls of strips of meat taken from kid meat, and put it in a pot and put with it five ûqiyas of fresh oil, a quarter of a ratl of water and enough salt. Put on the fire and leave it there until the heat has dried the water, then pour in a third of a ratl of water and sprinkle with ginger and pepper, a mithqâl's-worth[92] of each and take out about a third of it. And indeed a notable tabâhaja is eaten of it. Pour in the pot after ladling an ûqiya of vinegar and leave it until what you have separated has been consumed; then separate half of what is left in the pan and sprinkle with chopped rue, in order to present an extraordinary dish of the best sort and sprinkle what is in the pan with some asafoetida and break over it five beaten eggs, then dish this up and serve with it a very fine anjudhâniyya [a dish flavored with asafoetida].

Another Tabâhajiyya

Slice the meat and sprinkle over it salt and pepper, fry with fresh oil until it is browned and its juices have dried into the oil; take a handful of almonds, which have been well ground and moistened with vinegar; cook in the pan and sprinkle minced celery leaf[93] on it and cinnamon.

Another Tabâhajiyya

Cut the meat up small and fry in oil and salt; throw in some pepper, cumin, salt and a little vinegar and leave for a while and fry with fresh oil until browned. Take an egg and throw over it a spoon of vinegar and another of murri and the same of cilantro; stir it all and throw over the meat in the pan, leave and stir until it is good and serve it sprinkled with pepper, rue and cinnamon.

Another Tabâhajiyya

Cut the meat up small and fry with oil and salt, and when it is brown, cook it until done with vinegar. Pound a handful of almonds or walnuts and throw them on and boil a while. Take pomegranate juice and dissolve in it a lump of sugar, to get rid of its tartness, and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Another with Pistachios and Sugar

[p. 42, recto] Slice the meat, fry it, and cook with cilantro juice. Pound pistachio moistened with some water, murri and sugar; pour this over the meat in the pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and rue and serve it.

A Dish of Meatballs

Make meatballs, as told before, and put the pot on the fire. Put in it a spoon of vinegar and another of murri, spices, an onion pounded with cilantro and salt, a little thyme, a clove of garlic and enough rue and fresh water as needed until it is nearly done. Throw in the meatballs and dot with egg yolks and coat the contents of the pot with the whites, and add whole pine nuts and almonds. Ladle out and sprinkle with pepper, cinnamon and rue.

Another Dish of Meat Balls

Make the meatballs, as told before, and they should be like tiny balls. Grill on the spit with an even fire of hot coals until browned; then put them in the platter and hew them into pieces and add seasoned murri and if you wish, add much. If you wish to fry them, it is good, God willing.

Stuffed Asparagus

Cook the eggs and shell them. Cook large asparagus and chop tender meat fine and add in whatever you add to the meat of meatballs, and cloak the asparagus, one after the other, with the meat, and go with care until they cling together. Put a large clay pot on the fire, in which you have put water, salt, a spoon of murri and another of oil, cilantro juice, onion juice, pepper, caraway and coriander seed; fry gently, then throw in the asparagus and handle them carefully. Fry until done, and throw in meatballs of that meat, and when it is all done, cover the contents of the pot with eggs and bread crumbs and some ground meat and decorate with egg yolks, God willing.

Stuffed Eggs

Cook eggs, remove the shells and cut them in half. Remove the yolks, put together in a platter and throw on them cilantro, onion juice, spices and cinnamon; and it will become a paste with which you will stuff the eggs. Tie them with thread and hold them with a small stick. Dissolve some egg white and grease them with it along with a little saffron, and dust with fine flour and fry with fresh oil on an even fire, and when finished, sprinkle with chopped rue and serve. Make a sauce with the filling and sprinkle with spikenard and cinnamon, God willing.[94]

[95]A Dish of Eggs with Meat

[p. 42, verso] Take a quarter ratl of vinegar and the same amount of murri and of water, and put all together in a tajine. Grind an onion and throw in thyme leaves and enough salt. Put on the fire until the onion is done; then break ten eggs or as many as you want, season with a dirham and a half of pepper, God willing, may He be exalted.

Another Egg Dish

Put the pot on the fire and throw in a spoon of murri, another of vinegar and the same of oil, spices and onion pounded with cilantro and salt. Cook till done and dot with eggs and cover the contents of the pot. Dish it up and serve it, God willing.

A Roast of Meat

Chop meat of a young animal small and throw in enough salt, spices, a little cumin and the same amount of thyme, chopped garlic and vinegar; leave a little while, then roast, basting with oil and murri, and eat. And if you wish to sprinkle it with chopped rue, it will be good, God willing.

A Roast of Meat

Roast salted, well-marbled meat [cut up] like fingertips, and put in a pot spices, onion, salt, oil and soaked garbanzos. Cook until done and add the roast meat; cover the contents of the pot with cilantro and sprinkle with pepper and cinnamon; and if you add whole pine nuts or walnuts in place of garbanzos, it will be good.

Making Fresh Fish with Eggs

Scale the fish, salt it, and arrange it in an earthen casserole (qaswila, cazuela), having strained for it cilantro juice, and a little garlic, which you will pour on it, but not enough to cover. Throw in oil and spices and put in the bread oven; when it is done, break eggs in a platter, chop rue, sprinkle with a little pepper and some spikenard minced fine and pour over the fish at the door of the oven, and when it is done, eat with fine wheat flatbreads.

[96]Tortoise or Mullet Pie

Simmer the tortoises lightly in water with salt, then remove from the water and take a little murri, pepper, cinnamon, a little oil, onion juice, cilantro and a little saffron; beat it all with eggs and arrange the tortoises and the mullets in the pie and throw over it the filling. The pastry for the pie should be kneaded strongly, and kneaded with some pepper and oil, and greased, when it is done, with the eggs and saffron.

[p. 43, recto] ...[about four words missing]... a Dish of Sourdough

Dissolve the sourdough in water and place in a pot, throw in ...[two words missing]... and cook until done, and cover the contents of the pot with eggs.

To Make Isfîriyâ

Pound the flesh of a leg until it is like brains. Remove the sinews and throw in pepper, half a spoon of honey, a little oil, as much as is needed, and a little water. Mix all smoothly with flour and do not neglect to pound it, and do not slacken in this, because it will cool and be ruined. Grease the pan with oil or fat, make the pounded meat into flatbreads and fry in the pan; if there be with the meat almonds or walnuts or apples, it will be superb, God willing.

Isfîriyâin the Manner of the Market Folk

Pound the meat of a leg when it is flayed, before it cools and after cutting it into strips, when it stops steaming. Remove its sinews, until nothing remains in it; throw in, while pounding, a little salt. When it is done, take what you need of sifted flour, mix with water and knead with the hand until it is mixed; throw in oil and also a little honey and break over it eggs; stir smoothly and throw it with the meat in the brass mortar and stir in the mortar very vigorously; add water little by little until it becomes light, and use it so that it does not cool and spoil. Then clean a frying pan and smear with oil, then take the meat out of the mortar and put round cakes of it in the pan and arrange the pan on the fire. And when you think it is going strongly, throw in a little oil and turn the pan so that the oil goes between and under the meat-cakes, and check that you stir it by the sides with a skewer so that it does not burn; then turn until done and brown it, if you want it brown, or do it in another manner as most people do, dash cold water on to the pan, then spread with oil, as you did the first time and use it as you please.
Make sausage in the same way as you make isfîriyâ : reduce the amount of water and increase the amount of eggs, remove the meat to the platter and leave it till it sets, and add fat to the weight of a third of the meat and throw in pepper and chopped rue and be at it all until it mixes. Clean the gut and fill with this meat with the fat, and tie in the lengths you wish; throw into boiling water [p. 43, verso] until hard; take them out and put in cold water ...[about three words missing]... the isfîriyâ so that it does not turn black. Fry the sausage (dukânik) after this, God willing.

[97]...[title missing, about a third of a line]...

Take pure semolina, clean it and throw in enough water to saturate it and knead dough, as for ka'k; throw in oil and beat smoothly until it is light, after adding eggs, enough water, and leaven; put in the pot or in the platter until it rises, then fill the pan with oil and throw in morsels of the paste and when they are done, take them out and throw in more until you have done all you need and if you wish to add chopped almonds and pine nuts or pistachios, it will be better, God willing.

Dish of Chicken When it is Roasted

Roast a fat hen and anoint it with salt, oil and thyme until it is browned and done; then cut it up and put in the pot and throw in two spoons of murri and the same of vinegar, a spoon of oil, onion chopped with cilantro, salt, spices, leaves of thyme and chopped rue. Put it all on the fire until it comes to a full boil and cook with the flavorings. Then grind up walnuts, almonds and pine nuts, leaving to the side some whole ones and beat [with] three eggs, and cover the contents of the pot with them, and dot with egg yolks and leave over the coals until they bind together and are good. Sprinkle it with pepper and cinnamon, God willing.

Dish of Chicken or Whatever Meat You Please

If it is tender, take the flesh of the breast of the hen or partridge or the flesh of the thighs and pound very vigorously, and remove the tendons and pound with the meat almonds, walnuts and pine nuts until completely mixed. Throw in pepper, caraway, cinnamon, spikenard, in the required quantity, and a little honey and eggs; beat all together until it becomes one substance. Then make with this what looks like the 'usba[98] made of lamb innards, and put it in a lamb skin or sheep skin and put it on a heated skewer and cook slowly over a fire of hot coals until it is browned, then remove it and eat it, if you wish with murri and if you wish with mustard, God willing.

Bedouin Chicken

Cook the chicken with water and salt, pepper, chopped onion and lots of oil; cover the contents of the pot with eggs, [p. 44, recto] sprinkle [with spices] and serve, God willing. If you add a little vinegar, it is good, and the same with cilantro.

Dish of Stuffed Chicken (or Pullet)

Take two chickens and make with one of them the stuffing for the other, according to the earlier directions on making stuffing, and when you have finished making it, put in the pot or an earthenware pot and throw in a spoon of oil and another of murri, and onion chopped with cilantro and salt. Put on the fire until brown, then moisten with water and finish cooking. Make meatballs of lamb flesh with enough water to bind it; then put on the spit and cook, anoint with egg-yolk, with a sprig of thyme, little by little, until it yellows and glows; then put it in the pan with the chicken and cover the contents of the pot with four eggs, bread crumbs and a little rose-water; top with egg yolks, take it out and sprinkle with spikenard, cinnamon and pepper, God willing.

Another Dish

Take a leg of lamb, cut it small and put in the pot, throw in a spoon of murri, finely chopped onion, coriander and cilantro, pepper and a spoon of oil; put on the fire, take some lamb meat and chop finely and throw in pepper, coriander and cilantro, caraway and onion, all of this pounded, and throw into the pounded meat and add half a spoon of murri and half of oil. Make meatballs from this, and put them in the pot and throw in three scattered[99] eggs. Take what is left of the ground meat and take gut[100] of lamb and put the filling in it and make of this large 'usbas;[101] pound cilantro well and break over it two eggs, and cover the pot with this and put it on the hearthstone. When it is done, dish it up and serve it, God willing.

Eggplant Dish Known as the Arabic

Take pieces of meat over the cutting-up of the tajine (?), and put them in the pot and throw in it three spoons of vinegar, a spoon of murri and two spoons of oil, pepper, cumin and coriander seed, two dirhams of each one, cilantro, "eyes" of rue and almond kernels; throw in water to cover by two fingers, and take the pot to the fire; when it is done, remove it from the coals and cover the contents of the pot with much cilantro, predominating over the dough [of the covering]; beat into it three eggs and some white flour, then throw in the pot a peeled, boiled, eggplant, [p.44, verso] chopped up, which completes it.

Dish Prepared With Fried Eggplant

Take meat and cut it up small, then put it in the pot and throw in half a spoon of vinegar, one of murri and another of fresh oil, and pepper, coriander and cilantro, both pounded fine, and salt. Bring the pot to a full boil until the meat and the spices are cooked, and don't throw in water. When the meat has browned and is done, remove it, stir it and throw in enough water, but do not let it cover the meat, and boil again. Then boil the eggplant separately, after salting it and removing its water,[102] and then cut in thirds and quarters and remove the peel. Dust with good white flour and fry in the pan with some fresh oil, then throw it in the pot and cover the contents of the pot with two eggs and crumbs of leavened bread and draw off the grease to the oven. Boil moderately, take off the fire for a while and serve.

Dish with Truffles and Meat

Cut the meat in small pieces and put in the pot, throw in water and salt, a spoon of murri and another of oil, pepper, coriander seed and caraway; put on the fire and cook with all this. Peel the truffles, then cut them up and throw in the pan with salt, and when they are done, cover the contents of the pot with egg whites and bread crumbs and throw in the yolks. And when you put it on the platter, sprinkle with pepper and chopped rue, God willing, may He be praised, there is no lord but He.

Preparing Liftiyya (a Dish of Turnips) with Walnuts and Sugar

Take fat meat and cut it middling size, wash and put it in the pot; pour in oil, salt, and enough water to cover the meat and put on the fire until the water is absorbed. When it has been absorbed, throw in the pot three spoons of vinegar, two of murri, pepper, coriander seed and some sugar, and take walnuts, peel and cut up like dirhams[103] and throw in the pot. Boil until cooked, and when it is cooked, pound pepper and shelled walnuts and throw in, and take off the fire and serve.

Meat Soup with Cabbage

Take meat and cut up as fine as possible, and take old cheese, the best you can obtain, and cut it up, and throw on it an onion pounded with cilantro. Take tender "eyes" of cabbage, and boil, and pound with all of this in the wooden mortar, and throw in the pot, after boiling once or twice. Add some murri, a little vinegar and some pepper [p. 45, recto] and caraway, and cover the contents of the pot with dough [or: sourdough] and cover with eggs.

Persian Muthallath

Take meat sent in batches such as "the shortened" (short ribs?) or the breast, and cut it up and throw in the pot. Pour over it four spoons of vinegar and some pepper, caraway and coriander seed, to the weight of one dirham of each, and two spoons of fresh oil, some rue, almonds and enough water to cover the meat. Throw in the pot six cloves of garlic and then put the pot on the fire, and when the meat is well cooked, cover the contents of the pot with four eggs and throw in dough [or: sourdough] and cut-up rue with some flour. And take down as a substitute for the dough, after throwing it [the egg] in, two branches of citron and some mint. Then take an eggplant which has been peeled and boiled, throw in cold water and sprinkle with vinegar, and put this eggplant in the pot with its coating (crust) and leave for a while on the coals, until the grease comes out, God willing.

[104]Preparing a Dish With Cardoon

Take meat and cut it up, wash and put in the pot and pour over enough water to cover. Put in the pot one spoon of oil, two of murri and one of clarified butter, and soaked garbanzos, chopped onion and coriander seed. Peel the cardoons, boil and cut up and throw pepper in the pot with them, and when they are cooked, take two eggs and bread crumbs, cover the contents of the pot well and leave over the coals until the grease comes out, God willing.

Preparing a Dish of Cardoons with Meat

Take meat and cut it up, put in the pot with water, salt, two spoons of murri, one of vinegar and another of oil, pepper, caraway and coriander seed. Put on the fire, and when it is cooked, wash the cardoons, boil, cut up small and throw over the meat. Boil a little, and cover the contents of the pot with two eggs and bread crumbs, and sprinkle pepper on it in the platter, God willing.

Preparation of Baqliyya of Asparagus

Take meat and cut it to the size of three fingers. Wash it and put it in the pot. Add one spoon of oil, a spoon and a half of murri, coriander seed, a fistful of soaked garbanzos and a chopped onion. Put it on the fire. Take the asparagus and cut in small pieces, boil them and throw them in the pot with the meat. When the meat with the asparagus is done, take crumbs of bread, two eggs and pepper and cover the contents of the pot with it. Leave it on the embers a while, if God wills.

Preparing Asparagus with Meat Stuffing

[p. 45, verso] Take asparagus, the largest you have, clean and boil, after taking tender meat and pounding fine; throw in pepper, caraway, coriander seed, cilantro juice, some oil and egg white; take the boiled asparagus, one after another, and dress with this ground meat, and do so carefully. Put an earthenware pot on the fire, after putting in it water, salt, a spoon of murri and another of oil, cilantro juice, pepper, caraway and coriander seed; little by little while the pot boils, throw in it the asparagus wrapped in meat. Boil in the pot and throw in it meatballs of this ground meat, and when it is all evenly cooked, cover with egg, breadcrumbs and some of the stuffed meat already mentioned and decorate with egg, God willing.

Making Baqliyya of Asparagus

Cut the meat in round pieces and throw in the pot with a large onion and water, pepper, salt, coriander seed, caraway, two spoons of murri and the same amount of fresh oil. Put on the fire, and when the meat is done, cut the asparagus fine, after boiling, and throw over the meat; cover with eggwhites which you covered with their whites [literal translation; possibly one of the whites mentioned is an error for yolks].

Making Baqliyya with Eggplants

Take the breast of a sheep and its ribs, cut small, to the size of three fingers, cut onion in round slices and then take cilantro and pound coriander seed, caraway, and Chinese cinnamon; cut up the eggplants in round pieces and the same with the gourds; then take a pot and put a little oil in its bottom then arrange a layer of meat and eggplant and a layer of gourd and put some spices between each layer and the next; then put the pot on the fire, after putting in it an adequate quantity of meat, and do not add water; cook until done God willing.

[105]Preparing Mallow With Jerked Meat

Take jerked (dried) meat, and let it be tender, and cut it up, wash it, put it on the spit and roast it; put in the pot and cover it with water, throw in soaked garbanzos, a chopped onion, coriander seed, pepper, a spoon of oil and salt; put the pot on the fire and when it is cooked, take mallow leaf, wash the dust and earth off and chop finely; then throw on some salt and stir with the hand, then put it in a sieve of esparto grass [p. 46, recto] and pour water through until no dirt or anything else remains; then throw in the pot with the meat and when the vegetables are cooked, take the pot from the fire and take some flour and two eggs ... [word or words missing]... with the flour [or possibly the jerky; reading qadîd for daqîq] on a dish until the grease runs out, God willing.

[106]Preparing the Dish Dictated by Abu Ishaq

Take meat and pound smooth until it is like marrow; put in the pot and pour over it oil and salt, clean onions and chop them, then boil and stir and throw in the pot with this some coriander seed and pepper in the amount needed, soaked garbanzos and a handful of peeled almonds pounded like salt; pour in white of egg and leave until the grease runs out, God willing.

Making 'Umâniyya [or possibly 'Ammâniyya]

Cut up the meat and throw in the pot with pepper, cinnamon, spikenard, four and a half dirhams of each, and one thumn[107] of honey, one fourth of a thumn of saffron, half a ratl of walnuts and three spoons of oil; when it is cooked, take a ratl of white flour, dissolve it in a dish with water, throw it in the pot and boil with everything; take care to stir it; put on a platter and sprinkle with sugar, God willing.

[108]Complete Jimliyya

Take meat of a sheep and its liver, heart and kidneys; cut in round pieces and wash, put in the pot with a spoon of vinegar and another of good murri, fresh oil, two sides [shatrain; possible a measure of oil], coriander seed, caraway and pepper; cook with some water until done and serve.

Meat Roasted Over Coals

Cut the meat however you wish and throw on a spoon of oil and another of murri, salt, coriander seed, pepper and thyme; leave for a while until it has absorbed the spices, prepare without smoke and roast on a spit and watch it.

[109]Roast Starling

Wash the starlings and sprinkle with some white flour; roast over a gentle fire on the spit and baste continually with some oil and good murri with a sprig of thyme, and when you have finished roasting, throw on it some good murri.

Flank of Lamb Roast in the Oven

Take a medium-sized pot and put in it some water and half a spoon of vinegar ... [one and a half lines blank in the manuscript]

Preparing Maslûq al-Saqâliba, Boiled Dish of the Saqaliba

Take meat and cut it up, wash and put in the pot; take fat intestines and clean tripes and cut in round slices; throw in the pot a whole onion, fennel, a handful of rue, citron leaf, some pounded dried coriander, salt and a spoon of good oil; then pour enough water into the pot to cover the meat, put on the fire and cook until the meat falls apart; take a head of garlic and peel it and throw it whole into the pot, add pepper and boil together; take it to the embers for an hour, God willing.

Al-Ghassani's Tharda

Take fat meat and cut it up, arrange in a large pot and throw in coriander seed, chopped onion, cilantro, caraway, pepper, soaked garbanzos, three whole eggs and enough water to cover the meat and salt; when the meat is done, reduce the fire below it and throw in two dirhams of saffron; when you see that it is colored, remove part of the sauce, leaving enough to cover the meat; boil the meat with the saffron and then take off the fire, strain the sauce and leave in the pot, take one kail of sauce and three of honey, then take the pot to the fire and bring it to the boil three times with the honey and the sauce. Then take best white bread, crumble it and sieve the crumbs, cover the pot with them and put in it fat and pepper; pour into the platter over bread soaked in the broth and serve, God willing.

Zabarbada [Zîrbâja] of Fresh Cheese

Take fresh cheese, clean it, cut it up and crumble it; take cilantro and onion, chop and throw over the cheese, stir and add spices and pepper, stir the pot with two spoons of oil and an equal quantity of water and salt, then throw this mixture in the pot and put on the fire and cook; when it is cooked, take the pot from the fire and cover with egg and some flour and serve.

Tharda of Zabarbada

Take a clean pot and put in it water, two spoons of oil, pepper, cilantro and a pounded onion; put it on the fire and when the spices have boiled, take bread and crumble it, throw it in the pot and stir smoothly while doing so; pour out of the pot onto a platter and knead this into a tharda and pour clarified butter over it, and if you do not have this, use oil.

Preparing Tabâhaja of Burâ niyya

Take of small [p.47, recto] eggplants fifteen, and boil gently with the skin on, whole, without peeling or splitting; then take them out of the pot and put in another pot; throw in as much salt and oil as are needed and boil on a slow fire until it is entirely done; take a ratl of mutton and slice it up, as told earlier; put in the pot with one quarter ratl of oil and some water, boil until the water disappears and then fry in the oil until the meat is browned and is done, and put in this the fried eggplants and throw in one quarter ratl of good vinegar and fry, until the vinegar is done; then throw over it a third of a ratl of murri and improve it with three dirhams weight of caraway, the same amount of coriander seed and a dirham and a half of pepper; then fry until done and leave it rest for a while, dish up and serve.

Dish of Chestnuts with Lamb

Take meat of a lamb or tough meat and cut a piece of the leg in small chunks, to the same amount as the chestnuts and put it in the pot, throw in salt and put it over the coals and when it rests ...[about 5 words missing]... when it is on the platter and serve, God willing.

Preparation of Chestnut Qaliyya

Take a piece of meat and cut it. Put it in the pot and add in salt, pepper, coriander seed, pounded onion and clarified butter. Fry it gently and put in the same amount each of vinegar and murri and some pepper and saffron. Take chestnuts and clean them, pound them well and stir them with water. Put enough of the broth of it to cover the meat. When it has cooked, beat for it three eggs with pepper and chopped cilantro.[110] Put it on the coals and when it has settled, pour it out, present it and eat it, if God wills.

Preparing Covered Tabâhajiyya [Tabahajiyya Maghmuma]

Take a ratl and a half of meat and cut in slices as told earlier; pound a ratl of onion and take for this three dirhams' weight of caraway and one of pepper; put in the pot a layer of meat and another of onion until it is all used up and sprinkle flavorings between all the layers; then pour on a third of a ratl of vinegar and a quarter ratl of oil; put a lid on the pot and seal its top with paste (dough) and fry over a slow fire until done; then take from the fire and leave for a while, skim off the fat and serve.

Dish of Meat With Pistachio

Cut the meat up very small and put in the pot with spices, cut up onion, salt, oil and cilantro juice; boil and cover with water; when it is done, cover with pistachio paste and spikenard similarly prepared, God willing.

[p. 47, verso] Dish of Lamb With Truffles

Cut the meat small and boil with onion juice, pepper and salt, and when the water and the salt have disappeared, throw in the pot washed, chopped truffles, and when the truffles are done, sprinkle the pot with a little murri, after breaking into it what eggs you want; dish it up and sprinkle with cinnamon and chopped rue.

Chicken Covered With Walnuts and Saffron

Cut chicken in two, put in the pot, throw in onion pounded with cilantro, salt, spices, a spoon of vinegar and half a spoon of murri; fry until it smells good; then cover with water and cook till almost done: make meatballs from the chicken breast, and throw in the pot; dot with egg yolks and cover with the whites and pounded walnuts and saffron; ladle out and sprinkle with pepper and cinnamon and serve, God willing.

Another Dish Covered with Ground Almonds

Joint the hen and put in the pot, throw in with it a pounded onion, cilantro, salt, spices, a spoon of oil, whole almonds, spikenard, Chinese cinnamon, cinnamon, a spoon of vinegar and half a spoon of murri; boil and cover[111] with water and cook until it is about done, throw in the meatballs without the egg yolks, cover[112] with the eggs and with the pounded almonds [text does not explain when the almonds were pounded] and sprinkle with spices.

Another Dish, Which Is Covered with Cilantro Juice

Put the chicken meat in a pot with chopped onions, cilantro and salt, a spoon of oil and a fourth of a spoon of murri, the same amount of vinegar, and spices; cook until done and throw in meatballs and cover with cilantro juice and eggs and sprinkle with spices.

Dish with Pine Nuts

Put chicken meat in the pan and throw in with it the same as before, meatballs, spices and so on; cover with ground pine nuts and eggs; put in whole pine nuts and sprinkle with spices and pepper.

Another Dish, Covered with Pistachio

Put the chicken meat in the pot and put with it all you did before, spices, meatballs, and eggs; cover with rosewater, Chinese cinnamon, spikenard and ground pistachio, egg and fine breadcrumbs; dish up and serve.

Jaldiyya of Chicken

[p. 48, recto] Take a fat hen and remove its wings and the ends of its thighs; wash and put in a new pot with a third of a thumn of honey, salt, four dirhams of pepper and the same of cinnamon, a dirham of spikenard, a dirham of galingale and three of saffron, half a ratl of almond and a fourth of a ratl of pine nuts; take the pot to a gentle fire and let it come to a boil four times and it is done, and leave it over the coals and take three eggs and dot it with the yolks in the pot and cover with the whites, throw in the pot a round sponge,[113] beaten with honey; dish up and sprinkle with spices and sugar.

Chicken Dish With Wine

Take a fat hen and clean it, put in the pot and along with it ten [hardboiled] eggs, which have been sliced like eggplants, a ratl of wine [Marginal notation in MS: "or in its place a ratl of honey, which is better and sweeter"], a fourth of a ratl of murri, the same of vinegar and of oil, two dirhams of pepper, one of cumin, several sprigs of thyme and enough salt; put a lid on the pot and seal the edges with dough, leaving an air-hole; break into it many eggs and cook until done on a slow coal fire, dish up and sprinkle with pepper and serve; and he who covers it with egg white and flour, it is very good. [grammatical incoherence in the original]

Another

Joint the chicken and put in the pot with two spoons of oil, one of vinegar, another of fresh water, spices and juice of pounded onion; fry and cover with cilantro juice and cook till done. Cover with a spoon of white flour,[114] slice two eggs chessboard-fashion and after garnishing them with saffron ladle out the dish and garnish with the cut-up eggs, upon which pepper and spices.

Preparing the Servants' Dish

Cut up the liver, kidneys, heart and spleen in small pieces; chop two onions very finely, after boiling them. Cut up a lot of fat and a lot of onion, up to a third of the whole; put in all the spices and add pepper, put in the best murri, pine nuts and thyme with your hand; beat about five or six eggs and mix it all with a little water and good oil, put it all in the pan and set in the oven until it is cooked and rippled, and serve, God willing.