Well, that kicked ass, my pretties. It was tender enough to eat at 10:30–what was that, an hour, maybe more? Could’ve cooked a little longer, but would’ve required more liquid, as the sauce was getting a little nonexistent.
I warmed up a pita on the burner, Ali-style (different from Ali G-style), and quick boiled some frozen green beans for a side veg. Fished a pickled labneh ball out of the jar that’s been moldering in the fridge for more than a year, put that on the side with the meat. Sprinkled on some croutons I’d made back in December and that had been neglected on top of the fridge (a teensy bit rancid–good thing I didn’t use more). Oh yes, and a squeeze of lemon over the beans, but that was kind of cheating because it was fresh. Then I sat me down and had dinner while Aaron and Nicole sang along to Fiddler on the Roof. Ah, what a rich and varied existence.
But then I realized I’d basically recreated the dish I had at Zuni Cafe in December, but with lamb instead of poached egg. Ajvar + Aleppo pepper = harissa, but don’t tell the Tunisians.