SUNDAYS WITH MARLENA SPIELER-CHAMIM

This is a Sephardi Shabbat (Sabbath) dish that is baked in a low oven for several hours.
1C chickpeas soaked overnight (or one can of garbanzo beans)
3Tbsp olive oil
1 onion chopped
10 cloves garlic chopped
1 parsnip slices
3 carrots sliced
1-2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp ground tumeric
1Tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 potato, peel and cut into chunks
1/2 large or one small zucchini sliced or cut into chunks
8C beef stock
14oz canned diced tomatoes
3-4Tbsp brown or green lentils (optional)
2 bay leaves
9 oz salted meat such as salted beef.. or just plain beef such as chuck
9 oz lamb
1/2 a bunch of cilantro chopped
1C long grain rice
1 lemon cut into wedges

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees
In a flame proof casserole combine the onions,garlic,ginger, carrots with the oil and sautee for a couple of minutes. Add the rest of the ingreedients except the rice . Cover and put into the oven for about 5 hours. Marlena's method of making the rice is as follows: Put the rice in a double thickness of cheese cloth and tie the ends together leaving enough room for the rice to expand. Two hours before the end of the cooking time remove the casserole from the oven. Place the rice bundle in the casserole, anchoring the edges of the cheese cloth bundle under the lid so that the bundle is held up over the soup and allowed to steam. Return the casserole to the oven for another 2 hours.
At the end of the cooking time carefully remove the lid and the rice (which should be cooked through). Put the rice into a serving bowl. Skim off any fat from the soup and ladle the soup into serving bowls topped with a scoop of rice. Garnish with chopped hot peppers or maybe some Harissa and a squeeze of lemon if you like.
This is a nice easy no work dish. Once it is put together it sits and cooks in the oven all day .. I would imagine this could also be put into a crock pot and have it work well.
It makes the house smell so good and it is a very delicious soup especially during these cold foggy days.
Mel and Shankari are also cooking up some wonderful Marlena recipes..be sure to go to their blogs and check it out.