Lamb in Rich Sauce with Parathas

Before I begin.......Ahem....A short comical interlude pertaining to food...Feel free to think its cheesy...... ;)

A Pickle Limerick
There was a young man named Perkins,

Who was specially fond of small gherkins.

One fine day at tea, he ate forty-three,

Which pickled his internal workin's.

From the Great Food Almanac by Irena Chalmers (1994)

My dear, I love you ardently,

adore your charm, the way you look,

I'm captivated by your voice,I've read with pride your latest book,

And yet I will not marry you, Until, sweetheart,

you've learned to cook.

Martyno 'Ultimatum'

"If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, talks like a duck, it probably needs a little more time in the microwave."

Lori Dowdy

Question: What did the grape say when he was sat on?

Answer: Nothing, he just let out a little whine. (ha ha ha ha ha ha, very corny)

And Lastly....For my own entertainment and some other people:

YOU MIGHT BE A CAJUN IF...

(This was forwarded to the list at chef net by Fred)

YOU MIGHT BE A CAJUN IF:.....
Watching "Wild Kingdom" inspires you to write a cookbook.
You won't eat a lobster because you think it's a crawfish on steroids.
You take a bite of 5-alarm Texas chili and reach for some Tabasco.
You pass up a chance to meet the president to go to the Crawfish Festival in Breaux Bridge
Your children's favorite bedtime story begins with, "First you make a roux..."
You're asked in school to name the four seasons and you reply, "Onyons, celery, bell peppers, and garlic."
You think the "Fab Four" are "Paul Prudhomme, John Folse, Justin Wilson, and A.J. Smith".
You let your black coffee cool and find it has gelled.
You describe a complete breakfast as some deer sausage, grits and a yard of boudin.
None of your favorite vacation spots are north of Abbeville.
You sit down to eat boiled crawfish and someone says, "Don't eat the dead ones" and you know what they mean.
You refer to Louisiana winters as "gumbo weather"
You gave up Tabasco for Lent.
You learned bourre' the hard way - holding yourself upright in the crib.
You don't know the real names of your close friends - only their nicknames.
You can look at a rice field and can tell how much gravy it'll take for that much rice.
Your high school's rendition of the national anthem begins with, "Jambalaya, crawfish pie, filet gumbo..."
You stand up when they play "Jolie Blon."
You consider Breaux Bridge the state capitol.
You think the Mason-Dixon line is at Bunkie.

And now after that brief comical interlude...Dinner!

Lamb in Rich Sauce with Parathas

1 1/2 lbs (750 gms) lean, deboned lamb chunks

2 teaspoons tomato paste

1 fresh tomato

1/2 cup corn oil

2 large onions

6 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon bezar

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon cardamom

1 bunch fresh coriander

salt to taste

little water

Slice onions, crush garlic and chop coriander. Boil meat in water in medium pot until tender (approx. 45 minutes). Drain and keep to one side. Fry onions in a little oil until brown, add the spices and continue frying, stirring, for two to three minutes. Add remaining ingredients and just enough water to make a thick gravy. Continue cooking until the gravy goes almost dry. Serve warm.

From the book "The Complete United Arab Emirates Cookbook"by Celia Ann Brock- Al Ansari Copyright © 1994 by Celia Ann Brock-Al Ansari

Parathas Recipe(courtesy of epicurious)

Full recipe can be found at: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/1224773

Flour 250 gms.

oil 1/2 table spoon

salt 1/4 table spoon

6 tablespoon full white oil to fry.

Add table spoon of oil and salt to the flour and make a dough with hot water. Be careful it would neither be too soft nor too tight. Make equal 6 small pieces of the dough and give them a neat round shape. Give them big round shape like pan cake. Fry each for 2 minutes. One table spoon of oil for each paratha. Heat would be medium all through.

Lastly, My Favorite.

Moroccan Mint Tea

1/2 bunch fresh mint

2 green tea bags

sugar to taste

Boil 7 cups water in a kettle, add mint leaves,boil till water turns yellowish. Pour into flask and add tea bags,close flask and let sit 5 minutes. Serve in small glass tea glasses with a sprig of mint in each glass.

**when pouring the tea for guests try to "put on a show" and pour the tea into the glass from close to the glass then moving up and away till almost full then back down towards the rim of the glass. Be Careful!

ENJOY!