Isfidhabaya
Lamb simmered with almonds & spices - contributed by L. J. Spencer, Jr.

Original recipe from The Andalusian Cookbook/A Collection of Medieval and Renaissance Cookbooks Vol. II, David Freidman:

Take the meat of a young plump lamb. Cut it in little pieces and put it in a clean pot with salt, pepper, coriander, a little juice of crushed onion, a spoonful of sweet oil and a sufficient amount of water. Put it over a gentle fire and be careful to stir it, put in meatballs and some peeled, minced almonds. When the meat is done and has finished cooking, set the pot on the ashes until it is cooked. He who wants this tafaya green can give it this color with cilantro juice alone or with a little mint juice.


Modern recipe:

  • 1 LB Lamb, cut into cubes
  • 1 tsp. Salt 
  • 1/4 tsp. Black pepper, ground
  • 1/2 cp. Cilantro, chopped 
  • 2 tsp. Onion juice 
  • Water to cover
  • 2 T Olive oil 
  • 1 LB Lamb, ground, made into hazelnut sized meatballs, & browned
  • 1/4 cp. Almonds, peeled and minced
Combine lamb cubes, salt, cilantro, pepper, onion juice, oil and water. Simmer until lamb is tender, stirring occasionally and adding water to prevent sticking as necessary. Add meatballs to lamb mixture. Continue cooking until broth is reduced and meatballs are cooked through. Turn off heat. Let stand 10 mins. Serves 8.

Metric, Celsius, & Gas Mark Equivalencies

L. J. Spencer, Jr. lives in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where is an active and long-time member of The Society for Creative Anachronism. His SCA feasts are well-known for being both delicious and authentic, and he is a major contributor to the SCA-Cooks Discussion Group.

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Isfidhabaya © 1999 L. J. Spencer, Jr. | This page © 2000 James L. Matterer

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