Caer Galen Midwinter Feast:
An Evening in Arabian Lands

Second Dish:

Oranges dressed in cinnamon and rosewater

Thinly slice the oranges, sprinkle with rosewater (more or less, depending on how well people in your audience will like it), and then lightly with cinnamon. 

Buran (Meatballs in a Yogurt and Eggplant Dip)

al-Baghdadi p. 191/8 (GOOD)

Take eggplant, and boil lightly in water and salt, then take out and dry for an hour. Fry this in fresh sesame-oil until cooked: peel, put into a dish or a large cup, and beat well with a ladle, until it becomes like kabis. Add a little salt and dry coriander. Take some Persian milk, mix in garlic, pour over the eggplant, and mix together well. Take red meat, mince fine, make into small cabobs, and melting fresh tail, throw the meat into it, stirring until browned. Then cover with water, and stew until the water has evaporated and only the oils remain. Pour on top of this the eggplant, sprinkle with fine-ground cumin and cinnamon, and serve.

1 lb eggplant
1 lb lamb (makes 30-40 cabobs)
1 c yogurt
3 T sesame oil
2 cloves garlic
1/4 t coriander
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
1 t cinnamon

Cut eggplants in thick slices (approximately 1 1/2"), put in boiling salted water (6 c water + 6 T salt) for 7 minutes. Remove, let stand 1 hour. Make lamb into small meatballs (may add cinnamon etc. if you wish). Fry in melted lamb fat ("tail"). When browned, cover with water and simmer until only the oil is left. Then fry eggplant in sesame oil until cooked, peel, mash, add salt and coriander. Crush garlic, add to yogurt, mix with eggplant. Put the meatballs on top, sprinkle with cumin and cinnamon, and serve.

-- From the electronic version of Cariadoc's Miscellany, available on-line at:  http://www.pbm.com/~lindahl/cariadoc/miscellany.html

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Maredudd's Notes: This is really good, but be prepared for garlic. I served it with the orange slices to temper the garlic. I used beef in place of lamb in this recipe. Adding a little cinnamon to the beef gives it a "lamb-y" flavor. 

(See Picture)