dirty rice

Seasoned meat and leftover rice is often turned into a dish my family calls dirty rice. I basically brown ground lamb along with onions and garlic until it’s finely crumbled with crispy bits. Then I add middle easternish spices like cumin, aleppo chili, a touch of nutmeg or clove, and cinnamon and let them bloom in the lamb grease and get fragrant. (If it feels safer to take a spice blend from another lamb recipe you like, do that.... or better yet use our shawarma spice mix if you have some of that.) Then I add cooked rice and let it absorb all that goodness. I finish it with toasted pine nuts (if I have them) and lots of herbs (any combination of parsley, mint, and cilantro). I might serve it with roasted cauliflower, cooked dandelion greens or lettuces on the side and a bunch of optional add ons like harissa, yogurt, feta, oil-cured olives, zhoug, and/or dukkah.