Mesopotamia: Kanasu Broth, version 2
Mar. 6th, 2022 10:33 pmThis is going to be very variant, as the meat I'd taken from the freezer earlier didn't turn out to be mutton, but half a rabbit (sans legs, but with offal - such as the liver, which I had already snaffled pan-fried, yum; anyway). So in the spirit of "meat is used", and seeing as rabbits / hares were known in Mesopotamia, it will be the variant of the Kanasu broth recipe.
Kanasu broth. Leg of mutton is used. Prepare water; add fat, samidu, coriander, cumin, and kanasu. Assemble all the ingredients in the cooking vessel, and sprinkle with crushed garlic. Then blend into the pot suhutinnu and mint.
Take a piece of carrot and grate it and keep some of the sliced leek back; add to that finely sliced garlic and mint. This will be topping the dish at the end.
Another variant is that I used an onion, finely diced, sweated off in fat. Add diced garlic. Add meat, brown; season with coriander, cumin, and salt. Add finely diced carrot and leek, let heat a little. Add water and let the whole thing simmer until the meat is almost done. Add a handful or two of pearl barley (or wheatberries / freekeh if available). Cook until the grains are soft, adding water if needed.
Serve topped with the fresh vegetables.

I think I prefer this version to the one with the roux; the grains cooked in the stew give it a little more bite.
Suhutinnu is one of those words where meaning is unsure; is it an allium or a root vegetable? So I used both the grated carrot and sliced leek at the end together with the the mint and the fresh garlic which gives heat. The raw vegetables at the end give the whole dish some added freshness. In case you're wondering, yes, that is also some parsley.
I can see this becoming one of my staple dishes.
Kanasu broth. Leg of mutton is used. Prepare water; add fat, samidu, coriander, cumin, and kanasu. Assemble all the ingredients in the cooking vessel, and sprinkle with crushed garlic. Then blend into the pot suhutinnu and mint.
Take a piece of carrot and grate it and keep some of the sliced leek back; add to that finely sliced garlic and mint. This will be topping the dish at the end.
Another variant is that I used an onion, finely diced, sweated off in fat. Add diced garlic. Add meat, brown; season with coriander, cumin, and salt. Add finely diced carrot and leek, let heat a little. Add water and let the whole thing simmer until the meat is almost done. Add a handful or two of pearl barley (or wheatberries / freekeh if available). Cook until the grains are soft, adding water if needed.
Serve topped with the fresh vegetables.

I think I prefer this version to the one with the roux; the grains cooked in the stew give it a little more bite.
Suhutinnu is one of those words where meaning is unsure; is it an allium or a root vegetable? So I used both the grated carrot and sliced leek at the end together with the the mint and the fresh garlic which gives heat. The raw vegetables at the end give the whole dish some added freshness. In case you're wondering, yes, that is also some parsley.
I can see this becoming one of my staple dishes.