LEBANESE RICE STUFFING

This stuffing is a lovely change from traditional stuffing. Perfect for poultry.

1 small steak - cut into tiny cubes

1/2-cup almond slivers

1/4 cup rendered butter

2 cups white short grain rice (Dainty is best)

2 cups chicken broth (or from dry bouillon mix)

1/4 teasp. dried ginger

1/3 teasp. Cinnamon

1/4 - 1/2 cup Pine nuts

METHOD

1. Wash rice 3 times, pour water off. Place into a large pot.

2. Add broth and enough water to just below surface of rice.

3. Sauté almonds (and Pine nuts) in butter until golden and remove. Add meat with more butter if necessary and pan-fry on medium until meat is brown, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Add Almonds, spices, and meat to rice. Bring to a boil, then simmer until rice is 1/2 cooked. It should be very moist.

5. Remove from burner and stuff bird. Rice will expand as it finishes cooking inside bird. This will be the most flavorful rice as it absorbs juices from the bird. Pour rest of rice around bird in roaster.

6. You may put remaining rice in separate dish with more broth if necessary. Or for more flavor, wait until bird has baked for about 45 minutes - 1 hour and pour about 1/2-1 cup of juices out of roaster and into rice. Return bird to finish baking. Bake rice in oven about 1/2 hour or until done.

7. To serve: pile rice in middle of large platter, place sliced poultry around perimeter. Tuck parsley sprigs in between meat. Sprinkle Cinnamon on rice.

Hint: After you have eaten this dish once, you can adjust the spices the next time according to taste. I put a little more spices in my rice. However because individual tastes vary I decided to go with a lesser amount in this recipe.

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