Jeeni Idaad Foornaati (Roasted Lamb Fore Shank)

Jeeni Idaad Foornaati (Roasted Lamb Fore Shank) 

I knew someone important was coming, the entire house smelled of lamb. I had just woken up, mid morning as I did on Fridays. Thursdays evenings often led to careless late nights, as we normally spent the night dancing and singing into the wee hours-- all in honor of Sheikh Abdul-Qadir Geilani-- at the local Sufi mosque. 

I don’t remember ever been officially initiated, in fact most Somalis would laugh at the very thought, but we grew up in the Sufi Tradition.  The tradition was so localized that most of us even thought “Shiik Cabdulqaadir Jeylaani” was a Somali saint.  This was all before Wahabbism had taken fashion, back in the day when we used to innocently throw stones at the very few ladies who sported the Saudi-style hijab.  

“May Sheikh Geilani curse her!” we would yell, feeling so passionate in his sacred name.

The Sheikh was our Sheikh, he was so part of our lives that the idea he was Persian, or that he was buried in Iraq, would never cross our minds. You can imagine my surprise when decades later I went to Iran and Iraq and ran into his descendants.

“Who's coming?” I asked my younger sister, who was clueless about it all. My aunt, who was cooking, wouldn’t tell us who was coming. But I was curious, I always wanted to know things. I knew if I dug deep enough I would find out who it was. It had to be an important person. We didn’t have lamb everyday. 

Normally, I would already be hitting the streets. By noon you would find me in the warm waters of Lido Beach. And, if you were lucky, I would come to shore to talk to you, because I spent most of my Fridays in the water. 

But not that day. 

I was curious.

That was the day I really decided to learn how to cook this dish. If it was such a mystery-inducing dish I had to learn it. I asked her to teach me how that day, but it was impossible. She was so busy with it, and we know by lunch why. It was her secret boyfriend. None of us were allowed to acknowledge he was her boyfriend, oh no. Instead, we called him uncle and he always pretended he was family. 

But weeks later, when I used my wit to black mail her after I caught them having romantic moments, my aunt decided to teach me. She was reluctant, but she knew I wasn’t playing. That was the first of many things I would learn from her because of our little secret. 

INGREDIENTS:

Lamb Shoulder Fore Shank, 1.5 lbs

8 cups of water

1 medium onion, sliced

2 medium mushrooms, sliced

1/2 medium zucchini, sliced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1/2 tablespoon of salt

1/2 tablespoon of cumin

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

METHOD:

Don’t cut up the lamb. In a large pot, add the meat, water, 1/2 of the onions, 1/3 of the cumin, 1/3 of the salt, the black pepper and cover over high heat. Once that comes to boil, bring it down to medium and let it be for about fifteen minutes. 

Preheat the over to 400 degrees. Place the meat in the center of a bake-safe dish and surround it with the vegetables. Sprinkle the olive oil over it, and add salt to your taste. Let that cook up for ten minutes. Turn the meat over, stir your vegetables, and let that cook for another time minutes. Done.