Thursday, July 9, 2009

Melon With Wings

Melon Ba'al Canaf - "Melon with Wings"
Yield: 4 servings

2 sm Cantaloupes
1/4 c Oil
2 c Raw chicken or turkey meat chopped
1 T Cumin
1 t Salt
Pepper to taste
2 c Green onions; chopped
1/3 c Parsley; chopped
1/4 c Fresh lemon juice
2 c Cooked rice

Cut each melon in half; remove seeds. Scoop out pulp and reserve. Dust chicken with cumin. Heat oil in a skillet and saute chicken or turkey. Add salt and pepper, and continue to saute until poultry is cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Blend in green onions, parsley and lemon juice; continue cooking until onions are soft. Remove from flame and cool.

Add rice to cooled chicken mixture; stuff melon cavities. Chop up 1 cup of reserved melon pulp and place on top. Put stuffed melons into an ovenproof dish; bake at 350 F. for 20 minutes. Serve hot.

The authors write: "Melon Ba'al Canaf is a dish that is said to disappear as soon as it is placed on the table, as though it had wings."

From The Yemenite Cookbook by Zion Levi and Hani Agabria.

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