Title: Shabat Hameen (Old-Style Oven Chicken for Sab
Categories: Jewish Iran Israel Poultry
Yield: 4 Servings

3	lb	Chicken, wing tips and excess fat removed
1	c	Meat stuffing for Khinta Pockets (see recipe)
2	c	Raw rice, well rinsed
4	c	Homemade chicken broth
1	tb	Tomato paste
1/2	ts	Salt
4		Eggs, hard-cooked for 10 minutes and unshelled

I have had various versions of hameen, that ubiquitous Sabbath chicken and rice whose origin is Baghdad. The Calcutta (India) Baghdadis have another style of hameen and there have been many modern modification that have cropped up according to family tastes. This is an old-style version.

1. Stuff chicken with khinta stuffing and sew up the aperture.

2. Put rice, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt in a large pan and bring to a boil, then simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Place the chicken in center of pan and place eggs in their shells around it. Tightly cover pan and put in a preheated 200 degrees F. oven. Bake for 5 hours. (Traditionally this dish was placed in an oven for about 10 hours, overnight, on Friday afternoon and served for the Sabbath lunch.)

The rice should be dry but still have some moisture and chicken should be brown. Serve warm -- rice, chicken, and eggs all together. Serves 4.

Recipe: "Sephardic Cooking" by Copeland Mark -- 600 Recipes Created in Exotic Sephardic Kitchens from Morocco to India -- Copyright 1992 Published by Donald I. Fine, Inc., New York, N.Y. D. Pileggi

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