Meat with Vegetables in a Clay Pot

Ingredients

• half a kilo lamb meat
• half a kilo eggplant
• half a kilo zucchini
• one and a half kilos tomatoes
• 10 pieces small onions
• 10 cloves garlic
• 3 pieces green peppers
• 2 tablespoons ghee or butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• half a teaspoon black pepper
• half a teaspoon mixed spices
• 2 teaspoons dried mint
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• half a tablespoon pepper paste
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 1 cup flour
• quarter cup warm water
• a pinch a pinch of salt
• 1 tablespoon oil
• with the meat shoulder shank
• 1 liter water
• for brushing the bread topping egg
• for sprinkling over the bread topping nigella seeds
• one and a half cups flour
• half a cup warm water
• a drop of oil olive oil

Instructions

1. Peel the tomatoes and cut them into pieces in the kitchen. The tomatoes can be peeled over a gas flame, or using boiling water followed by cold water, as explained by the chef.
2. Place half the tomatoes in the bottom of the clay pot as the first layer.
3. Arrange the chopped zucchini and chopped eggplant in the clay pot over the tomatoes.
4. Distribute the whole garlic cloves inside the clay pot over the vegetables.
5. Place the second layer of tomatoes in the clay pot over the garlic and vegetables.
6. Arrange the meat with the small onions inside the clay pot over the tomato layer.
7. Place the ghee or butter over the top of the ingredients in the clay pot.
8. Place the green peppers over the ingredients in the clay pot.
9. In a bowl, mix the water with the tomato paste, pepper paste, salt, black pepper, mixed spices, and pomegranate molasses until the ingredients dissolve.
10. Pour the sauce over the ingredients in the clay pot and wait briefly for the sauce to sink to the bottom.
11. Gently and lightly move the ingredients inside the clay pot to help the sauce sink to the bottom.
12. In a bowl, knead the sealing dough from the flour, warm water, salt, and oil until it is soft and sticky.
13. Wrap the sealing dough around the rim of the clay pot, then secure the lid tightly on the clay pot.
14. Run a hand moistened with water over the sealing dough around the clay pot lid until it is tightly sealed, so that no air enters and no steam escapes.
15. Place the clay pot in the oven at the highest temperature, with top and bottom heat and the fan on. Place the clay pot directly on the oven floor without a rack.
16. Bake the clay pot in the oven until the dish is cooked.
17. Remove the clay pot from the oven, break away the outer sealing dough, and clean the edges.
18. Sprinkle the dried mint over the top of the dish in the clay pot after removing it from the oven.
19. In another bowl, knead the top bread dough from the flour, salt, oil, and warm water, then leave it to rest.
20. Roll out the top bread on the work surface with a rolling pin until it is very thin.
21. Stretch the top bread over the opening of the clay pot and secure it on all sides so that no air enters.
22. Brush the top bread with egg and sprinkle it with nigella seeds.
23. Return the clay pot to the oven with the top heat on until the top bread puffs up and browns.
24. Remove the clay pot from the oven and open it for serving while hot.
25. Serve the clay pot hot alongside vermicelli bulgur, rice, or bread, as desired.