Serves 5-6

Ingredients:

1 kg boneless beef or veal shanks (cubed)

4 onions (finely wedged)

2 onions (finely chopped)

6 cloves garlic (finely sliced)

1 tsp sugar

Salt + pepper + 7 spices + ground cinnamon + grated nutmeg

100 gm butter

1/4 cup oil

Method:

Heat a wide skillet.  Add butter and oil.  Stir in grated onion.  When about to change colour; add wedged onion.  Leave onion to wilt and turn translucent.  Season generously.  Add garlic.  Add sugar to onion mixture.  When lightly caramelised, add meat shanks.  Stir them in to blend with onion mixture.  Cover and simmer for around 30 minutes; over low heat.  Do not add any water.  Pour into the base of an ovenproof tray; lined with two sheets of aluminium foil and covered by parchment paper; overlapping each other upon base of tray, with enough paper dangling down from all sides; to cover meat mixture well; with ends of all three sheets. Pour mixture on top of parchment paper.  Secure contents by covering with dangling parchment paper first, then by the aluminium foil. Bake in a preheated hot oven of 220 degrees Celsius; for approximately 45 minutes; (for veal) and over an hour to two; (for beef) checking for liquid after 30 minutes; if needed.  Remove from oven when meat is done.  Allow to cool down and let steam out.  Serve with baladi bread, baladi pickles and lemon juice drizzled arugula.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 April, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly