Ingredients
Meat
- 1sheep’s head, split
- 4sheep’s trotters
- 1sheep’s stomach, cleaned
- 500 gsheep’s intestine, cleaned, if stuffing
To clean
- coarse salt
- flour
- vinegar
- boiling water
Stuffing, for the stomach
- 300 gminced lamb
- 200 gshort-grain rice, rinsed
- 1onion, finely chopped
- 1 tspturmeric
- 1 tspground cumin
- 1 tspbaharat
- salt and pepper
Broth
- 1 headof garlic, halved
- 2onions, halved
- 3bay leaves
- 1 tbspblack peppercorns
- 1cinnamon stick
- 2 tspturmeric
- salt
To serve
- flatbread, torn
- lemon wedges
- raw garlic
- amba or pickles
Directions
- Remove the eyes and discard them. Remove the brain and set it aside, since it is cooked separately. Rinse it and repeat the salt scrub. Soak it in cold water with vinegar for an hour.
- Soak them alongside the split head. Turn the stomach completely inside out. Rub it hard with flour and coarse salt. Rinse it and repeat this three times. Pour boiling water over it, which loosens the lining further. Scrape again and rinse until it no longer smells.
- Put the head and trotters in a large pot of cold water. Bring it to a hard boil and boil for fifteen minutes. Drain it all off and rinse everything and the pot. Making the stuffing is done while things soak.
- Mix the minced lamb, rinsed rice, onion and spices. Season the stuffing well with salt. Fill the stomach about two thirds full. Put the head and trotters in the clean pot. Cover them with fresh cold water by about ten centimetres. Bring it slowly to the boil and skim carefully.
- Add the garlic, onions, bay, peppercorns, cinnamon and turmeric. Lower the heat until it barely trembles. Simmer it for eight hours or overnight. Top it up with hot water so everything stays covered. Lower the stuffed stomach in after the first two hours. Skim the fat from the surface every few hours. Salt it only in the last hour. Checking it is done is by feel.
- Lift the head, trotters and stomach out onto a board. Pull the meat off the skull, including the cheeks and tongue. Pull the meat and skin off the trotters. Cut the stuffed stomach into thick slices. Strain the broth and skim it once more. Assembling the bowl is done at the table.
- Tear flatbread into pieces into the bottom of each bowl. Lay the meat and slices of stuffed stomach over the bread. Ladle the hot broth over everything so the bread soaks. Serve lemon wedges, raw garlic and pickles alongside. Squeeze lemon over generously, which cuts the richness.
Technique
- The cleaning is most of the work and decides whether the finished dish smells good or bad.
- Blanch everything hard for fifteen minutes and discard that water.
- Never let the pot boil after that, since boiling makes the broth cloudy and greasy.
Substitutions
- Just trotters and stomach, if a whole head is too much.
- A pressure cooker to shorten the simmer, though the result is less rich.
Variations
- Made with only the trotters, as a lighter version.
- With stuffed intestines added alongside the stomach.
- Served with the broth strained clear and the meat separate.
History
Sheep’s head, trotters and stomach boiled overnight and eaten for Friday breakfast with bread soaked in the broth.
Frequently asked questions
What is Pacha?
Pacha is a soup & stew from Iraq: sheep’s head and trotters simmered overnight; weekend ritual. Sheep’s head, trotters and stomach boiled overnight and eaten for Friday breakfast with bread soaked in the broth.
How long does Pacha take to make?
Pacha takes 2 hours of preparation and 8 hours or overnight of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Pacha?
Yes, within limits. Just trotters and stomach, if a whole head is too much. A pressure cooker to shorten the simmer, though the result is less rich.
What is the most important thing to get right in Pacha?
Never let the pot boil after that, since boiling makes the broth cloudy and greasy.
