- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground lamb
- 2 tablespoons minced dried onion
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon harissa or ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more to taste
- 1¼ cups coarse bulgur
- 1 can (15 or 19 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 10 large pitted prunes, quartered
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Heat the oil in a heavy 12-inch sauté pan or high-sided skillet over high heat. Add the lamb, onion, and cinnamon and cook, stirring occasionally, until the lamb loses its pink color, about 3 minutes. Drain off the fat.
- Gradually add the broth, 1 cup of water, and the salt. Blend in the harissa. Bring to a boil.
- Stir in the bulgur, chickpeas, and prunes. Set the block of spinach on top. Cover and cook over high heat for 5 minutes.
- Break up the spinach and stir it in. Cover and continue cooking over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir in a bit more water if the mixture seems dry and the bulgur is not quite tender. Adjust the seasonings, adding black pepper to taste and more harissa, if desired. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes or until ready to serve.
- Stir in the pine nuts and 1/4 cup cilantro. Garnish individual portions with the remaining cilantro.