A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (A Song of Ice and Fire) (36 page)

Commonly know as hummus, this dish is a staple in the Arabic world, and has been since ancient times. Equally good as a side with larger meals, this puree is perfect for a light lunch, scooped up with bits of flatbread. It’s so simple to make at home that it could quickly become a favorite snack!

In a food processor, chop the garlic, then add the garbanzo beans, reserving about 1 tablespoon whole beans for garnish. Add the lemon juice, tahini, and salt to the mix. Blend until creamy and well mixed, adding reserved bean liquid as needed.

Transfer the mixture to a medium serving bowl. Make a decorative imprint in the top, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with Aleppo pepper to taste. Garnish with the reserved garbanzo beans.

We took a traditional Mediterranean recipe for stuffed grape leaves and added what was needed in order to make it properly Dornish, according to the description: raisins, mushrooms, lamb, and “fiery dragon peppers.”

Carefully remove the leaves from the jar; they are tightly rolled and squeezed in and can rip when you are pulling them out. Unroll the leaves and gently peel them apart. Place them in a large bowl, cover them with boiling water, and soak for 30 minutes. Rinse with cold water to remove some of the brine. If they are very salty, you may wish to repeat the soaking and rinsing process.

In a skillet, over medium heat, sauté the onion in the oil until the pieces begin to caramelize. Add the hot pepper, black pepper, salt, and mushrooms. Cook for just a
few minutes, until the mushrooms are soft. Remove the pan from the heat and add the raw ground lamb, raisins, and rice, mixing everything together in a bowl. Don’t cook this mixture but simply blend it well.

Choose a grape leaf to fill—the best ones are about the size of your palm—and lay it on a work surface, vein side up. Place about 1½ tablespoons of the meat mixture near the stem end, then fold in the end and sides and neatly roll up the packet. Repeat this process until all of the filling is gone.

Line the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot with several unstuffed grape leaves, then arrange as many filled rolls as will fit in a snug layer on top, seam sides down. Put down more unstuffed leaves, then place a second layer of rolls on top, positioning them perpendicular to those in the previous layer. When all the rolls are in the pot, pour in the stock, then drizzle the lemon juice over the grape leaves. If there are any leaves left over, place them on top of the rolls. Set a heatproof dish directly on top of the rolls to keep them pressed down.

Cover the pot with a lid and simmer slowly over medium-low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the leaves are tender, the meat is cooked, and the filling is soft; take one of the rolls out of the pot to test it for doneness. You may need to add more liquid during cooking. If so, add ½ cup water and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. When the rolls are done, let them cool. Serve them at room temperature.

Cook’s Note:
You can make these rolls up to 3 days in advance, then remove them from the fridge 1 or 2 hours before you need them. You can also reheat them in a microwave.

While many claim that snake tastes just like chicken, this is not strictly the case. The texture is similar to chicken—but a slightly overcooked one, quite firm. It’s reminiscent of a dried sausage, given the leanness of the meat and its density. The flavor, admittedly, does share some similarities with chicken, but this is only insofar as both chicken and snake are relatively mild, as if designed to showcase whatever they are served with. In this case, the sauce steals the spotlight. Warm, rich, with a bit of a bite to it, the sauce is subtly exotic. However, it is not so strong that it overpowers the flavor of the snake and instead complements the slight gaminess of the meat.

Heat a grill to medium high.

Coil the snake and place it on a piece of tinfoil. Slice off a few pats of butter and place them on or around the snake. Wrap the snake in a couple layers of foil. Place it on the hot grill and cook it for 15 minutes. Then unwrap it and cook it directly on the grill for 2 minutes on each side. Remove it to a decorative plate and keep it warm.

In a small saucepan, combine the mustard, peppers, wine, oil, lemon juice, honey, and turmeric. Keep the sauce on a low simmer until it has reduced by at least a third, about 15 minutes. Pour it into a decorative dish and serve it alongside the snake for dipping.