Roast chicken stuffed with rice and pine nuts (Djaj mahshi)

1. Rinse the rice and soak for 20 minutes. Fry the pine nuts and almonds in half of the butter until golden, then lift out.

2. In the same frying pan brown the minced lamb in the remaining butter until crumbly and season with the cinnamon, allspice, salt and pepper.

3. Add the drained rice, stir, pour in the water and cook covered for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed but the rice is still a little firm; stir in half the toasted nuts.

4. Salt the chicken inside and out, loosely fill the cavity with the stuffing (put the rest in the tin), close the opening with a skewer and brush the skin with the melted butter mixed with cinnamon.

5. Roast in a 180 °C oven, covered, for 1 hour, then uncovered for another 30 minutes, until the skin is golden and the thigh juices run clear.

6. Carve, pile onto a platter with the stuffing, sprinkle with the remaining nuts and serve with a yoghurt-cucumber salad.

Tip: Djaj mahshi is a classic of Levantine Sunday and festive lunches; the stuffing is called hashweh. Only part-cook the rice, as it finishes cooking in the chicken's juices inside the bird; if you pack it too tightly, it won't cook through.