Keshy Yena

Baked Edam Cheese with Caribbean Lamb, from Dutch Curacao

Ingredients

Directions

1 4-pound Edam Cheese ¾ pound freshly ground lamb 1 tablespoon butter, plus 2 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 cup finely chopped onions 1 medium-sized firm ripe tomato, peeled, seeded and finely chopped, or substitute 1/3 cup chopped, drained canned tomatoes ¼ teaspoon ground hot red pepper ½ teaspoon salt (to taste) freshly ground black pepper (to taste) ¼ cup soft fresh crumbs made from homemade-type white bread, trimmed of crusts and pulverized in a blender or finely shredded with a fork 6 small pimiento-stuffed olives, drained and finely chopped 1 tablespoon finely chopped sweet gherkin 2 tablespoons seedless raisins 1 egg well beaten

Peel the cheese and cut a 1-inch-thick slice off the top. With a spoon, scoop out the center of the cheese leaving a boatlike shell about ½ inch thick. Hollow the slice from the top in a similar manner to make a lid for the shell. Place the lid and shell in a large pan or bowl, pour in enough cold water to cover them by at least 1 inch, and let them soak for 1 hour. Grate enough of the scooped-out cheese to make 2 cups and set it aside. Brown the meat for a short time. Remove the cheese shell and lid from the water and invert them on paper towels to drain. Pre-heat oven to 350° F. With a pastry brush, spread the tablespoon of softened butter evenly over the bottom and sides of a round baking dish at least 5 inches deep and just large enough to hold the cheese compactly. (If the dish is too large or shallow, the cheese will collapse and spread when it is baked.) In a heavy 10-inch skillet melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the vegetable oil over moderate heat. Drop in the onion and stirring frequently, cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft and transparent but not brown. Watch carefully for any sign of burning and adjust heat accordingly. Add the tomato, pepper, salt, and a few grindings of black pepper, and still stirring, cook briskly until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mixture is thick enough to almost hold its shape in the spoon. With a rubber spatula, transfer the entire contents of the skillet to a deep bowl. Add the meat, grated cheese, bread crumbs, olives, gherkin, and raisins, and toss together gently but thoroughly. Taste for seasoning and adjust, then stir in the beaten egg. spoon the meat mixture into the cheese shell, place the shell in the prepared dish, and top it with the cheese lid. Bake uncovered on the middle shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top is bubbly and delicatedly browned, and the meat tender. Serve the Keshy Yena at once, directly from the baking dish. This should serve 6-8, but reports say that three hungry island-hoppers could eat the entire serving.

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