Steamed Wheat with Lamb, Winter Vegetables, and Chickpeas

In this popular home dish from the southern Tunisian town of Gafsaa, coarse bulgur is steamed like couscous until tender, tossed with a savory, peppery lamb and vegetable stew, then baked like a gratin.

This dish is prepared with only the smallest amount of liquid, just the moisture exuded by its humble vegetables—cabbage, turnips, carrots, and onions—creating a sweet, burnished-onion flavor counterpointed by peppery aromatics. The pan juices are thinned a bit to moisten the steamed