Baghreer (Algerian Crepes)

By Za, 

1 baghreer cooking- Almost done. 

I dedicate this recipe to one of my sisters. 


Baghreer are Algerian traditional crepes. They are healthy, tasty and easy to make. 
Unlike normal crepes which are plain, Baghreer are characterised by the huge funny number of holes that pop up on the surface during the cooking. 
If the holes are big and numerous, then consider your baghreer to be a success. (see picture above). 
The baghreer only needs to be cooked on one side, no need to flip it over. 


The ingredients and measures I used were the following: 

• Fine semolina (medium will also do): 1 British mug. 
• Flour: 1 British mug. 
• Yeast: 1 tbsp. 
• baking powder: 1 tbsp
• Milk: 1 british mug. 
• Water: 1 British mug. if the batter is too thick, add more water to obtain a consistency and a texture similar to the one of normal crepes - slightly thicker than liquid) 
• 1 egg. 
• A pinch of salt.

The method: 

Mix the semolina and flour in a big bowl. 
Add yeast and baking powder 
Pour milk and water in small quantities, at a time, while you mix continuously until all lumps melt. I usually use a blender at the end to make sure no lumps stay roaming about (for the peace of mind hehe) 
Let the batter rest 15 to 30mins. 

The final result

Preheat a non-stick frying pan. (= between medium and high) 
before I start ladling the thick liquid onto the pan, I add 1 tbsp of oil to the baghreer to help it not stick to the pan, then I add salt. (you can grease the pan otherwise) 

Ladle the first portion of the batter onto the pan and spread it around by tilting the pan in a circular motion to allow the batter to spread, evenly, covering the base of the pan. 
PS: Do not flip over. Just wait for a few seconds for it to cook. check the bottom side. It should have a very light red-ish / brown-ish color and the surface has to be entirely covered with holes. 

This is the back of a baghreer! Not sayin who took that bite! 

Remove the baghreer, put in a flat plat spread on it some butter (just a tiny bit of butter at the tip of a knife) I'll melt on the holes making them look shiny golden and smooth. Then cover it with a bag/another plat or foil wrap. Repeat the same process with every ladle until you've done all the batter.






The serving: 

Olive oil & sugar 

On a plate, pour some olive oil (1 tbsp). Then lay 1 baghreer upside down on it! (the holed surface on oil. Wipe the oil with the upside down baghreer (in circular motion) for all the holes to be covered in oil. Then, turn it back on the other red-cooked side and sprinkle some sugar on the holes. roll and eat
PS: Baghreer is eaten with olive oil and sugar in the region where I come from. Many Algerians from different regions eat it with different things, for example, instead of olive oil, you can eat with with sugar only, or 'Sharbaat' - a home-made syrup we have made of orange floral water + butter + sugar and other stuff- (I'll post a recipe someday). Or even plain with salted butter. 




Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit. 






Demo clip of a cooking Baghreer - dance dance little holes - hehe 

PS: I should have waited for it too cook properly before lifting the edge. It was a bit ruined, but well, the point was to show the color of the cooking base. 

Grantita!!

By Za, 

Oh my GOSH! this is like, one of the BEST Algerian dishes I've ever had! and I still haven't met a single Algerian person who doesn't like it! (PS: it's only famous in the North, i.e. Algiers, so not many people from other regions would know about it) it's easy peasy to make. So, give it a try when you feel like going adventurous in you kitchen! <:-D 

Recipe coming up soon! xxx 

Algerian Mhajeb

By Za,

Recipe come up soon! 

(they are a bit of a project -far from being easy peasy) 

Kbab from Algiers

By Za, 

Recipe's on the way

Sfiriya

By Za, 

  This is a "food recycling" traditional Algerian dish that's made basically from stale bread. 

When you have lots of leftover bread which's gone stale, here's a suggestion to recycle it into a very delicious dish. Kids love too. My brother used to call it 'Khoffash' - Bats. They enjoy eating the crispy bread "cookies" dry. It's very tasty and healthy for them (esp. if you're using brown/whole meal bread like I did today) 

So, here we go: 

Ingredients: 

For Sfiriya: (bread cookies) 

• A big bowl of shredded stale bread (white or brown) 
• A British mug of Milk
• Soft cheese (i.e la vache qui rit, or any soft cheese of your liking) 
• 1/2 tea spoon of cinnamon
• 1 tbsp of Orange flower water. 
• 1 egg. 

The sauce and meat: 

• Minced meat
• 1 Onion 
• 4 Garlic cloves 
• spices of your liking. (I like cumin, cinnamon and mix spices) 
• 1 egg 
• 2 tbsp of breadcrumbs. 
• Chopped coriander 
• Salt and water 
• (Lemon = optional) 

Method - Preparation: 

                 For the Sfiriya (bread fried cookies): 

Shred the stale bread in a big bowl and add warm milk gradually while kneading and mixing with your hand. 

Mixed it and knead it untill all lumps soften and melt. You should have a lump-less paste. 

PS: if the paste is too runny, add a few table spoons of bread crumbs until it gets an assembled viscous consistency.

Shred the stale bread in a big bowl and add warm milk gradually while kneading and mixing with your hand. 

Mixed it and knead it untill all lumps soften and melt. You should have a lump-less paste. 

PS: if the paste is too runny, add a few table spoons of bread crumbs until it gets an assembled viscous consistency.

Make medium sized balls from the paste and flatten them with your fingers gently to form a cookie-like round shape. (use water or oil in your hands if the past if too sticky) 

Fry the bread cookies until they gain a mahogany-golden-brown-ish color. (see picture).

remove, sieve and let the Sfiriya rest aside while you get to your sauce. 

              The meatballs: 

Grab the minced meat and add salt, a grated small onion + 2 cloves of garlic + 1 egg + spices + chopped coriander + 1 tea spoon of olive oil. and mixed everything untill you get this (see picture).

Wet your hands with water, (it helps meat not stick to them when you're rolling the paste in your hand to form a small ball). 

I decided to have a different shape today for a change. So, I opted for the oval one. ( see picture) 

                For the sauce: 

Grate or chop the onion and garlic before you chuck them to stir fry in a pot. (2 to 3 table spoons of oil) 

Once onion+garlic are soft add spices of your liking for a white sauce. (I add cinnamon and a teeny bit of cumin + some mixed herbs and spices) and stir well. 

pour in 2 to 3 glasses of water and bring it to a boil before you start chucking the meat balls in the sauce. 

Add chopped coriander (that's the cherry on the cake) 

Add the chick peas (They shouldn't be dry! if you get them dry, let them stay dipped in water over night. They'll double in size) 

let cook between 20 to 40 mins. ( if you're using a pressure pot then you might only needs about 15mins of cooking time). 

Serving: 

In a plate, put the number of bread crisps you'd like to have and pour the sauce (+meatballs) over them. Drizzle some lemon juice for a better taste. ( but that's optional)

et voila! 

Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit. 

Boorak from Algiers (Spring rolls)

By Za, 

Fried and Grilled Boorak! Recipe coming up soon. Stay tuned.

Shorba Beeda (White Soup)

By Za, 

Recipe coming up soon! 

Charak El-Aryaan (The bare crescent)

By Za. 

Recipe coming up soon!

Mshuwek (Spiky Almond cookies)

By Za, 

Recipe coming up soom

Maqroot El-Looz! (Almond Lozenges)

By Za, 

Recipe coming up soon! 

Chocolate Urchins!

You like Chocolate? here's one for you. These little Chocolate urchins are both soft and crunchy. They're great to offer to friends in fancy cake cases. They may look evil but as soon as u take your first bite, you just won't want to stop. 

What you need is: 

• 1 cup of sugar. 
• 250g unsalted butter. 
• 2 tbsp of honey. 
• 3 tbsp of cocoa. 
• Vanilla
• 1 sachet of baking powder. 
• 2 or 3 eggs. 
• Flour ( enough to get the batter assembled into a dough)

How to make it: 

Mix the sugar and butter till cream. Add the eggs, honey and cocoa and mix well. ( I don't have a food processor so I use a whisk to mix) you can use 1/2 sachet of the baking powder. No need for a whole one. Then, start adding the flour bit by bit until you get a very fluffy and soft dough. ( non-sticky too). 

Make small balls, place them on a baking tray and chuck in the (pre-heated)  oven. ( I usually check on them after 20mins on a 150 C) 

 

      

Meanwhile, make your chocolate frosting. 

I just melt some chocolate tablets with a tiny teeny bit of butter and a table spoon or two of milk. 

Dip the ready baked cookies upside down into the chocolate frosting then sprinkle them with chocolate vermicelli to give them an urchin stylish look! 

let the chocolate cool and harden before serving. 

    

et voila! 

Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit! :) 

Full Moon Full Tourte

By Za, 

This is going to be quite easy. If you feel like making salty crust, roll up your sleeves, gather your positive energy, hold your breath and get yourself: 

For the dough: 

• Flour: 1 mug and 1/2 (British mug) 
• Butter: 1 and 1/2 table spoon of butter 
• Oil: 3 table spoons of oil. 
• Baking powder: 1/2 sachet. 
• A pinch of salt. 
• Water (enough to gather all ingredients creating a dough) 

The filling: 

• You really can use anything you like!
• This time I opted for TUNA!!! so the ingredients I got were: 
• A tin of tuna in red sauce (not oil) 
• 1 Onion
• A handful of white rice (cooked/boiled) 
• 1/2 Tea spoon of paprika. 
• Sliced boneless green/black olives. (I used green olives to give a sour-ish taste to it) 
• Grated cheese (Cheddar, or any hard cheese of your liking) 

Method: 

Put your flour (+salt) in a big bowl. Melt the butter and mix it with oil before you pour them on the flour. 

Rub everything thoroughly with your fingers until the flour starts to look like 'sand'. 

Add the baking powder and combine ingredients. 

Start adding water, bit by bit, while mixing until you get a very soft and elastic/stretchy dough. 

Let it rest for 15 - 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, chop or grate your onion and put it in a pan with some oil (2 table spoons). 

Let it and stir fry until it goes a little brown before you add in your tuna. 

Mix everything and add olives and (cooked) rice. If it's too dry, add a bit of water and paprika. (the red sauce in which tuna was will give a delicious tomato flavour once cooked with the other ingredients) 

Half your dough and roll the first half flat (5mm) before you lay it on a dusted oven tray (preheat oven 150C) 

Spread the filling all over the flattened dough (it'll look like pizza :-D) don't forget to sprinkle your gratted cheese before you cover the top! 

Flatten the other half on a dusted working surface then lay it on top of the 'pizza-like' dough. PS: don't forget to sprinkle your gratted cheese before your cover the 'pizza' covering everything. 

Press the edges tightly closed and fold/roll them to prevent any leak of the sauce or the  stuffing. 

Dock the dough with a toothpick or a knife. 

Glaze the top with egg yolks or milk (I like to sprinkle some sesame -or black seed- on top too) 

Chuck in the oven. and check from time to time, till it turns golden in colour. (cooked) 

Cut however you like <3 

Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit 

Spinach Soup

By Za,

When you next head to the market, don't forget to get: 

• Some potatoes (3 medium ones) 
• 1 or 2 onions 
• Yellow split peas (optional, I always like to add either split peas or lentils in my soups, but you could do without) 
• A bunch of spinach 

Method: 


Once you have washed, drained and chopped you spinach, put them in a pan to stir fry. 
Peel your potatoes and cut them into 6 pieces. 
Peel your onions, wash them and cut them in half. 
Put your vegetables to boil (I added a handful of yellow split peas to give that tasty smell and flavour to the soup), then blend them once cooked. 
You'll get a deep amber color. 
Add, then, your portion of spinach (chopped and cooked in a bit of olive oil) and blend everything (enjoy the colour changing to an asparagus green shade) :-D 
If it's too thick, don't add water, add milk instead.  :-) 


I added, to the soup, two tbsp of vermicelli (boiled in water and sieved) and chopped some mushrooms for it too. 
I forgot to add some cheese this time (this soup absolutely loves cheese), therefore, i didn't do it full justice. So, you can either grate some Parmesan,  Cheddar or Gruyere. (in you don't have any, simply chuck some soft cheese i.e. La vache qui rit) 


Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit. 

Ajeejaat Broccoli

By Za, 

This Algerian recipe is originally made of cauliflower. I didn't have any, so I used broccoli instead.  It turned out just fine. The small broccoli florets, in a crown, make great companions for soup and broth. (yumm)

The ingredients I used were the following: 


A broccoli crown (washed, florets cut and steamed for 5 mins)
1 or 2 egg yolks 
2 tbsp of milk 
1 tbsp of finely chopped parsley 
2 to 3 tbsp of flour. 
A pinch of alt

(you can also add 1 tbsp of lemon juice-optional)

The method: 


Steam the little broccoli florets for like 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, make your dipping sauce by putting all the ingredients, mentioned above, in a bowl and mix. 
Once cooked, dip the broccoli florets in the ready eggs sauce then stir fry them for 3 - 4 mins until golden brown. 
Drain them from oil. and serve them warm with some lemon or vinaigrette. (that's if you didn't put any lemon previously) 


Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit