Algerian Mhajeb

By Za,

Recipe come up soon! 

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

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 

Quiche for the love of winter

By Za 

Wherever you are, winter knocks on your door. So, if you're hosting it tonight, then, I'd like to suggest this simple yet delicious quiche to offer to your freezing guest. :) 


Ingredients: 


For the crust: 

• Flour (1 and 1/2 British mug)
• Veg oil (1/3 British mug. PS: you can also use butter, I'm not sure how much though) 
• Yeast (1/2 tea spoon)
• Salt (a pinch) 
• Water (to assemble the dough) 

Filling:  

• Milk (1 British mug) 
• Black and Green olives (sliced) 
• Cheese (I used La vache qui rit and red grated Cheddar) 
• Mushrooms (a handful) 
• Spinach (a handful) 
• Eggs (I only use two, but 3 or 4 would be better)

Method: 
Preheat the oven (150 to 180C) 


For the crust: 
Put the flour in a big bowl
Add oil (or butter) and rub it into the flour. It should look like breadcrumbs. 
Add yeast 
Don't forget your salt.
Then Pour in water little by little while you're mixing, till you see the dough gathering and can be hold together. 
Pull it all together in a big ball. 
PS: Do NOT knead it. 
On a (flour) dusted surface, spread and flatten your crust before you lay it on the Quiche mold  . 
Chuck it in the oven to harden and whiten a bit (just HALF cook it)

While you crust is taking shape and color, prepare your filling: 

Pour milk in a big bowl. 
Add cheese, olives, spinach and eggs
Mix well, get your crust and pour the mixture on it, sprinkle some grated cheese on top and put back in the oven. 






Check on it from time to time till you see it's become hard and gained a golden color. (you can "stab" it with a knife to check in inside, it should look like scrambled eggs) 


PS: I tend to lay tiny bits of butter on top of the quiche once cooked and before I take it out of the oven. 

The filling

A few seconds before it hit the oven again

Let it cool before you dig in your knife to cut it.

Colours sweet colours  

Cooked, cut and ready 

PS: I had some crust left, not enough to fit in the big mold, so i use it in the smaller ones to make mini quiches 

 mini mini 

Odd one out 

Enjoy - Bsahtkom -
 Bon appetit. 

Gran's lozenges (Braaj)

By Za, 

Braaj are some date paste sandwiched in a shortbread semolina. I discovered these sweet munchies from my gran. She used to make to welcome and celebrate the coming of Spring. It was a tradition she had kept running for many years. Too bad, it wasn't perpetuated by her children. I decided to make them and keep the tradition as a tribute to her :)
Kids absolutely love Braaj, and so do all Algerians. 

I would like to offer these Algerian traditional baby “date sandwiches” to her, yous lot reader and all date lovers, for the coming season of Spring.

"Note that Algerian traditional recipes measure the volume of ingredients and not their weight. The idea is to take any measure , be it a cup, a glass or a big container , fill it three time with the dry ingredients (semoulina in this case) and one time with fat ( butter, ghee, etc….) the choice of the measure will determine the quantity of the pastry…..if you want a small quantity, choose a small container, and vice-versa" Kaouther 

What you need is: 

• Semolina – Medium (2 full British mugs measure) - that's what i use for measuring
• Salt (a pinch) 
• Ghee+oil ( ½ a British mug measure) 
• Orange blossom water diluted in water ( enoughto gather the mixture into a dough)

Stuffing:

• Date paste (worked) - wet my hands with water to work and flatten it. It makes it less sticky :o) 

The Method:

For the dough, put your semolina in a bowl.

Add salt and ghee and mix very well.

Rub it continually between your palms to make sure the grease is integrated in and fully incorporated with the semolina.

You should have a mixture that feels like wet sand.

Let it rest 15 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, work the dates paste. Just knead it a little bit to remove any bits of bones or hard flakes. 

 If you find it sticky or hard, use some oil or water to work it easily or steam it a little to turn it softer.

When you’re done with the paste, to back to your semolina and gather it with some water to get a breaking dough like this. (don't knead it too much) 

Split it into two equal halves. (pic ==>) 

___________________________________ooOoO0OoOoo_________________________________

1- Flatten the first half - 8 milimetres thick.

2- Flatten the dates paste as thin as you want it to be ( 3mm)

3- Lay the flat date paste on the first flattened half of dough and cover it with the second flattened half of dough creating a sandwich as illustrated in the pictures. (4)
give it a last roll with the rolling pin to flatten everything and stick it all together. 

 In the final stage, cut the sandwich however you like. I love lozenge shaped Braaj. That’s how my gran used to cut them. Algerian's are big fans of lozenge/diamond shapes and they shape most of their food/sweets into that.  
But you can make them square, round, triangle, pentagon or star ..have fun  and go crazy with your cookie cutters heh! 

Preheat your pan or tawa and cook them both sides till they gain a red-ish colour.

Eat with milk, curd milk, tea or some coffee.
We tend to eat them for breakfast and afternoon tea/coffee. 


PS: Some people have sensitive stomach. Thus, end up suffering from heart-burns after consuming LOTS of braaj :P .. don't panic, it's normal. Just drink some cold milk - a cup or so, and you should feel better after a couple of seconds :o) 

Bsahatkom- Enjoy - Bon appetit  :)