Potato Omelet.

By Za



Alright!! Potatoesssss!!! 
Guys this is one of my favourite dishes!! it's delish and super easy to make!! but YUMMY!! 

Many people think Algerian eat Couscous like Middle Japanese eat rice! Well, small correction.. That is not the case. We don't eat Couscous everyday or every other day.. not even 3 times a week. The dish that Algerians might eat 3 times a week or wouldn't mind eating everyday (which is not the case, but let's say very often) is Chips Omelet 



Yes, I couldn't emphasize on it enough! Most Algerians wouldn't dare say no to this simple yet delicious dish. 

I don't own a good gas cooker. I've got two electric hot plates, that are far from being cutting edge. 
So, frying food isn't the best option one would pick with what I have... but I am Algerian.. how can I possibly live without Chips Omelet!

Well, if its not fried, its boiled. 

So get: 

• 3 medium potatoes or 4
• 3 or 4 eggs, 
• a big handful of parsley. 
• Salt 
• Oil
• 1/2 tbsp butter

Preparation: 

Peel and dice your potatoes, then bring to to boil. (don't forget to salt the water) 

Once boiled, drain them. 

In a big pan, put a table spoon of oil and 1/2 tbsp of butter. 

One heated, put your boiled potato dice in the pan. 

Break (or beat if you want) the eggs and add them to the potatoes. 

PS: DO NOT STIR . Just give the pan a little shake so the the eggs spread evenly. 

add the chopped parsley. 

salt a little and cover. 

When the eggs harden a bit, only then, can you stir, well not literally stir, with a flat plastic or wooden spatula bring the mixture slowly upide down. it's better than way so that your potatoes dont get mushy and all broken. 


Serve with Mortadella, or black olives, spring rolls too go nicely with it. 

Bsahetkom - Bon appetit- Enjoy 

 :) 

riZAtto - a Risotto a la Za-

By Za

Good morning everyone! 

Today I bring you a pretty much DYI-ed recipe. I was was mentioning to one of my Italian friends that needed some ideas for dinner (Iftar) and the conversation led to the recipe of the Italian Risotto. To tell the truth, I've onlu tried it once! I liked it but it was a bit too salty and heavy for me, could be the restaurant. I wasn't in Italy, the chef wasn't Italian, so I couldn't complain haha. 

So after I had taken the recipe from her, I hit the kitchen only to find out that I don't have some of the ingredients.. least of all Parmesan cheese! that thing never entered my house lol. 

So, I just thought of using whatever, well not literally, what I used was: 

• Spinach (a big bowl) - I buy them frozen. 
• 2 tbsp oil 
• 1 tomato 
• 4 Garlic cloves 
• 1/2 onion 
• Cumin and paprika (just the tip of the knife) 
• Rice 
• white cream 
• Kurkuma (tip of a knife) 
• salt
• Bacon (beef or Turkey) 
• 2 medium potatoes (optional) but they really add a nicer taste. 

• NO CHEESE 

So, use 2 cooking pots to start with, 

one to boil the rice, and the other to prepare your spinach mixture. 

The spinach mix: 
In a cooking pot, pour some oil and add your grated onion and garlic. stir them to soften for a bit. 

Add spinach and let it cook for while (7 minutes or so) 

Add the grated tomato on to and stir. let it cook + salt. 

Add a tiny bit of cumin and paprika, when the mixture is cooked, remove it off the stove and put it aside. 

Rice, 

Once the rice is boiled, sieve it and put it back in a cooking pot, add your white cream (if it's thick you can dilute it a bit with water) I did add a bit of water because the rice absorbs it quickly, so I add about 2 cm of a normal glass. 

Once the rice and cream become homogeneous, add your spinach mixture and stir, (if the whole mixture is thick, you can add either a bit of milk or water until you can the consistence you prefer) 

Now, add a little bit o Kurkurma, it smells nice, it gives it a flavour similar to curry, and everything turns yellow!! 

Bacon: 
on a frying pan, put 1 tbsp of oil and 1/2 tbsp of butter, and put your bacon to cook. 

keep it soft and flexible, once cooked, take it out and cover it with something because if it cools down it becomes chewy and hard. 

Potatoes

 boil your potatoes and add them to the riZAtto haha. 

Bsahetkom - Bon appetit - Enjoy 

:) 

Shtit'ha Batata: Potato Dance

By Za, 

All right, this looks nothing like a dance!.. more like worn-out potatoes. 
Sometimes you get home after a long day of running errands all over the country (well ..at least that's how it feels).. and the first thing you want to do after changing your clothes and washing is EAT! (that's if you haven't already thought of grabbing a take away meal on your way, or you're too broke to opt for a home delivery meal) 
Then you find yourself in that awkward moment when you hit the kitchen and find out you're run out of groceries because you didn't realise sooner that it was the end of the week. yeah.. cr** 
But then your eyes spot the brown-beige-ish color of something hiding in a bag you've started to wonder where on earth it came from.. so you----- piercing the air like an arrow. (your kitchen feeling larger all of the sudden) on to attack the vulnerable confused bag (that suddenly looked so big in your eyes it convinced you it contained of a least about 20 potatoes) only to realise you're crouching with a huge bag in your hand *tight grip* with only 1 potato in it! and another medium one of which half's gone rotten. .. .. 
But you don't despair (you're starving you've started thinking about all the poor hungry people and orphans around the world, and you're now cursing the governments, famine, greed and so on) so your next automatic reflex is to open the fridge. And you're there standing in front of it. It's full of boxes, bags and bottles that aren't edible. they're empty too. (yea, I have this habit of returning bags, packs, bottles, cartons, tins, jars ..etc to the fridge after using the last bite/drop.. i'm working on getting rid of it, but well). You spot the eggs carton- it looks empty- so you decide to chuck it (so you remember next time to buy eggs on your way home and not be fooled by the presence of a carton) anyway, you grab the thing to throw it away when you realise it feels heavy on the other end! your heart beats fast! could it be... *ba dum tsss* !!!! AN EGG !!!!!!! now you remembered there is a god and you don't know or when but you're thanking him like forever. 
So here we go, a potato (and a half) and an egg! what to do? cook them duh!
Except, the issue is not whether to cook them or not. It's is about WHICH cooking method is faster! (with nice results! goes without saying) you don't want to wait for other 20minutes to go! if you can think of way to cook everything ready in 19mins and 58 seconds you'd opt for it. 
the issue's become a dilemma, and your stomach has taken over your brain, you can't think straight.. Alright, that's it..time to use your 3 lifelines. 
The 50-50 seems useless at this point.
The audience opinion is out of the question.. 
You're left with the "call someone"! hell yeah! 
You spin around and run to the phone, unlock, go to contacts, look for M! yesss MUM! *calling* 
You get frustrated .. why isn't she picking up!! only to hear the line ringing for the first time. 
As you're speaking on the phone - Indian drama - you catch sight of some garlic and you welcome the idea of adding that on today's Menu. 


Found it. (thanks to lifeline #3) the quickest and easiest way to get this "bunch" of veggies ready is to lead them straight to the dance floor. The POT! 

Peel and cut the potatoes (into big pieces) 
Grate the garlic (or press it/crash it) 


In the pot, heat 2tbsp of vegetable oil, add the garlic and stir well. 

Add the potato pieces and mix. Add your favourite spices. ( I used Paprika and mixed spices, a small leaf of bay (stir))  and warm water (1 glass and a half) 


cover the pot and go busy yourself with something distracting. (facebook, twitter, TV..anything) by the time you come back, the food will have cooked. 

Don't forget the last surviving egg you found by accident! USE IT! 

Break it on the ready potatoes in sauce, and close again. Let it simmer for 2 mins or so until you see the egg pouched. mix.. do whatever you like with it.. but just make it quick and serve it on a dish! 

PS: you can add a bit of tomato pasta if you've got any. 

Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit

Broccoli Soup

By Za, 

For those of you who wonder about the kinds of food that are high in vitamin C, contain multiple nutrients which are effectively a strong preventive from cancer, regulate blood pressure thanks to the high amount of calcium, magnesium and vitamin K - which helps keep the bones healthy and prevent from osteoporosis-. 
This preventive food is also good against gastric problems and bacterium, such as the H.Pylori; heart disease and  Anemia. 
This natural source of vitamin A, Beta carotene, fibers,  Antioxidants and zinc is extremely beneficial for eyesight, skin, digestive problems (prevents constipation) and regulating blood sugar. 


This soup is easy peasy, here we go: 

Ingredients 

• 3 medium potatoes 
• 1 medium onion 
• A head of broccoli
• 1 glass of milk. 
• Water
• Parsley
• Salt
• Cheese (hard cheese of your liking. I went for red cheese this time) 

Method: 


Peel and dice the potatoes, and the onion, before you bring them to a boil. (salt) 
Cut the broccoli florets and steam them for like 3 to 5 mins. 


Once everything is cooked, blend your veggies and add milk bit by bit until you get a thick mixture. Add water thoroughly, little by little, until you get the lump-less consistency you like. I like my soup to be thick and 'velouté'. 
Chop parsley ( a small bunch) and add it to the soup. (salt) 
Dice the cheese (or grate it if you prefer)  

Serving: 


This soup goes very well with toasted bread or garlic bread. 

Toasted bread shredded
and mixed in soup

Bsahatkom - Enjoy - Bon appetit 

'

Kbab from Algiers

By Za, 

Recipe's on the way

Boorak from Algiers (Spring rolls)

By Za, 

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

Gratin Dauphinois

by Amel

Gratin Dauphinois by Amel

  Ingredients :
1 kg potatoes
  2 onions
3 tablespoons creme fraiche
  20 cl light creme
  Gruyère (grated cheese)
  ½ spoon of curry or nutmeg powder

 

Preparation:

While you cook the potatoes, gently brown the chopped onions. (Quick tip: to avoid burning them, use water instead of oil!)

Add the curry or nutmeg powder, they will give your dish all its flavour.

Once the onions are ready, add the creams and cheese and cook them until the mixture boils (approximatively 3 mins) 

Cut the potatoes in thin slices, and add them and your onion & cream mixture in a dish, sprinkle with cheese and pop it in the oven. Bake it at 210°C / 400°F / thermostat 7 for 10 to 20 minutes depending on how long you prehated your oven.

Bon appétit !!

The Shadwell Omelette

by Youcef

This is THE Shadwell Omelette! 

Okey, this might not be a very healthy dish, and far from being original, but the reason I'am sharing this one is because it's a super cool omelette with loads of cool memories attached to it! Shadwell was were I used to live back in London, and this is a very simple omelette to make!

All you need are 

some eggs (duh! it's an omelette!)

some potatoes 

some herbs of your choice ( I usually use parsley or coriander... although mint also tastes good, but too strong if you put too much), mind you, coriander is the best! 

might also need a bowl, a fork and a frying pan (can't eat those! sorry)

Alright, now we can get started; chuck a couple of eggs in the bowl, a pinch of salt, chop some herbs in there and mix the whole lot using a four toothed stainless steel chrome utensil (ok ok, you can also use a fork)...

Once that's done, leave it to the side and fry some chips in the pan! (Oh and, for the lazy ones, like me, who don't want to bother with the all the dicing and frying of potatoes, just pop into any fast food place and get a portion of chips, no one would know, I promise, hihihi!)

Cool, that's done, now drain the oil out of the pan and replace it with the eggs you mixed earlier! OH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, put a lid on the pan and put it on low/medium fire; that'll make the omelette cook nice and soft, without burning the bottom and without the need to turn it over! and VOILA!!!!

Yum yum! Get eating!

 And don't forget the mayonnaise!! 

Mahwish tried it!