Algerian Cuisine Cuisine Algerienne by Farid ZADI

Dersat el'sane, Algerian Spicy Beef Tongue, Langue de Boeuf en Sauce

I prefer to serve dishes with a red sauce like this on darker colored plates, preferably earth toned. Even a little splatter of red sauce on the sides of a light colored plate does not look so nice to me. But we did not have a darker colored plate, so here you are.

It's taking me longer to post all the recipes from the Iftar photo than it did me to cook them!

Ingredients:

1 beef tongue (boil in water for about 20 minutes, peel off the skin with a very sharp knife)
750 gr- 1kg de langue de boeuf

3 tomatoes concassee
3 tomates

2 red bell peppers chopped
2 poivrons rouges hachees

1 onion chopped
1 oignon hache

2 carrots cut into rounds
2 carrottes coupees en rondelles

1 branch of celery chopped
1 branche de celeri hache

2 bay leaves
2 feuilles de laurier

Optional herbs include thyme, basil, flat leaf parsely or coriander leaf.

Vineger or lemon juice
Vinaigre ou jus de citron

Spices my ras el hanout or you can keep it simple and use cumin, paprika and turmeric.

Salt and pepper
Sel et poivre

Olive oil
Huile d'olive

(other versions include olives, chick peas, garlic or artichokes)

Loubia b'Dirsa, Algerian White Bean Stew, Potage aux Haricots Blancs et Pois Chiches

This dish has often been described as Algerian chili. I suppose one can call it that when explaining it to an American audience. It does have beans, optional ground or minced meat and spices. But the similarities end there. The flavor and texture are very different. The white beans and chick peas are cooked to buttery tenderness that contrasts nicely with the spiced broth and piquant dirsa.

Dirsa is a chili sauce made from fresh or dried hot red peppers.

Felfel, Algerian Hot Peppers Stuffed with Nuts, Piments Farcies aux Noix

If you like hot peppers you'll love this dish. I should have made more, my Korean in laws were practically fighting over them. My mother in law called me to wax poetic about these peppers.

I used Jalapenos because that is what I can fnd in Los Angeles for a good price. If you are in an area where Algerian peppers are not available use your favorite small Mediterranean peppers.

I will discuss the specific varieties used in Algeria in separate posts. My recipes are here to encourage you to make due with what you have, to think like an Algerian. Of course if you have the time and the money demand ingredients from your grocer, farmer or supermarket. It's amazing to read about Paula Wolfert struggling to find even cilantro in America  when she was working on her Moroccan cookbook.

The pool of olive oil is delicious. You can dip bread into it or reserve for a vinaigrette. This is a rich and flavorful dish. You can serve it as part of a meze/kemia or as a side dish or condiment.

Qara, Algerian Baked Pumpkin, Citrouille Rotie

This small pumpkin was baked in a 300F (167C) oven for about one hour. Bigger pumpkins take longer to cook.

Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds and membrane. If you like wash the seeds and dry them to make spiced pumpkin seeds. I have photos of some I made that I will post later. Place a pat of butter inside each half of pumpkin, cover the pumpkin with foil, remove foil about 10-15 minutes before it's done to add some color.

Spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves can be sprinkled on about 15 minutes before the pumpkin is done.

Drizzle with honey and sprinkle with pine nuts or almonds and dried fruits such as raisins, chopped apricots, dates or figs.

This can be eaten as a dessert or as a side dish.

Slata bel Clementinas, Algerian Orange and Onion Salad, Salade d'Oranges aux Oignons

Another version of orange salad. Orange salads are clean tasting and help refresh and cleanse the palate especially during multi-course meals.

I prefer to slice my onions much more thinly than shown in the photo. I did not slice these onions.

This salad is only as good as the oranges and the sweetness of the onions used. If the onions you have aren't not so sweet soak them in cold water for about thirty minutes. A little sugar in the water helps too. Marinading the onions in 1 part vinegar and 3-4 parts olive oil help take the bite out of lesser quality onions.

Orange salad variations include: thinly sliced fresh fennel (I prefer young, tender fennel for this), grated fennel (I use this method for older fennel), blood oranges, wild greens and herbs, almonds, walnuts, pine nuts, orange flower water (be careful, if you are not used to this it can smell almost cosmetic), rosewater (good quality ones actually have a refreshing aroma) olives, dates, radishes, grated carrots, shallots, sugar, honey and cinnamon.

 

Dolma Khodra, Algerian Stuffed Vegetables, Legumes Farcies a la Viande Hachee

I decided to stuff some of the smaller vegetables from my Iftar mise en place Dolmas are an Ottoman introduction to Algerian cuisine. Before the Turks came the Badwi were stuffing meats and vegetables and there were Moorish stuffed dishes as well. So the concept of stuffing was not introduced by the Ottomans, rather a set of dishes and techniques were added to the layers of Algerian cuisine.

Scoop out the center of the vegetables with a small spoon, be careful not to dig too deeply. You want to leave at least a 1/4" at the base. Chop up the scooped bits of vegetable to use in the stuffing. You can saute them for more flavor, remember to cool them before adding the meat.

I know, I know most of my dishes contain meat. That's my own preference. I'm a big meat eater. There are stuffings made entirely from vegetables as well. I will post recipes for those later.

Ingredients:

5 small onions
5 petits oignons

4 small tomatoes
4 petites tomates

1 zucchini cut into even cylinders approximately the same height as the onions and tomatoes
1 courgette

Stuffing:

100 gr of ground lamb or beef
100 gr de viande hachee

5-6 green olives* (use Spanish or Italian if you cannot find Algerian olives), chopped
5-6 olives vertes hachees

1 shallot minced
1 echalote emincee

1 tablespoon of chopped herbs such as basil, thyme, flat leaf parsley or coriander leaf (cilantro)
1 cuillere a soupe d'herbes hachees, basilic, thyme, persil plat ou coriandre

Salt and pepper
Sel et poivre

1 egg
1 oeuf

Butter
Beurre

Olive oil
Huile d'olive

 

Chlada Bandjar, Algerian Beet Salad, Salade de Betteraves

Algerian beet salads can be as simple as the one I show or more complex with wild greens and herbs, thinly sliced sweet onions and nuts.

This is another recipe from my mise en place for Iftar.

Djedj M'fouar, Algerian Steamed Chicken, Poulet Cuit a la Vapeur

Another recipe from last week's iftar made from this mise en place. I have alot of catching up to do this weekend.

This is a method for steaming chicken in a crock pot for 6 hours.

Ingredients:

3 whole chicken legs
3 cuisses de poulet

1 parsnip peeled and chopped
1 panais pele et hache

1/2 medium onion chopped
1/2 oignon hache

1 bulb of kohlrabi cut into 6 pieces.
1 chou rave coupez en 6 morceaux

1/2 a bulb of fennel chopped
1/2 un bulb de fenouil hache

1/2 cup chick peas soaked overnight
Pois chiches

Salt
Sel

2 pinches of saffron or turmeric
2 pinces de safran ou curcuma

If you don't have a crockpot use the stove top method I describe here. Plating is the same.

Method:

1) Layer the vegetables in the pot, add the chickpeas, lightly season with salt, stir, add the chick peas and 1 1/2 cups of water.

2) Sprinkle about 1 tablespoon of salt evenly on the chicken and rub in the spices. If you don't want turmeric stained fingers wear gloves.

3) Place the chicken pieces on top as shown. Cover and cook push the cook for "6 hours on high" button. This is my first crock pot and I as sit here typing this I wonder what the settings are on other crock pots. I will find out and add to this post. In the meantime if you have a question just ask me.

Seksu bil Khodra, Algerian Couscous with 7 Vegetables, Couscous aux Sept Legumes

I decided to make couscous with seven vegetables last weekend while preparing my mise en place for Iftar. I had a good variety and combination of vegetables to make the dish.

There are as many variations of this dish as there are possible combinations for the vegetables we have available in the Maghreb. Some say the number seven is lucky. Some say it's a Badwi or Bidawi (Bedouin) dish. Others say any cook with seven vegetables makes this dish.

I chose my seven based on what I had and also the other dishes I was thinking of making. I knew that my guests liked piquant dishes so I planned on making a few along with a side of harisa. I decided a mild version of couscous with seven vegetables would be a nice contrast to the heat and spice of the soups in particular. I also did not want to add eggplant, tomatoes and peppers because I was making Badenjal chteta or Badenjal zaloka (eggplant ratatouille*).

Keftas, Algerian Meatballs, Boulettes de Viande

This is only one version I have, there are many more to come.

Ingredients:

500 grams of ground lamb or beef. Traditionally lamb is used. The fattier the better.
500 gr de viande hachee

1 small onion finely chopped
1 oignon finement hache

2 tablespoons of freshly grated bread crumbs
2 cuilleres a soupe chapelure

1 tablespoon of finely chopped flat leaf parsely
1 cuillere a soupe de persil plat finement hache

2 teaspoons of spice blend with cumin, coriander and fennel
2 cuilleres a cafe d'epices avec cumin, coriandre et fenouil

1-2 teaspoons of cayenne
1-2 cuilleres a cafe de cayenne

Salt and Pepper
Selt et Poivre

2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cuilleres a soupe d'huile olive

1 tablepoon of white vinegar
1 cuillere a soupe de vinaigre blanc