Lham bel Foul, Algerian Beef Ragu with Fava Beans, Ragout de Viande

To the ill-informed it might seem like a meat ragu with pasta is a dish introduced into Algeria by the Italian pied noirs. I'll keep making this point until it's permeated thicker heads. I'm a bit frustrated with the assumptions made about European influences in North Africa. Durum wheat pasta is a North African invention introduced into Sicily by the Saracens. Of course the Italians took it to their own level of culinary artistry. I've been to Italy and I still remember the pasta dishes with a big smile.

Long before the European colonials crashed into North Africa, Algerians were eating pasta with a range of  sauces. Traditional Algerian pastas take the form of pasta balls or berkukis, hand rolled short noodles, hand rolled long noodles, strips of pasta cut into various widths or little squares the size of postage stamps. The same sauces used for pasta dishes are also often used for torn crepes or rougag.

Okay, so the cheese in the photo is obviously Italian. I think parmigiano reggiano is the most popular Italian cheese in Algeria and Tunisia. 

Traditionally the meat is pounded as for kefta. On our family farm in Setif we're not going to slaughter our own lamb and then drive to the city to take it to a butcher for grinding. Pounding the meat tenderizes it and gives it a texture unlike mechanically ground meat.

I also think that this dish in particular benefits from very slow cooking in a clay vessel.

Ingredients:

1 pound ground lamb, a combination of shoulder and leg meat with good bits of fat is the most desirable. You can substitute beef or veal if desired.
450 grams viande hachee

2 cloves of garlic finely minced
2 gousses d'ail emincees

1 large onion grated
1 gros oignon râpé

1 carrot, finely chopped
1 carotte hachee

1 stalk of celery finely chopped. An Algerian cook would use the whole thing, leaves and all.
1 branche celeri hachee

2 cups of homemade tomato sauce or 1 cup of tomato jam or 2 cups of tomato concassee
demi-litre de sauce tomate ou 1 quart de litre concentre de tomate ou demi-litre ou concasse de tomates

1 cup of fava beans prepped as I describe here
225 gr de feves fraiches

Juice of half lemon or a few tablespoons of vinegar. I prefer lemon juice.
Jus de Citron ou 2-3 cuilleres a soupe de vinaigre

Extra virgin olive oil or butter
Huile d'olive ou beurre

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Sel et poivre

1 - 1 1/2 pounds of pasta, such as berkukis (also labeled maghrebiyya or plombs). I sometimes make my own Algerian style pasta with durum (semolina) flour, with or without a whole egg and I cut it into strips that are anywhere from 1/3" to 1/2" thick, depending on my mood. You can use store bought tagliatelle.
450 gr-700 gr de pates. Plombs ou tagliatelle ou paparadelle

Spicing for this dish can be mild or robust. I suggest three that I use depending on what I feel like eating

Spice blend l:

Nutmeg
Muscade

Spice blend ll:

Saffron
Safran

Turmeric
Curcuma

Cumin
Cumin

Spice blend lll:

Cumin
Cumin

Caraway
Carvi

Paprika
Paprika

Cayenne pepper
Poivre de cayenne

I don't give quantities for spices, because I don't cook with measuring spoons. To give you an idea about how much I personally use, no matter how many spices I put into a dish my normal amount usually does not go over 1 tablespoon total.

Method:

1) Add the olive oil, carrots and celery to the pot and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes.

2) Add the lamb, but do not let it brown, just cook until the red color is gone. Season with salt and pepper.

3) Add the grated onion and a squeeze of lemon juice or a tablespoon of vinegar, cook for about 15 minutes

4) Add a little bit of your preferred spices and the tomatoes, cover and cook over very low heat. The ragu should barely simmer, take the lid off if the sauce bubbles to much, Stir every 30 minutes or so, if the liquid in the sauce evaporates too much add a little water. Cook for about 3-4 hours, skim the fat as it it rises to the surface.Taste for salt about 3/4 into cooking and adjust if necessary. About 15 minutes before the dish is done add a squeeze of lemon juice or a little vinegar.

Serve with pasta of your choice.

Note: This is the sort of dish where I add spices in stages, a little at the beginning, some more in the middle and a little more at the end. I find that this gives more layers of flavors. For instance, for this dish, I might add some cumin first, ras el hanout second, and finish with saffron.

You can use store bought meat, rather than hand pounding. You can use canned tomato sauce rather than making your own or using fresh tomatoes. You can use canned or frozen fava beans, rather than fresh. But in the end you have a different dish.

Lemon juic or vinegar are used to brighten the flavor of slow cooked dishes. Very common cooking truc in North Africa.

Some cooks add herbs to this dish, I do not.

Algeria Algerian Cuisine Algerian Recipes Algerian Food Algerian dishes Cuisine Algerienne Recettes  Algerienne North African cuisine Maghreb Cuisine

Comments

[Farid Zadi]

Salut Michele et et aussi tous les autres qui ont un interet pour les traductions en francais,elles arrivent bientot,just une question de temps.je vous demandent seulement d'etre patient.la raison de ma demande est que en ce moment je travaille 14hrs par jour avec seulement le dimanche de libre.a tres bientot a vous tous.

[Michèle]

Ah, je suis ravie de trouver un blog de cuisine algérienne : je reviendrai (avec mon dictionnaire d'anglais, parce qu'il y a quelques petits trucs qui m'échappent)