Algerian Cuisine Cuisine Algerienne by Farid ZADI

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*).

Alphabetical Index of this blog

I find this on blog actu Alphabetical index of Algerian Cuisine. It's handy even for me. I wrote on Ya Rayi Our Rai that the blogs will be organized differently as soon as possible. I realize that content is growing rapidly and both blogs need to be more reader friendly in terms of how the categories are organized.

Why I wrote the fifth line in my 23rd post

I was emailed by Ann Rolland of Station Gourmande  to explain why I wrote the 5th line in my 23rd post on this blog.  The fifth line is "serves 4" I wrote that because the recipe serves 4. But that's not a fun line to explain.

So I will explain why I wrote "in Setif my mother would take me foraging for wild greens for salads and soups"

I wrote that because that's what we did. It illustrates the closeness to the earth and its foods that we have. We can recognize edible ingredients without a label from a farmer or a supermarket. We did the same in the Beaujolais where I grew up. It is not a particularly Algerian thing. This is true of rural, agrarian societies.

Ma maman is a frail, delicate woman. She has chronic health problems and as a result her face is bony but through the adoring eyes of her son the beautiful young woman she once was is still present. She does not talk much, she speaks with her eyes. One look from her and I know what she means. Sometimes she makes me laugh, other times she makes me cry with the memories that flicker underneath the surface. Ma maman was orphaned or abandoned during Colonial times. I have never asked her about it and probably never will. Some things do not need to be spoken of with words.

She is the opposite of my beloved laughing, talkative, robust Aunt Farida. I've already written about her generous figure and laughing green eyes. Her thick, plump, strong arms. She is the one who taught about the fancy streaks in Algerian cooking. My mother taught me about the humble things.

These are the women who taught me how to cook. The first authorities for me when learning how to cook were feminine. I had to behave myself in their kitchens for fear of banishment.

Ma maman never really explained her cooking to me. We don't have long conversations. I learned from her by watching and by taking long walks with her in the hills foraging for wild greens.

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