Starters

 

Flat Cap Mushroom with Goat's Cheese

Chorba: Soup from North-Eastern Algeria

Djari Abyad: Soup from Constantine

Carrot Salads

Meshwia: Grilled pepper salad

Shekshouka

Boureks Bel Hout Fish-filled pastries

Spicy Fish

Nutty Rice

 Roasted Vegetables

 

 

Flat cap mushroom with ratatouille, goat's cheese and basil

 Ingredients:

3 peppers, red, green and yellow cut into thick strips

2 courgettes thickly sliced ½ inch

1 aubergine cut into 1 inch cubes 1 onion thickly sliced

2 cloves of garlic

1tbsp fresh basil

1 tsp of sugar

1tbsp of white wine vinegar

pinch of thyme

salt and pepper

3 tomatoes peeled and diced

4 large flat cap mushrooms, one per person is enough as a starter.

 Method:

To peel tomatoes: Score them with a sharp knife. Bring a pan full of water to the boil and then drop the tomatoes in for 30 seconds. As soon as the skin starts flaking away, place them into a bowl of cold water. The rest of the skin will come off easily.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan

Place all the ingredients in the pan and sauté on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the vinegar, a pinch of thyme and sugar. Turn down the heat and cook for a further 15 minutes.

4 large flat cap mushrooms, one per person is enough as a starter. Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry the mushrooms skin side down for 5 minutes until golden. Season with salt and pepper. Place in an oven tray skin side down. Put enough ratatouille to cover the mushroom. Flake some goat's cheese on top of the ratatouille. Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until the cheese has turned golden. Sprinkle a little bit of chopped basil and serve with garlic bread.

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 Chorba Soup from North East Algeria

 Ingredients:

2lbs boned and diced lamb
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion finely chopped
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin chick peas
1 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tbsp chopped celery leaves
Salt and Pepper
1 tsp dried mint
½ cup of bulgur or cracked wheat

 Method:

Lightly brown the onion and lamb in olive oil
Add all the other ingredients except the mint and wheat
Cover with water and cook until the lamb is tender (1 hour)
Add the wheat and mint. Cook for a further 15min
Garnish with a little chopped coriander
Serve with a wedge of lemon

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 Djari Abyad Constantine "White" Soup

 Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs halved
½ lean lamb mince
1 onion, chopped 
½ cup Basmati rice
2 eggs
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp chopped coriander
Juice of a lemon
Salt and pepper
Olive oilt

 Method:

Lightly brown the chicken and half the onion in olive oil. 
Season, cover with water and bring to the boil
Simmer for 30 min
In the meantime mix the mince with the remaining onion, 
1 egg, chopped parsley and season.
Make miniature meatballs and add to the pan along with the rice 
Simmer until the rice is soft (20min)
Remove from the heat. Beat the other egg with lemon juice 
and slowly pour it into the soup while stirring. 
Serve immediately with chopped coriander
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Three Carrot Salads

 Ingredients:

2 lbs carrots

Garlic

Fresh Parsley and Coriander

Olive oil

Lemons

Caraway seeds

Spring onions

Ginger

Harissa or Tabasco

 Method:

Carrot Salad 1Grate a few carrots into a large bowl. Add the juice of a whole lemon and 3tbsp virgin olive oil. Chop a little fresh coriander and a clove of garlic. Add to the bowl and season. If refrigerated, make sure that it is stored in tightly shut container or else everything will end up smelling of garlic. 

Carrot Salad 2 Slice and boil a few carrots in salt water with a pinch of caraway seeds. Cook until they are over the "al dente" stage. Cool and drain well Place in a bowl with the juice of a whole lemon, 3 tbsp virgin olive oil, a tbsp chopped parsley and a finely chopped clove of garlic Season and leave to infuse for at least 2 hours

Carrot Salad 3 Slice and boil a few carrots in salt water. Cook as in the salad above. Cool and drain well. Chop 2 spring onions Add a tsp of chopped fresh ginger Add a tsp of chopped fresh ginger Place in a bowl with the juice of a whole lemon, 3 tbsp olive oil and a tsp of Harissa or a splash of Tabasco as substitute.   Back

 

 

 Meshwia Chargrilled Pepper Salad

 Ingredients:

3 large sweet peppers, green, red and yellow
1 large onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Harissa (optional)

 Method:

Slice the peppers in half through the stalk; discard the seeds and place
on barbecue or hot grill with the unpeeled onion and cloves of garlic.
Grill until charred.
Place into a plastic bag until cool.
When cool skin all the vegetables and slice finely.
Place in a salad bowl and add the juice of a whole lemon, 2 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
For those who like spicy food, add a tbsp Harissa.

This salad should be served very cold with barbecued meats or fish.
If you are in a hurry buy a jar of chargrilled red peppers, add a finely sliced green pepper and some finely diced red onion. Finish as above. Not quite the real thing but who wants to slave over a hot stove on holiday.

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 Spicy fish

 Ingredients:

1 lb of fillets of lemon sole, plaice, trout or sea bass for this starter.

In a shallow dish mix 3tbsp plain flour, 1tbsp cumin, 1tsp coriander, 1tsp chilli, 1tsp salt.

 Method:

Heat a cupful of oil in a large frying pan and then turn to a medium heat. Dip the fish fillets in the flour and shake off excess. Fry on one side until lightly browned and crispy (Around 2 minutes).

Turn over and repeat process.

Place cooked fish on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil. Serve with a green salad, wedge of lemon and some Harissa.

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 Shekshouka Scrambled eggs Algerian style.

 Ingredients:

3 tbsp oil

1 medium onion coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic finely chopped

4 ripe tomatoes finely chopped

1 red pepper thinly sliced

5 eggs

 

 Method:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and garlic and fry until golden.

Add tomato and pepper, season, cover pan, lower the heat and cook gently for 20 min.

Remove cover and break the eggs over the surface. Stir gently to break the yolks. Cover and cook for a further 3 min. Serve immediately.

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 Bourek Bel Hout  Fish filled pastries

 Ingredients:

½lb cooked white fish

1 clove of garlic crushed

½ onion finely chopped

4 tbsp chopped parsley

Juice of ½ lemon

1tbsp fresh breadcrumbs

1boiled potato crushed

1 egg

Pinch of chilli, coriander, cumin

Salt and pepper

Pack of Fillo or Spring Roll pastry

 

 Method:

Remove skin and bones.

Microwave the fish for 2 minutes and then flake it into a large bowl.

Add all the ingredients, mix well and season.

Lay one fillo pastry sheet (25cm by 10cm) flat on a damp cloth and place a tbsp of fish mixture on the top corner. Fold diagonally three times to create a triangle.


Shallow fry or bake to heat up thoroughly and lightly brown.

Serve with a dressed salad and a wedge of lemon.
 

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 Nutty Rice

 Ingredients:

1 cupful of Basmati rice

1 onion, finely chopped

1 tsp mild curry powder and Turmeric

1 handful of cashew nuts and flaked almonds

1 doz dozen sultanas

2 tbsp oil

 Method:

Lightly fry the onion in oil for 2 minutes
Add nuts and Basmati rice.
Add curry powder and turmeric
Season with salt and pepper
Add 1¼ cup old water and bring to the boil
Add sultanas, turn down to simmer and cover
Cook for 15 min or until soft.
Fluff up with a fork and leave to cool
Serve either hot or cold as an accompaniment
 

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  Roast Vegetables

 Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

2 red, green and yellow peppers

a head of celery

4 medium red onions

4 bulb of garlic

4 tbsp olive oil

1tsp thyme, basil

1 lemon.

 Method:

Turn your oven on high. Quarter the onions. Cut the peppers into thick strips. Cut half the squash into two-inch square. Cut half the celery into two-inch sticks. Peel 4 or 5 cloves of garlic.
Place the lot into a large oven dish. Sprinkle about 3 tbsp of olive oil, a pinch of fresh black pepper, salt, a pinch of thyme and 2 tbsp of sugar. Stir and then place in the oven for half an hour. Take out and stir again. Another half hour should be enough. Squeeze half a lemon over the vegetables. If you have some fresh basil, chop it and sprinkle all over. You can also use courgettes, aubergines, spring onions…
You can eat this concoction either hot or cold as a starter with goat's cheese or as a side vegetable with any main course.

 

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