Vegetable Cous-Cous

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/couscous.html

Serves 6.

Ingredients:

1 onion, coarsely chopped
1 zucchini or yellow squash, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 roasted and peeled red bell peppers, sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups instant cous cous
2 cups chicken broth
2 small tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or fresh-cooked chickpeas
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Sauté the onions and zucchini in the oil until just barely soft. Stir in the peppers and mushrooms. Cook until all vegetables are cooked but still firm.

Heat the chicken broth is a saucepan until boiling. Remove from heat and stir in the cous cous. Let the mixture sit 5-7 minutes then fluff with a fork.

In a large bowl, pour in the cous cous, then toss with the tomatoes, chickpeas, balsamic vineger. Stir in the vegetables and their juices. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Sweet Ragout Of Quince And Lamb

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/special/2000/feast/ragout.html

Makes 4 servings.

This recipe will help me explain some confusion in Mediterranean culinary terms. In North Africa there are two very different words that mean "stew." In Morocco, a stew is called a tajin (or tajin), but in Tunisia a stew is called maraqa. In Tunisia, a tajin is not a stew but the word for a kind of omelette. The Italians have the same kind of omelette, which they call a frittata. The Spanish have this too, but they call their omelette a tortilla (it never means a flat bread in Spain), a word the Mexicans use not for an omelette but for a kind of flat bread. Now, to complicate matters further, my Arabic-English dictionary (Wehr) translates maraqa as a kind of broth or sauce, but, more accurately, it really is what the French call an etuvé, a slow-cooked covered stew containing very little fat or liquid, although I call it a ragout since that's the word I believe readers are most familiar with. The tajin of Morocco is also nearly identical to this French etuvé. The word tajin, although referring to either the stew or the omelette, actually is the name of the shallow earthenware pan that both the stew and the omelette are cooked in, and that word derives from the Greek teganon, meaning frying pan. (By the way, safarjal means "quince.")

The maraqa-style of cookery had a wide enough influence that one finds it in Provence, probably brought back by the Pied-Noirs, the returned French settlers from North Africa, as evidenced by J.-B. Reboul's recipe for la marga in his nineteenth-century cookbook La cuisinière provençal. There Reboul has completely changed the concept but the ingredients are purely North African with the combination of lamb and chicken cooked with fava beans, chickpeas, cardoons, zucchini, artichokes, and onions seasoned with cayenne pepper, cumin, and other spices.

This sweet recipe can be made with prunes or dried apricots instead of the quince. Dried rose petals are traditionally used as a flavoring. This particular combination of lamb and fruit appears to derive its provenance from Persian cuisine via the Ottoman Turks. Although the Greeks know a similar dish called arni me kithouma or kidonia that they make with veal or pork as well as the cinnamon, it too is probably derived from the Persians through the Turks.

Ingredients:

1-1/4 pounds boneless leg of lamb,
trimmed of all fat and cubed
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon dried and ground rose petals
or 1/4 teaspoon rose water
Salt to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1-1/2 pounds quince (see Note),
peeled, cut into eighths, and cored
3 to 4 cups water
1-1/3 cups sugar

Directions:

1. In a medium-size bowl, toss the lamb together with the cinnamon, rose petals or rose water, and salt.

2. In a medium-size casserole, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and brown the lamb, about 2 minutes, stirring. Add the quince, cover with the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the beat to medium-low and cook for 1 hour, uncovered. Add the sugar and stir. Cover and cook until the lamb is very tender and the quince soft, about another hour. Remove to a serving platter with a slotted spoon and serve.

Note:

Quince are like very hard apples. Although there is a sweet variety in North Africa, the quince available in American markets are inedible in the raw state. Use a sharp knife and don't cut them up until you need them because they discolor.

Leblebi (Tunisian Chickpea Breakfast Soup)

http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/tunisia/breakfast.html

Serves 4

For the soup:

1 pound chickpeas, washed, picked over and soaked
in 2 quarts water for 6 hours or overnight
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
2 heaped teaspoons cumin seeds, ground
2 tablespoons Harissa
Salt
2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste

For the garnishes:

(for quantities, enough to fill small bowls or ramekins that you can set on a tray)
Lemon wedges
Coarse sea salt
Harissa
Chopped fresh tomatoes
Chopped green and red bell peppers
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
Rinsed capers
Sliced pickled turnips
Flaked canned tuna fish (oil- or water-packed)
Freshly ground cumin
Finely chopped fresh parsley
Finely chopped cilantro
Sliced preserved lemons
Croutons or sliced stale bread
Thinly sliced scallions, both white and green parts
Olive oil

Directions:

Drain the chickpeas and combine with 2 quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat the oil over medium heat in a medium size, heavy nonstick frying pan and add the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cumin and stir together for 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic smells fragrant. Remove from the heat and stir into the beans.

*Advance preparation: The soup can be made to this point a day or two ahead.

After the beans have cooked for an hour, stir in the harissa and salt (2 teaspoons or more). Cover and continue to cook for another 30 minutes to an hour, until the beans are very tender and the broth fragrant. Add lemon juice, taste and adjust salt.

*Advance preparation: The finished soup will taste great for another 3 to 4 days. Keep in the refrigerator.

Serve the soup, passing your choice of condiments on a large tray, or have them laid out on a buffet. Stir the condiments into the soup and enjoy.

Keeping time, leftovers The cooked chickpeas will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You will want to refresh the condiments each time you serve.

Leftover Leblebi Salad
Drain the beans, toss with condiments of your choice, and season to taste with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and cumin.

Brik

http://www.habiba.org/taste.html

A brik is deep fried, olive oil is best, then drained on a paper towel. Here is a tasty version which takes only 15 minutes to make.

Ingredients:

1 small onion (optional)
1 six-ounce can of tuna
2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan
4 eggroll or spring roll wrappers
4 small eggs
Olive oil for frying
Lemon wedges

Directions:

Mix together tuna, parsley, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Spoon about one fourth of the filling onto one half of each wrapper, making a well to hold most of the egg. Break an egg into each well and fold wrapping into triangle shape to cover the mixture and the egg. Seal both sides of the wrapping together. Fry in one half inch of hot olive oil (vegetable oil can be used, but olive oil works best). When brown on one side, flip over to continue frying. A couple minutes on each side is enough if the oil is hot enough. Serve sprinkled with lemon juice.

The trick is to hold the triangular brik with the point up while biting into it and not let the egg run down your chin. Good luck!

Tunisian Couscous

http://members.tripod.com/catalot/tunis.html

Serving Size : 6

Ingredients:

4 Pounds Lamb -- chopped

4 Large Onion -- chopped

1/2 Cup Olive Oil

6 Ounces Tomato Paste

2 Large Tomatoes -- chopped

1 Tab Cumin

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Curry Powder

1 Teaspoon Cayenne

5 Cloves Garlic

Salt -- to taste

2 Medium Bell Pepper -- chopped

1 Large Butternut Squash

4 Medium Turnips -- chopped

4 Medium Carrot -- stripped

1 Pound Onion -- finely chopped

1 Pound Potatoes

2 Cups Dry Couscous -- cooked

2 Medium Green Onion -- chopped

3 Sprigs Parsley -- chopped

2 Medium Lemons

Directions:

In a large stewpot, brown lamb and first set of onions. add tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes stirring frequently. add tomatoes, spices, green peppers, and reduce heat to simmer. after 15 minutes, add the vegetables plus enough water to come within 3 inches of their tops. cook until meat and vegetables are tender. serve on individual plates over couscous. garnish with green onion, parsley and lemons.

Harissa

http://members.tripod.com/catalot/tunis.html

Serving Size : 1

Ingredients:

1 Medium Ancho Pepper

1 Medium Guajillos

1 Medium Chipotle Pepper

1 Medium New Mexico Green Chiles -- dried

1 Clove Garlic -- finely chopped

1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander

1 Teaspoon Ground Caraway

1 Medium Roasted Red Bell Pepper -- chopped

1 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Directions:

Place dried chiles in bowl and pour boiling water over. Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Grind chiles in food processor with garlic, spices, red bell pepper and salt. Add enough oil to make a thick paste. Pack the mixture into a small jar. Cover harissa with thin layer of olive oil. Will keep in refrigerator for 3 weeks under a thin layer of oil. Check periodically.

Table Harissa sauce:
Combine 4 teaspoons of the above harissa sauce with 4 teaspoons of water and the juice of 1 lemon. Serve in small bowl and use as dipping sauce for fish or other meats.

Fish Fillets With Harissa And Black Olives

http://members.tripod.com/catalot/tunis.html

Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

2 Pounds Thick Fish Fillets -- any white fish

Salt And Pepper -- to taste

Flour -- for dusting

Oil -- for frying

1 Small Onion -- finely chopped

2 Cloves Garlic -- finely chopped

1 Cup Tomato Sauce

1/2 Teaspoon Harissa

1 Medium Bay Leaf

1 Cup Pitted Greek Olives

1 Lemon Lemon Juice

Parsley -- chopped for garnish

Directions:

Season fish with salt and pepper. Dust with flour and fry in hot olive oil until golden brown on all sides. Transfer fish to a side dish. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for a few minutes. Add tomato sauce, harissa, bay leaf and 1/2 cup water. Cook for 10 minutes. Add olives and fish fillets and continue cooking, uncovered, until the fish is tender and the sauce thick. Add lemon juice to taste. Discard the bay leaf. Serve, sprinkled with parsley.