Carrots Msoura / Les carottes msoura

50 Minutes

Serves 4

500 g medium carrots, peeled
5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
½ tsp harissa (or other medium-hot red pepper powder or paste)
½ tsp paprika (or smoked paprika)
½ tsp caraway seeds
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white vinegar
salt, to taste

Method:

Peel the carrots and cut them into round slices 1 cm (½ in) thick.

Boil them in salt water that just covers them. When they are cooked, drain them over a bowl. You will need this broth afterwards.

Cook the carrots until they are barely softening. In the meantime, peel and crush the garlic.

In a frying pan, heat the oil, then, take pan off the heat and add the crushed garlic, paprika and harissa. Return the pan to medium heat and sauté the drained carrots, stirring continuously for 5 minutes. Pour the broth over the carrots, increase the heat and boil uncovered.

The liquid will almost completely evaporate. When there is only a sauce base left, add the caraway and vinegar. Wait for it to come back to the boil and turn off.

Variant – Replace the carrots with cauliflower florets.

Tip – Thanks to the vinegar this dish will keep for 3 days.

Marmouma (Makbouba)

2 hours / 2 heures

Serves 4

"Marmouma" in Sousse, "Makbouba" in Tunis... nobody can resist it. In summer, it is kept in the refrigerator. It is served for the first time, and the leftovers are perfect with scrambled eggs or pasta.

1 kg ripe beefsteak tomatoes
2-3 red peppers (or also yellow and orange peppers)
1 green pepper (optional)
6 cloves of garlic
8 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Wash the tomatoes and cut them in half if they are medium, in four if they are large.

Rinse the peppers, clean them of seeds and stalks, and cut into pieces of about 3 cm by 4 cm (1.5 to 2 in). Peel the garlic cloves and keep them whole. Pour the olive oil into a frying pan. Add the tomatoes, then the garlic and finally the peppers. Add salt and start cooking over high heat. As soon as it boils, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

When the peppers are cooked, uncover and leave on the heat until there is almost no more liquid, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. It all depends on the quality of the tomatoes.

If the vegetables start to stick to the pan it's a good sign... Scrape the bottom of the frying pan with a wooden spoon and wait until the mixture is becoming quite thick. Add ground pepper and pour delicately into a salad bowl.

Traditionally, marmouma is eaten cold.

Variant – La Frita – This Algerian specialty is a marmouma with red peppers only but roasted beforehand.
            – Caraway – Some people season it with caraway but we prefer it plain.

Tip – If, during cooking, you feel the need to stir, do so very gently, to prevent the vegetables from turning to mush. The candied aspect makes all the beauty of the marmouma, but the pieces remain whole.

– Organize yourself: you can prepare the marmouma in advance, it keeps for about a week in the refrigerator.

– If the tomatoes are watery, "floury" or tasteless, which is unfortunately often the case, you may prefer canned peeled tomatoes.

– At first, you will have the impression that the quantities are enormous, but if the marmouma is cooked properly, it will reduce a lot.
 

Recipe from La cuisine juive tunisienne par Andrée Zana-Murat

Sweet Potato, Leek and Bacon Soup

25 Minutes

Makes 3-4 liters

This soup freezes well; make a double batch double and freeze it.

4 tbsp olive oil (or other cooking oil)
8 slices smoked bacon, chopped (double-smoked is best)
2 large leeks (white parts with a bit of green), washed, cut in small slices
2 large sweet potatoes (~ 780g / 28 oz), peeled, cut in small dice
1 can (340g / 12 oz) chickpeas, drained
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 liters / 2 quarts vegetable broth
1 liter / 1 quart water, needed if soup is too thick after blending
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Method:

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium-to-large soup pot (at least 5 liters / 5 quarts; larger if making a double recipe).
— Add the bacon, stirring until it is half cooked.
— Add the leeks and 1 liter of vegetable broth, simmer until soft.
— Add the sweet potato dice and the other liter of broth.
— Add chickpeas and garlic and simmer until fragrant.
— Season with salt and pepper.
— Simmer mixture until sweet potatoes are soft.
— Let soup cool slightly so it can be safely handled.
— Transfer to a blender in batches and blend until smooth and puréed.
— Add water if needed (to desired consistency).
— Adjust seasoning and serve.
— optionally sprinkle each bowl with small pieces of cooked bacon, and fresh parsley or cilantro as a topping.

Recipe adapted from Marc Miron

Pecan Pie / Tarte aux noix de pécan

1 hour / 1 heure

8 Servings

Shortcrust Pastry
or use a ready-made shortcrust pastry

300 g of flour
150 g of soft butter (be careful not to melt)
150 g of sugar
2 eggs
1 pinch of salt

Filling

200 g of brown sugar
4 tbsp maple syrup
150 g of melted butter
3 eggs
20 g of flour
3 tbsp of milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
200 g of pecans (reserve 50g for decoration)

Method:

For pie crust
Combine the flour, salt, sugar and egg in a dish. Add the very soft butter, cut into cubes and knead until a homogeneous ball is obtained. Refrigerate for at least an hour (time to prepare the filling) then press the dough into the mold once the filling is ready.

For filling
Preheat oven to 180°C / 350°F. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until the mixture is foamy. Add the melted butter and mix. Then add the brown sugar, maple syrup, flour, milk, vanilla and 150g of coarsely crushed pecans. Mix well. Pour the filling into the mold and decorate with the remaining whole pecans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Check pie at 20-25 minutes and cover with aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking if it is in danger of browning too much.
 

Recipe from EElle Mijote's "quelque chose" blog

Spicy Coconut Risotto with Lime Prawns

40 Minutes

Serves 4

If you like the flavour of pad thai you'll love this dish. It's sweet, spicy, nutty, herby, and prawnsy. And it's easy to customize the spice level based on your taste buds.
Note: If you do not want to use seafood, you can make the recipe with boneless chicken breast and/or thigh meat as an alternative.
 

Ingredients: 

For the Spicy Coconut Risotto:

— 6 cups vegetable stock

— 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

— 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

— 1/3 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

— 1 tablespoon fresh ground ginger root

— 3/4 cup light coconut milk

— 1 to 2 tablespoons sambal oelek. to taste

— 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (otherwise, table salt)

— 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

— 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

— Sriracha, hot sauce, to taste

— 1/3 cup roughly chopped cashews or macadamia nuts

For the Lime Prawns:

— 1 lb (464g) raw 16/20 count peeled and deveined prawns. patted dry

— 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

— 1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Method:

— In a small covered saucepot. heat vegetable stock over medium heat. When simmering. turn off heat and keep covered.

— In large high-sided skillet. heat butter over medium-high heat. Add rice, shredded coconut and ginger. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until rice begins to become translucent at edges of grains. stirring constantly.

— Add 1/2 cup hot stock to rice; stir constantly until mostly absorbed. Add additional stock in 1/2 cup increments. stirring after each addition and cooking until stock is mostly absorbed before adding more.

— Cook 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender. stirring frequently and adding stock as needed. Stir in coconut milk, sambal oelek, salt and pepper.

— Meanwhile. prepare Lime Prawns: Heat butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add prawns and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until opaque throughout turning occasionally. Add lime juice: toss to combine.

— Divide risotto between 4 wide shallow bowls. Top with prawns and garnish with cilantro, cashews, and sriracha.

Recipe from Foxes Love Lemons

Garlic Bread

30 Minutes

Serves 4

This garlic bread is simple and quick to make. You can make it with any long loaf of Italian or French bread, though it seems to particularly suit a flat and wide ciabatta loaf. Since loaves come in many different lengths and thicknesses, you may need to adjust the amount of the other ingredients to make sure that there is enough to spread a deliciously thick layer of butter, garlic, etc. on each slice.

Ingredients:

— 1 pound Italian loaf or French loaf

— 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter (can also use salted butter)

— lots of garlic, finely minced (you can't really have too much, can you?)

— 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley and/or basil

— 1/8 teaspoon sea salt (less if using salted butter)

— extra parsley, basil, and/or chives for sprinkling after baking (optional)

 
Method:

— Preheat oven to 425°F / 225°C.

— Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

— Slice bread in half lengthwise, and optionally cut into smaller segments (easier to serve).

— Place slices on lined baking sheet with cut sides up.

— In a bowl, mix softened butter, garlic, herbs, salt until well combined.

— Spread evenly over bread, covering right to the edges.

— Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly golden brown on the edges.

— If you like it more crispy, bake another 3-5 minutes, but watch it carefully.

Recipe from Ambitious Kitchen