Ya Rayi Our Rai

Algerian Cuisine Cookbook by Farid Zadi

So, about that book that so many of you have been asking about. A book deal is pending. If you want to test recipes for the book email me at bookofrai AT yahoo DOT com. I'll let you know more details later. Maybe I'll write posts about the whole process, since I know quite a few readers of my websites aspire to be published food writers.

Update- Thanks to everyone who responded. I was a bit slow about responding to everyone individually. I would also love to hear from people who've already tried the recipes that I've posted on my websites. I did find a few bloggers here and there who posted about trying my recipes if you can send me links I'd appreciate it.

The book deal is actually for a series of books. The first one is about Algerian Cuisine in general, the second about Algerian breads, pastries, preserves and sweets and finally Algerian charcuterie and offal dishes (the whole lamb and cow from head to tail or the whole bird from beak to tail feather). After that I will begin work on a French regional series. There's more but it looks like my schedule is pretty packed for the next 10-15 years already.

I'm also looking for test readers. A more general audience type reader. Readers who are new to Algerian cuisine, but maybe familiar with other Mediterranean cuisines.

Tunisian Chicken Chorba by Anis Toumi

This is one version of Tunisian chorba. Chorba means soup.  Why is it different from a Moroccan chorba? The heat from peppers of course. If you read a recipe for spicy, as in hot, Moroccan dish chances are you are reading a recipe that is Tunisian or Eastern Algerian that someone is just calling "Moroccan" for the sake of touristy imagery. Traditionally Moroccans did not embrace the chili pepper. Harisa became a restaurant item in Morocco for tourists than Moroccans started using it at home. There is a huge gap in the way Moroccans and Tunisians spice the same dishes. This huge gap is called the country of Algeria. I will leave the job of filling in the gap to Farid.

Tunisia is the smallest country in the Magrheb and it is also the most unified. Algerians can argue endlessly about the spicing and seasoning for a dish. I have seen this with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. Sometimes there is much shock, "you put peppers in that?!?!?" Or, "you put nutmeg in your chorba?!?!?!" Or, "you put cinnamon in your mesfouf or bil zbib??!!?"

The Moroccan specialty is to argue they invented the cuisine of the Magrheb. They will incorrectly claim that pastilla and chicken with olives and preserved lemons  were "invented" in Morocco. I have a recipe for a spicy Tunisan fish pastilla that I will post later.

A Tunisian chorba should have the robust flavors of garlic, peppers and spices. This is not about delicate flavors, it is about big, bold satisfying flavors. Tunisians will usually agree that most dishes should be hot. A wife who does not love her husband makes him mild dishes.

Tunisian Couscous with Fennel, Red Peppers and Garlic by Paula Wolfert

Of the numerous North African couscous recipes I've come across since writing "Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco," this red and green Tunisian specialty is one of my favorites. The melange of dill and fennel, celery leaves, red pepper flakes, and spices makes for a light and delicious couscous. In winter, in Tunisia, large fennel bulbs produce 18-inch stalks bearing bushy bunches of thin fernlike greens. You may have tried fennel tops and found they have little taste, but when you use a hefty amount of these greens you will discover that they have flavor and can contribute real earthiness to a dish. There are numerous variations on this recipe. In the city of Sfax, they make it with malthouth, or grilled and cracked barley grits, instead of couscous grains. I have also tasted it when made with whole wheat couscous. But the best version is this recipe using ordinary store-bought couscous. The recipe is originally from the Tunisian Sahel. It  was given to me by Aziza ben Tanfous, curator of the Sidi Zitouni Museum on the island of Jerba, who learned it from her grandmother.

Spaghetti with Seafood Tunisian Style by Anis Toumis

The Saracens of North Africa, primarily Tunisia and Algeria, introduced semolina pasta to Sicily.

Clifford Wright writes about in depth in this article.

I just found out that Mr Wright has a new TV show in development called A Cook's Tour and the first episode is in Sicily.

The series premiere on the origins and lore of pasta begins in an out-of-the-way taverna in Sicily, where a vivacious host promises to teach Cliff Wright family secrets of a fine pasta dish. But before we begin the cooking lesson, we visit a desert city 90 miles to the South, possibly the birthplace of pasta. Along the way, Cliff explains how spaghetti evolved from its ancient cousin, couscous, and he dispels the popular myth that Marco Polo brought pasta to Italy via China.

(photo courtesy of Jaz in the city )

Fried Potatoes Algerian Style by Farid Zadi

The host for the 18th edition of Is My Blog Burning? is At Our Table.

The current edition's theme is "Summer's Flying, Let's Get Frying!"

I submit Algerian fried potatoes. Fries cut into sticks are also popular in Algeria. But the disk cut fries have their own appeal.

In the photo to above you will see how they puff up when cooked, creating a thin crispy top.

Tunisian Coucha by Anis Toumi

Chef Haouari Abdelrrazak has a small restauant called Chez Haouari in Djerba, Tunisia. He is a classically trained French chef. I have not met him, I get this information from Paula Wolfert.

The next time I go to Djerba I will visit him.

(photo courtesy of Jonathan Day)

The dish shown as I know it is called coucha in Tunisia. Farid would also call it a coucha or a tangia. The Algerians have multiple names for dishes.

Announcement by Farid Zadi

I started my Algerian cuisine blog a couple of days ago.

Also, if you are a food blogger please place a marker on this map. Double click on to your location to place your mark!

J'ai commence mon blog sur la cuisine Algerienne ,il y a quelques jours.

Si tu es un cuisine blogger, mets une marque sur cette carte  et double click sur celle ci.

EDIT: I'm starting to feel a little guilty for not translating some of my posts into French. French speaking bloggers, forums and internet users in general have been very supportive of me. I will try to translate my Algerian cuisine blog into French, especially the recipes as soon as I can. I would need help with Arabic though.

Preserved Lemons by Farid Zadi

Preserved lemons are used in Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian cooking.

Ingredients:

4 lemons, quartered. Meyer lemons are very good, but you can use regular lemons.

1 1/2  cups coarse salt
water or lemon juice.

Toss the lemons with salt, pack tightly into a jar. Top with lemon juice or water and more salt.  Do not use metal lids, they will corrode, use plastic or glass. Let cure  at room temperature for about a month, after opening place in the refrigerator where they will stay good for about a year.

Algerian Spice Blends by Farid Zadi

(Photo courtesy of Adam Balic, prepared for mrouzia)

The spices are: Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, star anise, tumeric, ginger, allspice, green cardamon, black cardamon, wild fennel, long pepper, rose buds, cloves, grains of paradise, black pepper, chiles, coriander and cumin.

This recipe represents the characteristics of ras el hanout (also transliterated as ras el haout) that I look for. There is a range of flavors: sweet, hot, bitter, pungent, earthy and floral. The proportions of each spice can vary, but my personal preference would be add just a touch of cinnamon.

Bil Zbib Recipe by Paula Wolfert

(photo of Bil Zbib from Saveur magazine. "roll your own" was chosen one of their "100 best things to do")

Bil Zbib is a sweet couscous dish eaten for breakfast or dessert in North Africa.

1 cup golden raisins

4 cups steamed couscous

6 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sugar

Cinnamon

Confectioners' sugar

1.  Soak the raisins in hot water for 10 minutes, then drain.

2.  Thirty minutes before serving, bring water back to the boil. Return the couscous to the colander or top container and steam uncovered. Spread drained raisins and butter over the steaming couscous and steam 15 minutes.

3.  Dump couscous onto a wide shallow serving dish and toss with the drained raisins, butter, cinnamon and granulated sugar. Gently fluff the couscous; pile in a mound, decorate with lines of cinnamon and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Serve warm or cool.