Oven baked Boreks

I used to make these often when i was living in Algeria but frying them as the oven was out of action there for 1 1/2 yrs of my stay. After browsing about on Henia's blog , i saw these and felt inspired to try them again. Henia's dough is the same recipe i use. I instead added wholegrain flour (brown flour) and brushed them with egg and baked them instead. I filled them with mushrooms, shrimps, feta cheese and spinach.

M'barja

I had ago at making M'barja a favorite of mine. I have atempted these before but never made it to the heat as they fell apart. I tried Stanger in the dunniyah's recipe and tequniqe masha Allah its the first time they made it to the heat and were consumed but they could have beeen better, more practice i think. They crumbled but not a bad try have a look:

Begir [Algerian Pancakes]

My mother in law often showed me how to make these and often hoped i would turn these out at coffee time. i did a few times but then i was using a recipe my friend who was the wife of a Moroccan used, different recipe same results. I tried these today using chef Zadi's recipe and pleased to say mashaAllah they worked out just fine. Have a look



I made up a syrup consisting of orange blossom water, water , buter and honey to drizzle over my begir yummy.


The kids photographed this post.

Dolma ma bisbass [stuffed fennel]

This is a dish i learnt to make during my hijrah years, it was my first time using Fresh fennel and this is one way i cooked it. You can also use corgettes or cabbage, it can be cooked in the oven instead of on the hob.

Blitz 2 medium sized onions and get them in a pan and add some oil, begin to sweat them.

In the meantime wash the veg i used some potatoes as well as the kids don't eat the fennel alone. I cut of the hard storks and carved out holes in the bottoms and carved holes in the potatoes too.

rub some lemon on to the cut areas of the fennel, this will prevent it going dark in colour.

Add some crushed garlic to taste to the pan, spices, salt , white pepper and cinnamon, about 1/2 a tea spoon.
cover with a little water and allow to simmer.

In the mean time mix some of the same spices into some ground beef or meat of your choice, add some rice, egg for binding and fresh parsley chopped and mix well. now use this to stuff the veg.

By now the water you added earlier should be boiling, reduce heat and lower the stuffed fennel in to the pan gently.

replace lid and allow to simmer until the veg is tender do not stir. Before you finish you can add some tinned chick peas.

serve with fresh lemon and bread to eat.

Batata ma silk ma baid Spinach, potatos and poached eggs

This is an Algerian dish my Mil taught me and its one of my fav's, i like the way the eggs poach and sit on top.
To get going blitz an onion add it to the pot with a little oil and sweat.....i add some minced garlic and ginger but Algerians would add just Garlic.

I added some blended tomato's about 3. Spice it to your taste, salt, pepper, cumin, paprika , pinch of cinnamon, chili.

In the mean time chop up some potato's, wash and shred the spinach.


Add the potato's to the pot cover with a little water allow to simmer under pot's are just tender, sprinkle on the spinach and carefully crack the eggs over this, replace lid for about 7 mins.





you will be able to see the egg poached if you want a runny yolk then replace lid and switch of cooker allow the eggs to poach with the heat of the pot.

Tart's

I don't have a sweet tooth but my Algerian counterparts on the other hand have very very sweet tooths generally subhanAllah. Here are some Tarts my dh brings home , i like looking but can't eat. which one are you? I quite like the rum baba but have not been able to sink my teeth in yet! Often i scrape the filling and eat the pastry cases!

An Old Shorba , New style..............

This is Stranger in the dunniyah's shorba take two for me http://strangerinthisdunya.wordpress.com/2008/09/01/ramadan-recipes-algerian-shorba/
I must say the second attempt has come out better and more taster, like they say practice makes perfect. you have a look

Carrot & Potato Salad

Steam the carrot and potatoes chop the spring onion mix in bowl and add some chopped parsley.

Chack Chuka Beatenjam (Aubergine Starter)

Prick some aubergines and bake in the oven till soft allow to cool a little and peel.

Mean while heat a little olive oil and crushed garlic to taste, add the chopped aubergine to the pan and stir , add salt and pepper and 1 table spoon of vineger or to taste.

sprikle with some chopped parsly and mop up with bread.

Hem Halow

This dish when i first came across it was sickly sweet to me but over the years i have become accustomed to cooking it my way and omitting the meat as that's just too rich for my table, also the idea of sweet meat some how does not digest well. Apart from the fact my DH loves this dish in Ramadan, bear in mind small amounts are eaten at the time of breaking fast and i now like to have some as i suffer from low blood sugar and after a day of fasting and little of this before i have my soup is just right for the body's balance and i now see the benefit in this for our table alhamduialh.
make a sugar syrup i used 1 cup of sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water i added Cinnamon sticks, green cardamons, dried ginger and ginseng for a spicy flavour. Allow this to simmer to a thickish syrups stirring when you can. Add 1 table spoon of ghee and the fruits in the bowl allow to simmer further for 5-7Min's and allow to cool.

I some times use fresh pears or apples and change the fruits but for this one i used figs, apricots , prunes, almonds and sultans

Foods for Ramandan On My Table

As this is our first ramandan together in 3yrs as a family alhamduilah mashaAllah. We making the most of things we can do together as a family and encourage one another inshaAllah. I will post some of the dishes i cook through out Ramandan to share with you inshaAllah.
This is what our shur table looks like , its more for my dh and its typically Algerian suhur


Cous cous with sultans and home made Laban and dates.

Myself i have a glass of water and 3 dates normally or sometimes a hot chocolate and toast.

Mactoweem Algerian dish

Now i made this last night mashaallah very quick and easy a bit rich mind you as i am not accustomed to eating 2 meats in one dish in my book RICH but Algerians often cook two meats in one dish. This one is from http://culinaryxcouture.blogspot.com/2008/04/mthouwem.html
here is my version i changed the spices a little to suit our palet, added some chilli's and ommited the chick peas for Almonds.

Boreks

Filling Mashed potatoes
Spinach
Crab Meat
Mushrooms
mozarella
salt peper and any spice to your liking

other filling
mashed potatoes salted and add any spice to your taste
Chesse
Parsely
Green pitted olives

Pastry sheets



Roll your boreks and fry in shallow oil, this side dish served well with soups these are always served in Ramandan in Algeria along sde a bowl of shorba. We had them with salad in the hot weather yesterday.

These are some i made before and i have posted for Sonya