Rechta (pronunced rish-ta) is a dish comprising of flat noodles and a chicken sauce (Marga bil djedj). Many people buy rechta noodles from the market already made – as many women add to their income by selling them. Rechta noodles keep very well in the freezer. You’ll need a pasta machine for this recipe…
This is a classic Algerian ‘salad’ dish. You can either grill the tomatoes & peppers over an open flame, deep fry them or roast them. My family loves this recipe & we always mop it up with fresh bread! You can also serve this as part of a mezze selection. The vinegar is of course optional but it acts as a flavour enhancer so I do recommend at least trying a little of the salad with a few drops of vinegar on!
The best way to describe these beans is a spicier version of English baked beans! Haricot beans are cooked in a tomato sauce flavoured with lots of garlic, cumin & paprika. This recipe is for the way I cook it most – the slow cook way – but you can make it easily in a pressure cooker; just reduce the water to a total of 2 litres, add a chicken stock cube & take care with the seasoning. It should only take 45-50 mins in the pressure cooker. If you have any Algerian hot green peppers, this is really nice with 1-2 thrown in half way through! N.B: Time to make doesn’t include overnight soaking of the beans.
The fillings for bourek really are endless, I love the traditional ground lamb & parsley, the prawn & bechemel, potato & cheese……..the list goes on. Here I combined ground chicken with fresh coriander & a little preserved lemon for a delicious fried snack. You can freeze these bourek easily & when you come to cook them, allow to 1/2 thaw before deep frying. You can also shallow fry them in a frying pan about 1″ deep in sunflower or vegetable oil. Bourek are wonderful whenever, but really they are a Ramadan essential in any Algerian household. (If you are new to making bourek & rolls, here is a step by step -in photos- demo for you: http://radiancerecipes.com/chinese-springrolls/)
Here is my traditional recipe for Ros Bratel, which is a very old recipe from Algeria. It is simple to make with just a few ingredients & is really delicious. Eat it with plenty of fresh crusty bread for an inexpensive, light meal or have it as a side to roasted meats etc.
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