Shorba Baidha, literally means white soup. It is a classic soup in Algeria & is extremely simple to make. The subtle flavours work well together to make a delcious, light soup. I have to say this is one of my all time favourite soups. It’s great all year round but especially loved during Ramadan or to eat when you are feeling ill. It is the egg yolk that makes this soup white so don’t leave it out! The chicken in Algeria is free range & has a rich taste, if you use non-free range chicken, you might need to throw in a stock cube…
Delicious little diamonds of tangy almond delight! Easy to make and very much appreciated by all. Perfect for Eid celebrations or any special (or not so special!) ocassion. I also make these using a mix of desiccated coconut & ground almonds – 150g ground almonds + 200g desiccated coconut. You can freeze these and then put the syrup and icing sugar on later. I like to make a few things in advance so I’m not cooking 24/7 just before Eid etc.
Helouwa Ta’aba are very traditional, lovely simple cookies from Algeria. They should be quite hard, but if you prefer them a little softer then take them out of the oven at 20 minutes. There are 2 versions of this recipe, one flavoured with lemon & the other is plain but topped with sesame seeds. Both versions are below. This particluar recipe is our family recipe & is DH’s all time favourite helouwa as it is not too sweet (so he can eat more lol!)
Tamina is a very old Algerian recipe. Traditionally it is served to celebrate the birth of a baby, however many people eat it whenever they get the craving for something seriously sweet! It is most commonly served in small plates & people each have a small spoon with which to eat it, you can of course, serve individual portions. Algerian children go crazy for this so don’t forget a plate for them!
This is my own family recipe for the traditional Algerian ‘Sables’ cookies. These sables are very easy to make & are a real favourite in our home. We like them with strawberry jam filling & icing sugar dusting or with apricot jam filing & dessicated coconut finish… but you can use any of your favourite preserves (if they have fruit pieces in you should sieve them before using. I have a special 4cm fluted sables cutter but you can use any cutters. I oftern use star cutters then punch out the small round centre by using a small metal bottle top (like on food colourings), or round cutter & using a small star, heart or flower cutter for the centre. These sables freeze nicely in layers separated by parchment or waxed paper in an airtight container. Allow to defrost in a single layer then dust the tops & fill with jam.
