Here is the second of my Algerian bourek recipes. I have also posted a Chicken & Preserved Lemon Bourek recipe. This cheese & potato bourek is another of my family favourites & there never seem to be enough! You can use phyllo dough instead of the spring roll sheets. You can also add a few finely chopped olives in place of the gherkins. If you’re not familiar with making bourek, have a look at the NA*ME Fourms Bourek Demo: http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=310912
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/)
This is a traditional family recipe for M’shewsha. M’shewsha is a delicious Algerian dish made with lots of eggs, a little semolina & a little flour. You pour warm honey over it & allow it to soak in……..delicious! M’shewsha can be enjoyed for breakfast or with afternoon coffee – it tastes like a cross between a fluffy pancake & French toast! Traditional, it is thought to give you a lot of strength – manual labourers eat it often, as do women who’ve just had a baby! This is also great for Suhor during Ramadan – yum!
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…
This is the traditional bread of every home in Algeria, hence it’s name which transaltes into English as ‘Bread of the House’. Every home has a different version & this particular recipe is from my lovely sister in law ‘Um Youcef’ 😉 Just a word of warning, if you have never made this kind of bread before, you will be shocked at how sticky & hard to work with the dough is. Unlike a regular bread, when your dough is too sticky you may add more flour – here adding more flour or semolina will make things worse…instead add a little water & knead gently with your fingertips . Water will always make the dough come together & away from your hands & the mixing bowl. You can also knead the dough in a KA or similar mixer with a sturdy dough hook.
