Algerian Tli Tli Bdjedj Pasta With Chicken Food

ALGERIAN TLI TLI B'DJEDJ - PASTA WITH CHICKEN!

Steps:

• Cut chicken up into serving sizes (6-8 pieces)
• Brown in a large pan with the ghee, finely chopped onions, cinnamon, ras el hanout & pepper. Add 1 cup water & cook for 10 minutes
• Add chick peas & add enough water to cover. tomato puree & the stock cube.
• Cover & cook on medium heat for 1 hour & a half in a pan or 40 mins in the pressure cooker on med-high. If cooking in a pan, you may need to add a little extra water.
• Whilst the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta & eggs.
• Hard boil the eggs, then peel & cut into halves.
• In a bowl, mix the pasta with 1/2 cup water & a tiny bit of olive or sunflower oil. Place in a steamer & steam for 15 minutes. Remove from steamer & separate the pasta with a little water.
• Put the pasta in a large pan & slowly spoon in a little sauce at a time until the pasta is fully cooked & the sauce has been absorbed nicely - the pasta should be moist with a little sauce coating it - not dry.
• Place pasta in a large dish / platter & top with the chicken pieces, egg halves & a some more sauce.
• Serve immediately with a green salad & crusty bread.

CHORBA FRIK

Steps:

• Gently fry the onion until soft. Add the Garlic cook for another 2 mins then add the Cayenne and Paprika and cook for another minute.
• Add the tomato puree and stock and bring to the boil, add the Frik and simmer covered for 30 mins until Frik is soft. (I like to then wizz with a blender) Add the chickpeas and herbs and cook for a few mins until chickpeas are heated.
• Add a squeeze of lemon and serve with the Borek (see separate recipes)...... Bliss.

TRADITIONAL ALGERIAN SABLES (COOKIES) - LIKE LINZER AUGEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 170°C
• Cream the margarine & sugar(s) until light & fluffy.
• Beat in the egg & vanilla, then gradually fold in the flour & baking powder.
• Mix slowly until a soft dough forms. The dough is very soft & needs handling with care but it shouldn't be sticky. If your dough is still a little sticky, sift in a little extra flour.
• Roll out to about 4mm thick, be sure to flour the rolling pin well.
• Cut out 'tops & bottoms' for your sables.
• Place on a baking tray lined with aluminium foil (shiny side up) & bake for 8 minutes. The sables should be just set but still white.
• Allow the sables to cool on the sheet for a minute then remove to a cold plate or tray to finish cooling.
• When the sables are fully cooled, heat the jam until bubbling.
• Place all the sables tops onto a tray & dust generously with the icing sugar.
• Allow the jam to cool slightly then spoon approx 1/2 tsp of the jam onto the underside of the sables 'bottoms'.
• Then carefully place a 'top' over the blob of jam.
• Allow to set, then store in one layer in an airtight container for upto 10 days.

TRADITIONAL ALGERIAN BAKLAWA / BAKLAVA - FAMILY RECIPE

Steps:

• Take 1 mixing bowl and place the flour & salt in it. Add the ghee/oil mixture & mix, slowly adding the water. Mix well -- until you have a smooth dough, place this on your work surface - well dusted with cornflour.
• Split the dough in half. Make the first 1/2 into golf ball sized pieces. Keep the dough covered with a tea towel --.
• Take a dough golf ball. If you are comfortable using the pasta machine then just make the ball into a sausage shape and gently roll out with rolling pin to approximately 3-4mm.
• Begin passing though pasta machine on thinnest setting. NB : if this is your 1st time you can use the pasta machine on the 2nd to thinnest setting before putting it through on the thinnest.
• In you saucepan, melt your ghee on a medium heat. Brush you tray well with ghee using the pastry brush.
• Lay you first strip of phyllo pastry vertically in the centre the tray. Brush the pastry with the ghee.
• Repeat the dough rolling process. Cover the tray with phyllo, remembering to brush with ghee after each strip. You should be able to do this with 5 strips but don't worry if you use more or less.
• Turn the tray round so that you're placing the phyllo strips horizontally over vertical strips. This criss cross is very important so don't forget --.
• Continue rolling your pastry and layering the tray. Remember the ghee after each strip. Continue doing this until you have done 5 layers.
• Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
• Prepare you nut filling. Take your food processor and chop up the nuts of your choice until you have the required amount.
• Place the nuts in the 2nd mixing bowl and add the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla powder and mazhar - enough mazhar to make the filling hold but not so much that it's sloppy.
• Place filling in the tray over the pastry, gently smoothing it out - but don't press it.
• You now need to repeat the dough rolling, layer making stage all over again until you have 6 layers. You will need to use the 2nd half of the dough by now - just make golf balls again! Don't forget the ghee.
• When you've finished the 5th layer you can choose how to do the top layer. I always roll out one large sheet by hand by other stick to the pasta machine as a large sheet of phyllo is a bit tricky to create and handle!
• If you want to try rolling out a sheet, remember to COVER the dough, rolling pin, surface, your hands etc in LOADS of cornflour. then roll out the the tray size plus 2cm extra.
• Now you need to cut the baklawa and decorate.
• Take you knife and cut vertical straight lines all the way to the bottom. (Approx. 2cm apart)then spin the tray round and cut more lines but diagonally to form diamond shapes. You can also make squares or triangles but traditional Algerian baklawa are diamonds.
• When you've cut the shapes, push a nut into each shape.
• Brush well with the ghee and place in a pre-heated oven at 180 c for 1 hour - 1 hour 10 minutes --.
• The baklawa should be golden and now needs it syrup: Warm the honey and mazhar in the saucepan then pour slowly over the baklawa.
• Allow to sit for 10 minutes then cut out pieces and place in paper cases - preferably the metallic ones as they hold the syrup better.

CHTIT'HA DJEDJ (ALGERIAN CHICKEN IN SAUCE)

Steps:

• Finely chop onion and fry gently in 2tbs oil in large saucepan until starting to soften. Add the chicken and brown for 10 mins, add garlic, spices, salt, tomato puree and Harissa and cook for another 2 minutes.
• Add stock, stir and bring to boil.
• Simmer for 30 mins or until chicken is cooked and add the chickpeas simmering for another 10 mins until the sauce has thickened.

CHICKEN ALGERIAN

Steps:

• Sprinkle chicken with paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper.
• In a large skillet, melt butter and add chicken, brown on both sides.
• Remove from skillet; add broth.
• Over low heat, scrape particles from bottom of skillet then add garlic, eggplant, onion and tomatoes; sprinkle with remaining salt, thyme and parsley.
• Return chicken to skillet; cover and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes.