chefzadi

Paula Wolfert has been a huge inspiration for me in several ways. 1. She opened the door for American interest in North African cooking with her books. 2. She wrote about exotic ingredients and far away places. I doubt that I would be teaching Moroccan cooking at Sur La Table if it weren't for her books. 3. She embraced a foreign culture and presented it with the utmost care, respect and love to those who were entirely unfamiliar with the mysteries of the Maghreb. 4. She went on a quest of discovery in strange and often times difficult to travel terrain. Traveling in North Africa is not like traveling in France. She's to me what Julia Child's is to so many others here. On a more immediate level she has offered to show me her collection of North African cookbooks that she's been collecting for decades, offering to look up Algerian recipes for me. She's been very supportive and has given me insightful suggestions. Clifford Wright already mentioned that she was a mentor of sorts for him. I'll add Mr. Wright to my list of inspiring writers for North African cooking. I'm using his scholarship as references. It's exciting and fruitful to engage in dialogue with them in the Middle East/ Africa forum.

Hot, hot, hot pan and just a touch of oil plus a tiny bit more . Salt on the skin, of course. Scoring will solve the problem you describe.

Hi Alberto- I was hoping you would join the discussion. I was planning on PMing or emailing you about it. It would be great to have you around further into the discussion.

I've been researching Turkish cuisine from several sources. I'll posting more about it this weekend. The most striking difference is the fact that Algerians don't cook so much with yoghurt. I'm not altogether convinced of alot of Ottoman influence in Algerian cookery. Some mention has been made of pastries, but many of these pastries were already known, we can look at the pastries in Moorish spain and Sicily to figure some of this out.

I don't understand the question. ← What do you think of the cuisine in relation to other cuisines of the region? Including Moroccan, Tunisian, Middle Eastern, European side of the Med? Sorry it took so long for me to respond, but as I already mentioned this month has been especially busy for me. I will be posting more recipes this weekend.

Yes I recognize the dishe minus the pork of course. I think of it as more of an Eastern Algerian dish. I recgonize quite a few dishes in your book, as well some very obvious variations. I will be posting which ones sometime this weekend. My teaching schedule is really packed this month so I have not been able to keep up with some of these threads.

What I meant was (I was thinking of what a chef de cuisine would wear. I just realized now that i'm in the Pastry forum). I've never worked with or interviewed a pastry chef that didn't wear checked pants, not the black slacks that the chef de cuisine wears. Unless of course the pastry chef is doing a public demo or in a contest or some such. As for the chef's whites, some chef de cuisines wear the ones with the piping and all that. I prefer plain white the same as any else on the line can wear. Wear a cap to the interview.

You want to open up a wine bar? How come you never told me? Or did you and I just forgot.

Jeans are out as far as I'm concerned. The Pastry Chef doesn't wear a chef's uniform.

I've asked myself this question and I also posed the question on egullet regarding two books that I'm working on. The first one is on Algerian cookery. There is very little written about it, even in French or Arabic and as far as I know almost nothing in English. Two librarian friends of mine have searched for me and Paula has also told me that very little is available. At the risk of sounding arrogant I am one of a handful of people in the world who can write about Algerian cooking with depth. The country is located in the center of the Magreb so it has greater range than Moroccan and Tunisia, the sub-saharan portion is also vast so we have some examples of black African cooking. As for French cuisine I have a story to tell as well about Lyon and the Beaujolais. It's where I was born and raised, began my career and it's also considered by many to the center of French cuisine. I would discuss the history of restaurants including Les Meres, Eugenie Brazier and Bouchons (why this type of Bistro exemplefies terroir based cooking and is only found in Lyon). I would also visit places I've worked, generations of farmers that sold to my parents and who I bought from. So the perspective is dual professional cooking and the home cooking I grew up with. As for the techniques and recipes I have experience teaching professional and recreational classes so I think that I can explain it very clearly to different levels of cooks. I would include cuisine gastronomique techniques, but try to explain them thoroughly so that less experienced cooks understand which are not absolutely 'necessary', as well as what the effects are of omitting certain steps or ingredients are. In this way one learns how to cook. I was hesitant about going with an agent because six months ago a top agent told me that he was seriously interested but that I needed to spend 6 months to a year building a stronger platform of public appearances. So I've been doing that getting interviews online and in print. This is alot of work as well. So I was beginning to question just exactly what an agent would do for me. I know two national vendors who would take the book and pay me to teach cooking classes in conjunction with a book promotion. But now after reading Paula's and Michael's responses I think that I will get back in touch with the agents who were interested. I also think that the books would of strong interest to French language speakers. I wonder if anyone here as experience with their books being published in different languages?

If the first macaroni products were likely to have been little balls or berkukis (or berkoukes) wouldn't the Arabs have already known this type of pasta before arriving in Sicily? The process of making berkukis is similar to making semolina couscous. My aunt in Algeria makes both at the same time. She just forms the semolina flour larger for berkoukes.

At this point I am wondering what some of the readers of this thread understand Algerian cuisine to be.

Thank you Jonathon for posting more photos. I especially enjoy the shots of vegetables on tarp on the streets. When I read something like this I want to share a meal.

I read the cookbook as a historical novel of sorts. A backdrop of history and scholarship with a narrator on a quest.

I've taught 2 more classes to children since my last post. In the most recent class an oven was available so I had a chance to move away from the usual vegetable quesadilla/pizza. We made vegetable tarts or a pie of sorts. I contacted a church that offered me some teaching space for classes. I will post with updates.

Do I need an agent? I've been researching this and have been in contact with a few who are interested. But I'm still sure if an agent is necessary.

There is also Suvir Suran. As for myself I am an aspiring one. The first one that I'm working on is on Algerian cookery with alot of historical information and personal narrative in it. The one I have on the back burner is about the Burgundy and the Rhone specifically Lyon and the Beaujolais. It is alot of work. I couldn't do it alone while working full time. I'm fortunate enough to have a married a woman who has a deep interest in food, research and writing.

Beautiful photographs Jonathon. I showed them to my children, telling them that this is part of who they are. I hope to meet Chef Haouari one day, maybe soon when he is at the CIA this fall. So his son is named Anis! A good name, one of my co-instructors at LCB is Tunisian named Anis.

I don't know how to approach this thread anymore. I've been thinking about it off too the side as I've been looking over the recipes in the book. I get the impression that it was misunderstood from the start as being about or defining Sicilian cuisine. That's not my intent at all. I will quote Clifford Wright, "quest for the lost paradise of medieval Arab flavors."

If you give me the name of the dish as written on the menu of the French restaurant I can give you a recipe.

This is a North African Arab influence in Turkish cuisine. Remember the Saracens were North African Arabs who introduced semolina pasta to Sicily before the Turks were ever in Algeria. And the Sicilians and Algerians have sweet dishes made from pasta like the one you describe. This spirit is found throughout the Med. I think the origins are Greek, someone will correct me if I am wrong. ← I meant, I DON'T think the origins are Greek. Yikes. Apologies for the typo. Also the Turks call it Raki. They have a their own blend or version of Arrak and it is widely acknowledged by the Turks (even on state sponsored literature) that raki is derived from Arabic Arrak.

"Boudjeghelou" or "Djeghlelou" derived from Tamazight (Berber language) bu jeGlellu means snail. Djeghlelou b'tomatiche or Boudjegheloul bsal Tomatiche Snails with Onions and Tomatoes A range of spices can be used. Djeghelou b'zaatar Snails with Wild Thyme Garlic and olive oil based sauce Boudjeghelou biyad Snails with White Sauce The sauce is lemon and egg yolk thickened with flour. Boudjeghelou bel qedid Snails with Preserved Meat The preserved meat is reconstituted in water first. The sauce is fresh tomato based. If the preserved meat sounds a bit strange, think of the reason bacon or cured pork products are used in French or Italian cooking. Boudjeghelou be Dersa Snails with Sweet and Hot pepper Sauce Dersa is an Algerian version of Harissa Boudjeghelou Dolma Potatoes stuffed with Minced Snails Great guesses (and correct) everyone!

I hope I don't seem like I'm zoning out on this thread and a couple of others in this forum. But my teaching schedule is packed this month.

Sparrows are still eaten in Algeria. I'm sure they are in Tunisia.

Hummus with Meat Sauce In Algeria this would be called Hummus b'hem. We would not add tahini though. Baba Ghanoush Again no tahini. The names would vary regional. Badenjal is egglplant. Tandir Breads These would be found in Algeria. I already listed some breads in my Beautiful Algeria thread. Spicy Eastern Mediterranean Pizza with Meat Very similar to a version of Algerian Coca Za'atar Pie Yes. Mrs. Bezjian's Swiss Chard and Tahini Beureks Yes, but we wouldn't add tahinia or sesame seeds. Instead of walnuts, pine nuts. They would be called "Boureks" (I can't remember what we call swiss chard) .......more later....