chefzadi

I cannot believe that I am engaged in a dialogue with Paula Wolfert and Clifford Wright! I think of myself as a cook/chef and a cooking instructor. I spent a good year consciously working on my English speaking skills before even beginning my teaching career. I started off with the lab and demo classes, now I'm even doing lectures. But this is incredible! Talking about food history with two highly respected voices on North African/ Mediterranean cooking. Funny thing is when I was in school my teacher wrote "He cannot sit in front of a computer. It makes him crazy."

Okay, okay, okay. There seem to be quite a few threads on egullet covering similar topics. Some thoughts and observations, I don't mean to repeat myself but I have quite a bit of work experience in fine dining. 1. Professional chefs don't sit around talking about their "art and vision" when the publicists aren't encouraging them to do so. 2. Being a chef is a trade/craft/art. All of those elements are intertwined. The chef/artist comparison to musician/artist or painter/artist isn't appropriate. 3. As a chef my customers decide if I'm an artist who's cooking they trust enough to "give in to". I can't force it on them. 4. A chef who rants about being an artist and a visionary to deft ears and cringing faces, is talking to the wrong audience or is doing something wrong. I don't really buy the "artist ahed of his/her time" argument, not in this day and age. 5. Customer says, "I don't like cumin." I ask, "How have you had this spice before?". Customer says, "Mexican food and Indian" I explain, "the use of cumin is very different in Algerian cooking, perhaps a small taste and you change your mind" Customer, "I really hate cumin." I say, "Okay, these are dishes that do not contain cumin. I can't take the cumin out of premade soups and stews." Customer says, "I want to have a special event, with a range of Algerian dishes, no cumin please." I say, "Of course. Cumin isn't even necessary to make a dish authentically Algerian." The point of these examples? I can't make a single tajine with no cumin a la minute, because I've already added spices throughout the slow cooking process. With a little advanced notice for a party of at least 4 let's say, I can prepare a seperate batch. Let's say the dish is ras el hanout spiced monkfish. Well the spices are add a la minute so I can omit them a la minute. I can't pick all the olives out of a roasted pepper relish or make an entirely new batch of the relish a la minute, just because a customer doesn't like olives and asks when ordering. 6. French restaurant- If you're a vegetarian/vegan your pickings will be slim. I can take the Poulet out but you'll be left just with Sauce Forestiere. Not every dish on a menu is for everyone, not every restaurant is for everyone. Doesn't mean that the chef is wrong or that the customer is wrong. It means chef's have their audience. And the audience has a choice of chefs. 7. A customer who walks into a restaurant where I'm working and expects everything his/her way. Well a couple of years ago I applied at a private chef agency (I was considering a career change). The expected salary range for a chef with my training and experience is $70,000- over $100,000 a year. Full benefits, housing could include a very nice guest house on an estate, paid travel, generous time off, sometimes cooking for just one person or a couple. I just couldn't do it though. I felt that my career would just fizzle out when I got older. And it seemed a little too close to being domestic help, regardless of the pay. (I don't mean to offend anyone who works in such a capacity, that's my own hangup and it's a fanatastic job. I have friends who did it and they saved up enough money to open a restaurant withought having to deal with investors). Customer vs Chef does not exist. It's not anyone versus anyone else. It's a dance of mutual respect. Respect doesn't include "dictating" to anyone.

Slow cooked fennel sauce for Algerian Pasta. 1/2 cup olive oil 2 fenell bulbs, sliced (you can include the fronds, depending on how much you appreciate the flavor of fennel) 2 cloves of garlic Salt and pepper 1 cup water This sauce is a compote of sorts, the fennel is cooked untill it is meltingly soft. 1- 1 1/2 hours at least. To serve spoon over pasta. It just occured to me that I have been posting more winter dishes. Certainly not in keeping with the sunshine we have in LA at the moment. I will post more season appropriate recipes a little later today.

Berkoukes bel lham Berkoukes with meat ragout Berkoukes bel Djaj is very similar to the Chicken Maghrebiya discussed in the couscous thread. In Algeria lamb would be used but you can substitute ground beef or veal. Your choice of meat and your personal tastes should dictate the seasonings and aromatics you use. Basic recipe: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 small onion, chopped 2 cloves of garlic finely minced 1 pound ground lamb (leg or shoulder meat) salt and freshly ground pepper 1/2 pound of fresh tomatoes 1/4 cup of tomato paste Method: Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large pot untill translucent, add the lamb, brown for about 10 minutes on medium heat, add the tomatoes and tomato paste and about 1 cup of water. Cover and cook on low for about 1 hour. Serve on berkoukes. To make Tchakhchouka Biskra prepare Rougag with about a pound of semolina. Roll into thin sheets (I've seen people do this by hand with no rolling pin) and quickly cook in a hot saute pan. For about 20-30 seconds on each side, it should be cooked but very soft and pliable. (another option is to steam the rougag). To the basic lamb ragu above you will want to add 1 large potatoes, 1 medium zucchini, 1/2 cup of chick peas, cumin, caraway, cayenne pepper. and maybe a few pinches of ras el hanout. Tchakhchouka Biskra. To serve, tear the cooked rougag crepes into 2" pieces, scatter on a plate and spoon the ragu into the center. You could also add herbs to the basic ragu recipe, such as zaatar or flat leaf parsley.

It's rolled into balls to aid air circulation, greater surface area exposure. The fermentation is more even. You get sheep's milk butter by churning fresh sheep's milk on my family's farm in Setif. I've not seen sheep's milk in the States, let alone butter. Freshly churned butter from Goat's milk, which is available in the States, would be great as well and very "authentic." My wife is planning on a smen experiment using Plugra and Land 'o' Lakes which are widely available. I will post the results. I also want to add that spices and herbs can be added during the initial salting and kneading process.

Algerian pasta sauces will vary depending on the region. Meat ragouts- usually lamb, these can be very delicately flavored or fiery hot with a range of spices. Usually for steamed pasta sheets, berkoukes or thick cuts of pasta (think of paparedelle size) Vegetable ragouts- usually served with berkoukes or orzo Tomato based sauces- Along the coast these often times include shellfish, usually prawns. They can be quite simple with just fresh tomatoes, garlic and basla (basil) or they can be hot with peppers and a range of spices. I already mentioned the baby fava bean sauce, haricots blanc could be substituted with the addition of garlic. Braise fennel would be another sauce. It must be slow cooked untill meltingly tender. I'll post a couple of recipes in a bit.

Panisse is found in various Mediterranean countries under different names. In Algeria it's often eaten plain or with tomato sauce or a spicy relish called felfel.

I was invited to a raw food lecture once. The weird (maybe obvious) was no one really looked healthy. Coffee and cigarettes, charred fat, wine, triple creme brie cheese. Food of champions!

$2.00???!! The average price in LA is $4.95-$6.95

What's a wet market?

Algerian Fresh Semolina Pasta "Rougag" 2 cups of fine semolina flour 1/2 cup plus a bit more if necessary of water salt Place the flour and a teaspoon or so of salt in a large bowl, slowly add the water (not all), begin working the water into the flour, add a little bit more water if necessary. Knead untill smooth and elastic. At least 15 minutes. Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest for half an hour. Divide the dough into two pieces, roll out into thin sheets as for lasagna. You'll find that fresh semolina pasta has a distinctive flavor from dried durum wheat pasta. It has a natural touch of sweetness and a delicate nutty flavor. Next sauces...

No, they aren't going this year. They have two small children. I am very familiar with your dad's attitude! Even though I really want a full report on the food scene over there, I can wait untill things have settled down enough for you to feel safe about your visit and a safe return.

The secret to beets is too cook them on low heat, very slowly. It doesn't matter if they are peeled, cut or left whole with skin on. Nice and slow.

Some friends of ours went last summer, they've been going back for a number of years. They came back with the sort of tan you can only get in certain parts of the world. Namely where we all are from. They had a great time as they always say they do. But things are pretty volatile now. What do your relatives say?

Kabylie Amazigh Smen This version contains no herbs or spices. Ingredients: Ideally freshly churned butter from sheep’s milk Fleur de Sel 1 tsp of salt per cup of butter. Knead the salt into the butter, then roll the butter into balls the size of ping pong balls. Place the butter in a clean ceramic pot. We use a Korean eathern ware pot for this (these are easier to find in LA than Berber containers ). Cover with pot with cheese cloth and secure with string or a rubberband. Place the container in a dry, temperate place for 2-3 weeks. Yes the milk solids will ferment. Clarify the fermented butter and strain into a clean, sterilized container. We never refrigerated smen. But you can if you want to. Bedouin clarified butter from unfermented butter is simply called samneh or samna. Next installment basic fresh pasta dough... Questions are welcomed of course.

"Thaboubtheth" Kabylie (Imazighen) Style Barley Pasta with Fava bean puree This is considered a winter dish. Of course I don’t have the measurements off hand. But it is very simple. Ingredients for the Pasta Barley flour Water Salt Ingredients for the Fava Bean Puree Baby Fava Beans Small Onion, finely chopped Crushed Basil Seeds Cayenne or Parprika to taste Salt and Pepper to taste Tablespoon of Olive Oil Cured Lamb Fat (substitute with smen or butter) Method for Baby Fava Bean Puree Place fava beans in a pot, cover with water. Add remaining ingredients. Cook until very soft, gently mash with a spoon to create a textured puree. Method for Barley Pasta (I have not tried this with American Barley flour. I will have to test it of course before adding it to my book. If you decide to try this and the dough isn’t elastic enough you add semolina flour). Place the barley flour in a large bowl, add salt and slowly add a little water until the flour comes together to form a ball. Knead until smooth and elastic, about 15 minutes. Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until very thin. The trick to rolling out dough evenly is to put pressure on the ends of the pin and not in the center. Cut the pasta into 1” squares and steam in a couscousier or a pot with a steamer insert for 15-20 minutes. To serve: Plate the pasta, drizzle with Olive Oil (You would not believe how fruity and thick Algerian olive oil is) and top with the Fava Bean Puree Next installment Kabylie style smen.

Algerian Pasta dishes I was initially planning on beginning with Algerian breads, but my wife and I have been exchanging emails with our friend Hassan and I really want to share his mother’s recipe for Barley pasta with fava been puree along with Kabylie smen. His maman makes it the same way my maman does, neither uses herbs. It is widely accepted that the North African Arab Sarecens introduced pasta secca to Sicily. In Algeria fresh pasta is made from semolina flour as well as barley, millet, kamut. and cornmeal. Fresh pasta shapes are small postage stamp size squares, sheets for lasagne type preparations, strips of varying thickness and berkoukes. Dried pasta shapes include vermicelli (usually added to soups or for dessert preparations), orzo and berkoukes are often used interchangeably (added to soups, topped with tomato sauce or lamb ragout).

I don't remember the water being so bad when I lived there or when I visited there (which was fairly recent, maybe we just didn't stay in the areas with bad water.) I know that even in the Beaujolais the Saone is not what it used to be when I was a kid.

Ingredients in Algerian cooking I think that most if not all of the ingredients are familiar. I’m writing this off the top of my head, so I might be missing a few ingredients. You don’t need all or even most of these ingredients to start cooking bled style. It would be rare to find all of these ingredients in an Algerian household, except for a chef who’s writing a cookbook. Remember when you are cooking Algerian food you are creating your own rai. Flours, Grains and pastas Semolina fine and medium grind All purpose flour Semolina couscous Berkoukes Vermicelli Orzo (we also make fresh pastas from Semolina and Barley flour) Long grain rice Barley (cracked whole and flour) Millet Bulghur Wheat Corn Fava Beans Chick Peas White Beans (Haricot Blanc or Great Northern) Brown lentils Meats Lamb Goat (rare) Poultry and fowl Beef Camel (very rarely eaten) Fish and seafood Sardines Tuna Anchovies Squid Shellfish (most fish from the Mediterranean, but the fishing industry is underdeveloped) Vegetables Greens - including chard, spinach, etc. Fresh Fava Beans Fennel Cucumber Carrot Okra Onion Beet Turnip Eggplant Zucchini Tomato Bell Pepper Hot peppers Squash Sweet Potato Potatoes Cardoons Artichokes Onions Garlic Fruits Apple Apricot Cherry Date Fig Mango (fairly recent) Melon – many varieties Peach Pomegranate Quince Pears Blood orange Sweet orange (Valencia, clementine) Bitter orange Lemon Limoun (cross between a lemon and a lime, used fresh and preserved in salt) Seeds and nuts Almonds Hazelnuts Pistachios Walnuts, Pine nuts Sesame seeds Melon seeds Sunflower seeds Spices Cinnamon Coriander seeds Cumin Saffron Turmeric Ginger Peppercorns white and black Cayenne Sweet paprika Anise seed Allspice Caraway Cloves Fennel Fenugreek Cubeb pepper Long pepper Malagueta pepper Guinea pepper Sumac Herbs Flat leaf Parsley Fresh Coriander Marjoram Mint Basil Vervain Za'atar Beverages: Mint tea and other herbal teas Tisanes Coffee Almond Milk Sesame Milk Buttermilk or lebn it doesn’t taste like American buttermilk. I prefer Kefir in the States. Syrup or fruit drinks made form citrus fruits, watermelon, apricot, pomegranate, tamarind, mint and almond syrup. Butter Samneh Smen Yogurt Labna (yoghurt cheese) Fresh cheeses (Algerian cheese is apparently hard to find even in Algeria now. Middle Eastern white cheese or Ricotta can be substituted). Flower waters Orange Flower or Orange Blossom Water Rose Water Jasmine Flowers EDIT: Olive oil, olives, chick pea flour, nutmeg, nigella seeds, cardamom DOUBLE EDIT: Basil seeds and cured lamb fat. TRIPLE EDIT: Battarakh, cured fish roe. I know there are a few other things I'm forgetting....

But he could get hashish.

I agree that it's fine to purchase preground spices from a quality vendor. In Algeria and in France my relatives often purchase preground spices from suppliers who do a high turn over.

I wonder if Kemia is a variation of Kemya, whic means small quantity. I suppose the word could then be applied to a small spread of mezze.

Paula- Have you ever seen Moroccan cooks roasting their spices before use? I've never seen or heard of this Algeria, so I always thought of it has an Indian technique, not a Maghrebi one. Farid

Nice and slow, means low oven. Slow roasting beets brings out the sugars.