M’Haremssa Bousaadia

Ingredients:

For Chakhchoukha Bread Sheets (thin round flatbread):

1. Durum Wheat Fine Semolina - 500 g

2. Salt - 10 g

3. Water for mixing

4. Oil - 1 cl

For the Red Sauce (the stew):

1. Lamb Meat - 400 g

2. Chicken Meat - 200 g

3. Chicken Breasts (cutlets) - 4

4. Tomatoes (peeled) - 2 (200 g)

5. Onions (medium, dried) - 2

6. Green Onions - 2

7. Garlic Cloves - 4

8. Tomato Paste- 2 tbsp

9. Tomato Purée (dried) - 50 g

10. Apricot Purée (dried) - 50 g

11. Chickpeas (soaked overnight) - 1/2 bowl

12. Green Fava Beans - 50 g

13. Neutral Salad Oil or Ghee

14. Paprika - 1/2 tbsp

15. Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp

16. Ras el Hanout (North African spice mix) - 1/2 tbsp

17. Coriander Seeds (ground dried)

18. Fennel (ground dried)

19. Black Pepper to taste

20. Sugar (following the tomato acidity)

21. Salt

22. Fresh Green Chilli - 1

23. Fresh Sheep Butter, mixed with mountain herbs (wild rosemary, wormwood, thyme)

24. Fresh Coriander (chopped, for decoration)

Method of Preparation:

For Chakhchoukha bread sheets (thin round flatbread):

Mix the semolina, salt and water.

Start with kneading, manually or with a kneading machine put in speed 2, and progressively add water until obtaining a smooth elastic dough.

Increase the kneading speed for 10 minutes.

Oil your hands and pull off pieces of dough to form balls in a clementine size.

Smear every ball’s surface with oil and cover it with a cling film then let it rest for 30 minutes.

On an oiled work surface, stretch a first dough ball over the baking pan.

Put 3 oiled dough balls slightly superimposed and spread them thinly.

Those ones will be slightly less thin than the rougag.

Bake both sides without burning, and then crumble the bread in small pieces.

Continue baking the rest of bread sheets.

For Sauce (stew):

Cook brown the meat and the pieces of chicken in a dash of oil for 5 minutes

Add the sliced onions with the chopped garlic

Then add the fresh tomatoes, tomato paste, dried tomato purée, spices (black pepper, Paprika, ras el hanout, a little bit of sugar, salt) and rinsed chickpeas.

Let it simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes.

Add some hot water to loosen and continue simmering.

Then cover with hot water and seal the cooking pot to cook the meat.

Prepare the stuffed chicken breasts (julienne of green chilli and onion julienne) seasoned and rolled

Remove the chicken when it’s done, and preserve it.

Put the pot back to finish cooking the lamb.

Add the stuffed chicken breasts, apricot purée, and the fava beans

Check the seasoning and the water level.

You can put the green chilli in the stew to be cooked.

Steam the crumbled bread sheets

At the serving time, put the sauce on fire to be boiled, check the seasoning, add the fennel, the cilantro and the crumbled bread sheets delicately mixed. Add some fresh sheep butter

Serve the chakhchoukha ( M’harmssa) on an earthen plate, and decorate it with the meats

Sprinkle with some cilantro, and chop the green chilli in little cubes

Serve immediately

Accompany it with fresh sheep butter, dates’ jam, fresh cheese, green salad seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, wild thyme and rosemary twigs.

‘Bon appétit’ with a cup of mint tea!

Advice or Comment: The Chakhchoukha Bousaadia ( M’haremssa ) is a rich traditional dish for the family. Considered as a full course meal. Mainly cooked at the beginning of Spring and during the harvest season based on organic local products. Preferably eaten at lunch. Typical of Bousaada city in southern Algeria, 250 km from the capital Algiers.