White Kidney Bean Beef Stew Tabikhet Fasolia طبيخة فاصوليا

This is a simple, filling stew made with white kidney beans, lamb or beef meat and tomato sauce, which is served with white rice or with fresh hot bread. White kidney beans are called fasolia in Libya, although it has other names in other Arab countries. Other variations of this dish include  fasolia bil kercha which uses pieces of tripe instead of meat, as well as a casserole version. This stew is more everyday, but a great favorite.

(serves 4-6)

150g white kidney beans (soaked overnight)
4-6 pieces of medium sized lamb meat
Black pepper, salt to taste
2 tablespoon of chopped onion
2-3 finely chopped garlic
1-2 finely chopped green or red chillies
3-4 tablespoon of vegetable oil
Spices: 1 tspn turmeric, 1 tsp seven spice mix, 1tsp cumin, 1 tsp black pepper



 
 

Soak the beans overnight.

Cook the meat in water with black pepper and salt and the tablespoon of chopped onion.

Once the meat is cooked, pour the broth over the kidney beans, about a finger above the surface.

Cook the beans in the broth until soft.

Add the meat to the cooked beans. In a small pan, stir the garlic, chillies and another tablespoon of chopped onion,  in the vegetable oil. Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste. Stir until the sauce bubbles, stirring for five or so minutes. Add the spices. Add the sauce to the beans and meat.

Chop some parsley and/or coriander and sprinkle on top. Serve warm with fresh hot bread or rice.

Libyan Home-made Pasta: Megata/Rishdet Burma مقطع/رشدة برمة

Megata (literally: chopped) is also known as Rishdet Burma in Tripoli - Burma means pot and this is to distinguish it from Rishdet Kaskas, another kind of fresh pasta steamed in a couscous pot. Megata is a Libyan dish of fresh home-made pasta cooked in a tomato-based sauce, often made  with gideed (dried meat). Depending on the region, the dish can include different kinds of additions. In the west Megatat is made with  beans, lentils, fava beans, chickpeas and fenugreek. The eastern method is with coriander, basil and fresh mint. A lighter version of Megata is cooked in milk or buttermilk instead of a tomato-based sauce. There is another variation (which is good for colds) where the pasta itself is made with a mix of thyme and flour, and served in a thyme and olive oil sauce.

Ingredients (serves 6-8)

Dough

6 cups of flour

3 cups of water

1 tsp salt

Sauce 

2 handfuls chopped Gideed (or 500 g cubed fresh beef or lamb)

1/2 cup of oil

1 finely chopped onion

2 finely chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste

3 finely chopped cloves of garlic

1/2 cup lentils

1/2 cup of pre-soaked chickpeas
1/2 cup of dry fava beans

1/2 cup of fresh fava beans
2 fresh hot chillies (optional)

Spices

1 tablespoons fenugreek
1 teaspoon red pepper

2 teaspoons tumeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

Salt to taste (remember that the gideed is salty!)

 

Pour the flour in a deep bowl, add the salt, make a hollow in the center and add the water gradually, until the dough is firm. The dough is meant to be hard. Cover and leave to rest while you make the sauce.

 Stir the gideed in a little oil.

Add the tomato paste, chopped tomato and onion and the spices. Stir on medium heat for a few minutes.

Add the pulses and chickpeas.

 Add the garlic and chillies, then about 1 liter of water to the pot and cover and leave the sauce on medium low heat for around half an hour. Meanwhile return to the dough!

Once the dough has rested, form into a 'loaf' and cut into 'slices'.

Powder each side of each 'slice' with plenty of flour.

If you have a pasta machine, put each piece of dough through the lasagna roller and layer the resulting lengths on top of each other, with a (very generous) dusting of flour in between to prevent sticking.

Cut each length into half and thin out again by putting through the machine for a second time.

The third time, put the dough through the tagliatelle cutter.

If you don't have a pasta machine, use a rolling pin to thin out each piece, then begin chopping from one end into noodles/tagliatelle. I've demonstrated using only one layer, but you should stack four layers with plenty of flour in between then begin chopping.

Add about 1 liter of water to the sauce pot. Bring to boil. Throw the pasta in the pot, a bunch at a time rather than all at once and stir gently. Let it cook for around 20 minutes.

Serve warm with wholemeal bread and lemon wedges.

Lamb, Pumpkin and Chickpea Stew with Raisins: Tbeikhet 'Eid طبيخة عيد

This recipe was featured on My Halal Kitchen's post on Traditional Eid Foods

 This pumpkin stew requires no special ingredients, yet has an exotic taste, with the perfect combination of flavors and textures. The pumpkin and raisins give this stew a hint of sweetness typical of savory specialties in Eastern Libya, where aromatic spices like cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and especially shaiba leaves are used more often than hot spices and turmeric. This stew is from the town of Derna. Known as Eid Stew, it is made on feast days as a distinctive flavorsome dish suitable for special occasions yet very easy to put together. This recipe is perfect for Halloween.  For dessert pumpkin and bechamel pudding is a tried and tested favourite.

 Serves 4

Ingredients

4 servings of lamb, bone in, washed and drained

1/2 kilo pumpkin. peeled and cut into medium cubes

1 medium onion,  finely chopped

4 tablespoons clarified butter (samn/ghee) or oil

1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 cup raisins 

1 can crushed sieved tomatoes or 2 tablespoons tomato puree disolved in 2 cups water

10 cloves
5 bay leaves 

3 cinnamon sticks or 2 heaped teaspoons cinnamon
1 heaped teaspoon ginger
A few shaiba leaves, known as dagad phool in Indian cuisine (optional)
Salt to taste

In a heavy base pot put ghee, onions, lamb and add ground and whole spices then cook on medium heat. Stir constantly until the onion softens and the oil/ghee is infused with the spices. 

Add the sieved crushed tomato and leave on low heat for  about 10 minutes, then add about 2 cups of boiling water and cook on medium heat unitl the lamb is well done (45-60 minutes).

Add the pumkin, raisins and cooked chickpeas, cover the pot and cook for a further 30 minutes. Add water when needed, but a little at a time so the sauce is concentrated. 

Serve hot with warm tanoor bread to soak up the sauce. 

Upside Down Rice Dish: Maqluba مقلوبة

Magluba, literally "Upside Down" is a Palestinian dish which has become famous throughout the Arab world, including Libya. Aubergine and/or cauliflower are laid at the base of the pot with the meat, then rice is added.Typically a red meat maqluba uses aubergine, while a chicken maqluba calls for cauliflower, but they can be mixed. After the magluba is cooked, the pot is turned upside down, so the dish is served with the meat and vegetables on top of the rice. Fried almonds and/or pine nuts are sprinkled on top.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

500g - 750g deboned lean lamb/beef cut into portion sized cubes
Spices for the meat/chicken stock: salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 cardamom 
3 cups short grain rice, washed and drained
Spices for the magluba: 1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp turmeric

Vegetable oil for frying/ brushing

1 medium size aubergine cut into thick slices

1 small cauliflower divided into segments

2-3 medium onions cut into wings

1 finly chopped small onion

6  unpeeled large garlic cloves (optional)
To Serve
1/2 cup pine-nuts or blanched halved almonds, fried until golden

 Put about 3 liters of boiling water in a pot, add meat cubes, chopped onions, stock spices and salt. When the meat is cooked set it aside, add more salt to the broth (the broth should be distinctly oversalted) and keep it hot to cook the rice in it. 

While the meat cooks prepare the onion. In a pan, sauté the onion and the unpeeled garlic cloves in a little oil until slightly browned.  

The vegetables are usually fried, but I prefer to place them on a hot tray under the grill having brushed them generously on both sides with olive oil. 

Brush the bottom of a non stick pot (preferably aluminium) with oil, layer the cooked meat at the bottom and add the fried onion and unpeeled garlic cloves to fill in the spaces.

 Add the cauliflower, then the aubergine. Press the vegetables down with the palm of your hand to create an even layer, then sprinkle the magloba spices on top. 

 Top the vegetables with the washed and well drained rice and press lightly down.

 Now gradually ladle the hot broth on top of the rice. Pour each ladle slowly to preserve your maqluba layers. the broth  should be about two fingers' width over the rice. Don't stir at all. Cook on medium heat, leaving the pot uncovered until the broth start bubbling and is about level with the rice.  

It will look like this, don't stir, reduce heat and cover the pan tightly with foil and then the lid. Don't uncover for at least 30 minutes.  

Taste the rice, if cooked remove from heat and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. 

Remove the cover and place a flat large plate or tray on top of the pot, hold the tray in place with the palm of one hand then turn the pot with the tray upside down and leave for a few minutes. Slowly lift the pot off.  

Sprinkle with fried almond  and serve with yoghurt cucumber sauce.  

Fried Aubergine and Kofta in Tomato Sauce: Kufta bil Batinjal كفتة بالباذنجان

This dish features traditional cylinder-shaped Arab kufta, ground meat mixed with onion, parsley and spices. There are a variety of recipes for Libyan kufta, this one includes a garlicy tomato sauce, with each kufta piece wrapped in aubergine slices. The aubergine is often fried, but a healthier option is to grilling the slices on a hot tray. 

Serve 4
Ingredients: 
2 medium aubergines thinly sliced lengthways.


Kufta Mix:
600g minced meat
1 large finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped parsley
1 tbspoon of each, black pepper, cinnamon, chilli powder, salt
1 tspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 headed tbspoon fine bread crumbs
1 egg


Tomato Sauce:
4-5 chopped tomatoes or 1 can of chopped tomato
2 large garlic cloves
1-2 chopped chillies pepper
3-4 tbspoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

                                      Cut eggplants into thin slices lengthways.

  Brush with olive oil, place on a hot tray, grill until both side become golden.

                        
      Mix onion, parsley, minced meat together and put in the food-processor.

 Add one egg, bread crumbs, and the spices and mix well.

Divide the kufta mix into 12 equal  portions, and shape into an oval shape on a BBQ stick, or wooden spoon handle. The tunnel left by the stick should remain open on both sides so that the kufta can cook on the inside as well.

                          

Brush a frying pan with olive oil, arrange kufta pieces, cover and cook on moderate heat.

Turn the kuftas upside down, cover and cook until the other side browned, remove from heat, and set aside.

    

      
                                                 Chop tomatoes and puree.

                                               Blend garlic cloves and chillies.

Put olive oil in a sauce pan, heat, add chopped garlic and chillies,stir. 

Add tomatoes puree, bring to boil, cover and cook for 10 minutes, and set aside.

Roll the aubergine slices over each kufta peice.

Put tomato sauce in an oven proof dish, arrange kufta peices, and bake in pre-heated oven for 20 minutes.

Serve with noodle rice and salad.