Moroccan Chicken Pie

One of the best Maroccan main meals the Chicken Pie, to be served hot !! The receipe is for 4 persons and need 1h for preparation and cooking.

Ingredients :
¤ 16 sheets filo pastry
¤ 1 kg (32 oz) medium sized chicken, cut into 8 pieces
¤ 4 hard boiled eggs, halved
¤ 1/4 cup oil
¤ 1 kg (32 oz) onion, sliced into rings
¤ 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
¤ 1/2 teaspoon salt
¤ 3 cinnamon sticks
¤ 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¤ 1/4 cup icing sugar
¤ 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon (for garnishing)
¤ 2 tablespoon butter


Steps :
1 - Fry the chicken in oil with onion, cinnamon, salt and ginger.
2 - Add boiling water to cover ingredients. Cook over medium heat for 45 minutes till chicken is tender. Remove bones from it. Put chicken meat aside.
3 - Add parsley to stock. Simmer over low heat till it thickens.
4 - Brush a baking dish with butter and place 8 sheets of filo pastry in the dish. Brush filo with butter. Spread chicken, onion, parsley sauce, and the halved eggs over filo in dish. Place the other 8 sheets on top. Brush with butter.
5 - Bake on middle shelf in a moderate heat oven (180°C) till golden brown. Garnish with icing sugar and cinnamon.
6 - Serve hot.

Tunisian Salad

Tunisian Salad is the most popular in Tunisia for its ease to prepare. The receipe is for 5 persons and take just 5 minutes.

Ingredients :
¤ 2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
¤ 2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
¤ 2 cucumbers, finely chopped
¤ 1 spring onion, finely chopped
¤ 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped
¤ a dash of salt
¤ a dash of ground white pepper
¤ 1/2 cup lemon juice
¤ 1/4 cup olive oil

Steps :
1 - Mix well all the above ingredients. Serve immediately.

Humus or Chickpeas Puree

As you have requested in the forum, here is again the number one appetizer in the middle east : Humus or Chickpeas Puree. Receipt is for 4 persons and need just 20 minutes of preparation. Check also the previous Hummus receipe, even that I find this one more detailed and better explained !

Ingredients :
¤ 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
¤ 1/2 teaspoon salt
¤ 2 cloves garlic, crushed with a pinch of salt
¤ 1/4 cup lemon juice
¤ 2 tablspoon sesame paste
¤ 2 tablspoon parsley, finely chopped
¤ 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Steps :
1 - Drain warm chickpeas and reserve 1 tablspoon. Beat chickpeas in a food processor.
2 - Blend chickpeas with sesame paste, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and salt into a purée. Adjust flavor and consistency with lemon juice and salt if necessary (Hummus should be thick and smooth).
3 - Serve in Hummus bowls. Pour olive oil in center and garnish with the reserved chickpeas, chopped parsley and cumin.

Shawarma

One of the most popular arabic dishes especially in Lebanon, Syria and Turkey too, spread out around the world ! It is best eaten as sandwich. The preparation and cooking are about 2h30 and the receipe below is for 5 to 8 persons.

Ingredients:

¤ 1 kg (64 oz)fillets cut into strips (7 cm length 3 cm thickness)
¤ 200 g (7 oz) finely minced fat
¤ 2 large onions, peeled and sliced
¤ 1/4 cup vegetable oil
¤ 1/2 cup vinegar
¤ 1/2 tablespoon salt
¤ 1 tablespoon ground 7 spices for Shawarma (Lebanese spice)
¤ a dash of ground mastic
¤ 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¤ 1 teaspoon cardamom pods

Steps :
1 - Soak sliced meat in 7 spices, salt, cardamom, mastic, nutmeg, vinegar, and oil for one night.
2 - Fry fat in a heavy pan on medium heat. When it melts, add meat. Stir until golden. Add onion, cover and leave on low heat for 40 minutes or until tender.
3 - Serve Shawarma hot with mint leaves, "taratour" and tomato slices