On my family farm in Setif we make olive oil from the fruits of our own trees. We hand pick the olives, remove the leaves and twigs, wash and pat them dry. The olives are then taken to a mill to be crushed in an ancient stone mill. The oil is separated from the paste without the use of heat, it is all natural..
This sort of olive oil is beyond extra-virgin. Dip a little bread into it and you are eating the unctuous soul of the olive itself. I have never seen or heard of anything like it outside of North Africa and the Middle East.
My Aunt Farida also brines and cures her own olives.
The Zadi farm cooking also uses fresh butter, we make smen too but use it more as a flavoring agent. The butter is freshly churned daily from raw milk resulting in a rich, nutty flavor. This is where we get lben a type of buttermilk.
It is nearly impossible to find ingredients of this quality outside of a family farm and artisanal products that come close tend to be very expensive.
For my home cooking in Los Angeles, I use 'standard' olive oil, plugra butter when I can afford it, store bought olives and I drink kefir instead of lben.
My Aunt Farida cooked using traditional couscoussiers and clay vessels which I will discuss later. I have none of these things. My own kitchen is tiny and sparsely equipped. I use a pot with a steamer insert for making couscous, a dutch oven or a plain old big pot for soups and stews. This doesn't keep me from producing delicious food.
The backbone of North African cooking is that of the nomads, semi-pastoral nomads, caravan traders, great armies that swept through the Magrheb and of course farmers. There is no other cuisine in the world that can produce multi-course meals from a single source of fire and one cooking vessel.There are even three tiered couscoussiers.
When you are cooking Algerian food, think like an Algerian, focus on what you have and don't worry about what you don't have.
A quick recap of the most basic equipment you need to get started with Algerian home cooking:
1. A couscoussier or a pot with steamer insert.
2. Big pot for stews and soups.
3. Saute pan
4. A big wooden or stainless steel bowl, a rolling pin and a wooden board if you plan on making your own bread.
Ingredients:
1. Couscous.
2. Wheat and Semolina flour for bread. My Middle Eastern friends just buy flat bread.
3. Salt and pepper. I already discussed spices a bit. I will eventually discuss spices individually. Purchase spices as needed from a vendor who does a high turnover, depending on where you live it will be at North African, Middle Eastern and Indian stores where you will find the best quality.
4. Preserved lemons.
5. Tomato paste or homemade tomato jam.
6. Olive oil and butter.
7. Dried chick peas.
Most of the fresh ingredients are very easy to find. I was able to make Algerian food while living in Seoul, South Korea of all places.
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Posted by: sanaa | March 08, 2006 at 02:55 PM