Algerian Bouzgene Berber Bread with Roasted Pepper Sauce

To be honest, I really don't know what a couple of the words in that post title mean.  But I found this recipe printed out next to my husband's computer....I can take a hint.  So I'm not really sure of the source of the recipe.

It turned out to be a little more of a time investment than I expected, but I'm glad I made it.  You just can't go wrong with roasted red peppers.  I love the aroma when they come out of the oven.

The bread is pretty plain and simple, so it pairs perfectly with the zesty sauce.  

Here's the recipe for you

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Ingredients

• 2 red bell peppers
• 4 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped
• salt to taste
•  
• 2 pounds semolina
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
• 3 cups water, or as needed
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 tablespoons olive oil for frying

Directions

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Place red bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and roast under the broiler for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. This should blacken the skin and help it peel off more easily. Cool, then scrape the skins off of the tomatoes and peppers, and place them in a large bowl. Remove cores and seeds from the bell peppers.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapenos and garlic, and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and transfer the garlic and jalapeno to the bowl with the tomatoes and red peppers. Using two sharp steak knives (one in each hand), cut up the tomatoes and peppers to a coarse and soupy consistency. Stir, and set sauce aside.  (I preferred just cutting the veggies up before putting them in the bowl)
3. Place the semolina in a large bowl, and stir in salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add water while mixing and squeezing with your hand until the dough holds together without being sticky or dry, and molds easily with the hand.  (I only ended up using about 2 cups of the water.)  Divide into 6 pieces and form into balls.
4. For each round, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll out dough one round at a time, to no thicker than 1/4 inch. Fry in the hot skillet until dark brown spots appear on the surface, and they are crispy. Remove from the skillet, and wrap in a clean towel while preparing the remaining flat breads.
5. To eat the bread and sauce, break off pieces of the bread, and scoop them into the sauce. It will slide off, but just keep reaching in!

Rhubarb Crisp

So I've been lurking around at a blog called Krista's Kitchen lately and have a couple of new dishes to show for it.  Firstly is this rhubarb crisp that we had for dessert tonight.  

I have to say, I don't really think I've ever tried rhubarb before in my life. If I have I sure don't remember it.  Did you know the leaves are poisonous?  I guess that's why they sell only the stalks.  Anyway, it's a pretty tart fruit (or is it a veggie?) so this recipe has a ton of sugar in it.  

I loved the combination of the tart and the sweet, along with the oatmeal and brown sugar flavors in the topping.  Give it a go if you get a chance!

Here's Krista's recipe:

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Ingredients:

1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup quick cooking rolled oats

1/2 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cups sliced rhubarb

1 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch 

1 cup water 

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation:

In mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, oats, butter and cinnamon; mix together until crumbly. Press half of the brown sugar and oats mixture into a buttered 8-inch square baking dish. Top with the sliced rhubarb. 

In a saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar, cornstarch, and the 1 cup of water and vanilla. Cook together until clear, then pour over rhubarb.

Top rhubarb with remaining crumb mixture and bake at 350° for 45 to 55 minutes. 

Also tonight from Krista's blog we had her Cheesy Chicken Toritilla Soup.

I had been in the mood for regular torilla soup, and saw this cheesy variety, and said "sign me up!".  

It's pretty tasty, to me it's more dip-like than soup-like.  Either way, a bowl full of melty cheese is always a good thing.  

Here's the recipe for the soup:

Ingredients

•1 envelope Taco Seasoning

•1-½ pound Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Diced

•½ cups Chopped Onion

•2 T Butter

•⅓ cups Flour

•2-½ cups broth, chicken or vegetable

•8-12 oz. 2% Milk Velveeta, cubed

•8 oz. Shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican 4 cheese blend shredded cheese

•1 jar salsa (any Variety)

•1 cup half and half or milk

•Fritos, green onion, and sour cream (for garnish)

Preparation Instructions

In a skillet, add seasoning and diced chicken. Cook until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Drain, and set aside. 

In large saucepan (or pot), saute onion in butter for 2 minutes. Stir in flour until blended, then gradually stir in the broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for two minutes longer, or until thickened slightly. Add Velveeta, shredded cheese and salsa. Cook on medium-low until cheese is melted.

Stir in half and half. Add the chicken back in. Stir. Heat through but do not boil. Remove from heat and enjoy. 

On a side note, my totally awesome hubby surprised me today with a brand spanky new laptop!  My old one was slower than a turtle in a coma, and was a little "quirky", putting it mildly.  This one looks at me and says "c'mon slowpoke, whatcha waitin' for?"  Okay, so it's a little mouthy, but I love it!  Thanks for the early birthday present!


Anyway, since I'm on a different machine, it may take me a while to get all my old bookmarks found again.  But be patient, I'll find you!


*I shared this as a part of Potluck Sunday @ Mommy's Kitchen*

Cone-oli's

Well good people, I typed out this whole post about these cute little pretend cannoli's last night, was almost done, then deleted the whole thing!  So here's to starting over.  I found this recipe in the latest issue of Food Network Magazine and thought it was too clever to pass up.

Most of the family seemed to think they were pretty good, but the boy child seemed to like them extra good.  They were certainly easy enough.  

Here's the recipe for you


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• 1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for dusting
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1/3 cup finely chopped bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (about 2 ounces)
• 6 sugar cones
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios

Put the ricotta in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl. Refrigerate 30 minutes to drain.

(You could possibly skip the previous step...I didn't have once ounce of anything drain out of mine)

Transfer the ricotta to a large bowl. Add the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and almond extracts, and the orange zest and beat with a mixer until smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Fold in 3 tablespoons chopped chocolate. Cover and refrigerate until thick and cold, at least 1 hour.

Transfer the ricotta mixture to a resealable plastic bag. Snip off one corner and pipe the mixture into the cones. Gently press the remaining chocolate and the pistachios into the ricotta mixture. Dust the cones with confectioners' sugar.

Migas

Just a quick post for you on this fine Mother's day eve.  In fact, this might be a fun dish to serve mom if you're doing a brunch thing. That is, if your mom enjoys flavorful, stick-to-your-ribs type food.  And it makes up a lot so there's plenty to go around!

not an especially photographic dish

I first heard of the Tex-Mex concoction on Pioneer Woman's site, so that's the recipe I went with.  I loved it, and I feel sure that you could adapt it to whatever you have on hand, just as long as you include those crispy little fried tortilla bits.  That's the key.  I added a bit of bacon but other wise followed the recipe exactly...here it is for you.

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Migas

4 whole Corn Tortillas

1 whole Jalapeno, Seeds And Membranes Removed, Finely Diced

4 whole Plum Tomatoes, Roughly Chopped

1 whole Green Pepper, Roughly Chopped

1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Roughly Chopped

1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped

12 whole Large Eggs

¼ liters Cotija Cheese, Grated (may Use Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Etc.)  (I have no idea how to measure cheese in liters....I used about a cup)

⅓ cups Cilantro, Chopped

1 Tablespoon Butter

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

¼ cups Half-and-half

In a bowl, whisk together eggs and half & half. Salt and pepper eggs, then set aside.

In a small skillet over medium heat, heat oil and fry each corn tortilla just until crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Chop tortillas and set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the olive oil with the butter. Add onions and bell peppers and cook until starting to turn brown/black, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add in diced jalapenos and stir to combine. Add tomatoes to the skillet and stir around, then add tortilla pieces, stirring gently to combine.

Reduce heat to low.

When the heat has decreased, pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir gently to cook with the peppers, folding mixture very gently as it cooks. Add in grated cheese and chopped cilantro, and stir to combine

Hope you all have a great mother's day!

Seven Sporadic Questions: Tomatoes On the Vine

I know I haven't done this Sporadic Question thing in quite some time.  I guess I've been a bit lazy.  But I'm back with a late April/early May edition featuring Velva of Tomatoes on the Vine. 

What can I say I about Velva's blog?  Visiting her site is like a warm and comforting visit home.  I've personally made a few recipes of hers and would love to find myself at her table any time!  Let's visit with her now.

1. What inspired you to start blogging?

 I needed an outlet. I don’t remember the genesis that planted the

seed for wanting my very own food blog. What I do remember is thinking about

it for a long time. I was afraid of the “unknown” specifically; my lack of technical savvy, what I learned was that most of my fears were unfounded. What I did not know, I either learned or asked for help.

2. What is your favorite thing to make for a crowd?

 I am at my happiest not just when I am feeding a few but when I am

feeding a crowd. Big hearty, family style meals are my favorite, served communal style on large platters. Two of my favorites crowd pleasers are Arroz con Pollo (Rice with chicken), or a hearty, meat sauce with pasta.

3. What is your favorite thing to make for you?

 Left to my own devices, I would eat a bowl of cereal in my pajamas.

With that said, my life is hectic, and I do take pleasure in ordering a Grande

Starbucks Caramel Macchiato with a petite scone, and just sitting for a few

minutes.

4. What 3 famous people (Living or dead), to dinner who would they be? Any

particular reason?

Thomas Keller- In my opinion, one of America’s greatest chefs Owner of

the French Laundry, in Napa Valley and on my bucket list of restaurants to

experience.                                                                                       Hillary Clinton- Like her or not, she is a powerful modern woman, whose

experiences would make for a wonderful evening of discussion of almost any

topic.

Bruce Springsteen- Love his music and storytelling. I would go limp.

5. When you think of your childhood, do any favorite dishes come to mind?

 Yes! I was born and raised in Miami. I can’t even begin to describe

the food culture experiences that I have shaped my food style from growing-up in a diverse urban culture.

My favorite childhood dishes were stuffed cabbage rolls, spaghetti and

meatballs, arroz con pollo, and macaroni and cheese.

6. What do you have in your kitchen that you just couldn’t do without? (besides

your stove/oven of course)

 My food processor and vegetable peeler.

7. What’s your favorite part of blogging? Do you think you’ll keep doing it for

awhile?

Yes. I have been blogging for 2-years and I have enjoyed every

minute of it. I will be the first to admit that blogging is a time commitment, and there are times where I have to remind myself that I own my blog, my blog does not own me.

Blogging has been a way for me to express my passion for food, reducing the

need to bore my friends and family with my potential for endless food chatter

(smile).

I am so glad that I took the leap. Blogging has opened up a whole new world.

Everyday, I am amazed with the people that I have gotten to know, the creativity and the passion for food that exists in the blogosphere.