Madeline's real Alecha

Eritrean alecha (based on an original recipe from Eritta)

Ingredients
...
* 2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 cup red or white onion, chopped (optional: 1 1/2 cup chopped cabbage)
* 2 cups yellow or red split peas
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
* 5 cups water
* 4 pods cardomom (crush)
* 5 grains whole black pepper (crush)
* Salt to taste

Procedure

1. Pour oil into a large pot and place over medium heat.
2. Add onion, stirring often, (add optional cabbage half-way through) until golden brown.
3. Add all other ingredients.
4. Cook over medium heat until the veges are tender. Adjust pepper, salt, and other spices to taste. Check that it does not run out of water or burn, stir occasionally and add more water if needed. Consistency should be thick but not dry.
5. Serve with Injera, (‘Injera’ is special fermented pancake but you can also prepare your own unsweetened pancake without egg and served with drizzle of lemon)

Madeline's Cuban-style Black Beans

FRIJOLES NEGROS (BLACK BEANS), ESTILO CUBANO

1 can of cooked black beans (400ml? 10oz?)
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled, finely chopped
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
¼ C. sweet green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 tsp. vegetable bouillon cube or powder
1 pinch ground pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
1 pinch dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tbsp. sugar
1 bay leaves
1 1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt (optional, to taste)

1. In a skillet, heat olive oil and gently sauté garlic, onions, and chili peppers for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (If you are lazy to chop things like me, I blended the onions, garlic and pepper into a paste and sautéd this, You have to stir more often and watch out so it does not burn or dry out. More oil may be needed)

2. Add the can of cooked black beans (with juices) and mash together (just a bit) with the rest of the ingredients in skillet. Add the pepper, oregano, cumin, sugar, bouillon, and bay leaves (and salt at the end if needed, after tasting). Add ¼ cup water to keep the sauce from evaporating.

3. Cover and simmer 8 minutes on low heat. Add Vinegar, cover, and cook over low heat for another 2 minutes. Uncover and cook until sauce thickens as desired; add more
water if required. Serve with hot cooked brown or white rice, fried plantains, and sliced avocado, garnished with a slice of lemon. ☺

Madeline's Algerian Couscous

Algerian-style Vegetarian Couscous
(Serves 6-8)

Essential: Couscousier (big pot with well-fitting steam tray). Without this, your couscous grains will not be scrumptious as they should be.

Couscous:
500g good quality Couscous (Arabic on package)
5 Tbs. good quality olive oil (fragrant)
Salt to taste

Sauce:
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 large onion
1+ Tbs Raz-al-Hanout (Moroccan curry powder, buy at Arab/Pakistani store)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 large zucchini
2 large carrot
100g pumpkin or squash
300g+ fresh or frozen green beans
1-2 large tomatoes, peeled and grated
500g+ cooked garbanzo beans, well-rinced
-Salt, and other above spices to taste

Couscous:
-Put couscous in a bowl, cover with water and stir for a few seconds
-Pull out a handful of couscous and squeeze the water out, put aside in steam tray of Couscousiers
-Do this with all the couscous and set aside to dry for 20 minutes
-Start preparing your sauce - come back to this part when you add the water to the sauce
-Oil your hands lightly, take a handful of washed couscous and separate the grains by rolling your thumb against the inside of your first finger. Separate the grains into the steam tray of the couscousier with a plate under it so grains don't get all over the place. Do this until all couscous is well separated
-Place steam tray on top of pot with the simmering couscous sauce and cover. Make sure the steam is not escaping from the sides, if so tie a piece of cloth around the gap. Steam 20 minutes, more or less, until the steam flows heavily through the couscous grains. You can taste-test if they are done.
-Remove steam tray and transfer couscous grains into a large bowl. While still hot and steamy, sprinkle about 50cl of water over grains and roll with your hands or use a wire wisk. Sprinkle 4 Tbs. olive oil over couscous and 2 tsp. salt, and roll with your hands or use a wire wisk. The goal is that the couscous will absorb a bit more water, becoming more tender without getting soggy, and that all grains be separated, oiled and lightly salted. Taste test and set aside if delicious. If still a bit underdone, put back on sauce pot to steam more, cover.

Sauce:
-Wash and chop veggies onto spoon-sized pieces, except the onion (fine chop), the pumpkin (small cubes), and the tomato (peeled and grated)
-Fry onion on low heat until tender
-Add dry spices and stir until things get sticky, then add other vegetables (except the tomato and the garbanzos) a bit more oil and stir well for a few minutes
-Add 1 liter of good water (Barcelona city water is not good), the grated tomato and the garbanzos and bring to a boil. If your veggies are not well-covered by the level of water, add more
-Reduce heat to medium-low and put your couscous grains to steam!
-When you remove the couscous grains to oil and salt, taste your sauce, add salt as needed but not too much since the couscous grains are also salted, and adjust the spices as needed (Raz-al-Hanout, pepper, cinnamon) but a little at a time so as not to ruin your sauce!

Serve couscous in shallow bowls, spreading it nicely on the bottom of the bowl, put veggies on the couscous first, then ladle the sauce over, asking guests how much they like :) If you put too much sauce it becomes a sad soup instead of a fabulous bowl of tasty Algerian-style veggie couscous.

Bon appetit! Bismillah! Psatig