Mahjouba Mhajeb ou Msemen Farcis
Salem Hello
Mahjouba is called in eastern Algeria and el mhajeb in other parts of the country.
These are spicy stuffed pancakes to combat the winter cold.
The filling traditionally consists of onion, tomato, animal fat and hot pepper or harissa.
A specialty for fighting the winter chill and warming the belly.
Personally, I don't like animal fat, and neither does my family. I make it with minced meat, chicken and even merguez.
I like to make them at weekends when everyone's around, because these stuffed puff pastries can be eaten hot on the spot.
Stuffed Msemen
This is the way we like them at home, a convivial, hearty and comforting dish.
For children, you can prepare a portion without the added spice.
If you've got some dough left over without the stuffing, Msemens with sugar will be a welcome snack too.
Ingredients for the pastry :
300 g good quality fine semolina
200 g all-purpose flour T 45
1 teaspoon salt
300 to 350 ml water (depending on dough absorption)
Oil for the puff pastry
Ingredients for the filling :
2 tbsp olive oil
3 small onions
2 large ripe tomatoes
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/2 bunch parsley
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp red ras el hanout (otherwise the yellow + 1/3 tsp hot red pepper)
1/2 tsp pepper + salt to taste
Hot pepper or harissa
Preparation:
1- Peel, wash and grate the onion, garlic and tomato, or blend them.
2- Pour the oil into a frying pan, then add the finely sliced onions. Fry the onions in the oil until translucent.
3- Season with salt, allspice, hot pepper or harissa. Leave to cook until all the sauce has been absorbed, otherwise the leaves will soften and you won't get the crispness of crunchy, flaky mhajebs.
4- Stop cooking and add the finely chopped parsley to retain the flavours.
5- Leave to cool completely before stuffing the pastry sheets, otherwise the pastry will tear as you roll it out.
6- Place the semolina, flour and salt in a bowl, or in a bowl if you're mixing by hand.
7- Gradually add the water and knead for a long time to obtain a very elastic dough. The water is added in small quantities, in the form of a basin.
8- Place the dough, which should be neither soft nor firm, in a freezer bag and leave to rest for 30 minutes.
9- After this time, take out the dough, knead it a little, and add a little water, kneading if necessary to obtain a supple dough. At this point you can put it back in the same bag and leave to rest for a further 30 minutes.
10- Oil a tray or work surface, divide the dough into balls, wrap and leave to rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
11- Roll out the dough very thinly, so that you can see through the sheet, brushing your hands and work surface with oil each time.
12- Place a small amount of filling in the center, cover with another sheet and fold over the edges. This is the oldest and most traditional technique, but you can also use a single square sheet.
13- Cook in a smooth earthenware frying pan or tagine over medium heat on both sides. Serve while still hot.