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Tunisia, Middle East and Africa · Tunisian Fricassé

Fricassé with Slata Mechouia and Jammy Eggs

A softer semolina-and-milk roll filled with smoky grilled-pepper salad, jammy eggs, good tuna and preserved lemon.

ServingsServes 2
Total cooking time1 h 10 min
Extra waiting time+ 1 h 30 min
DifficultyHard
About servingsFor young children, pregnant women, older people or anyone with weak immunity, boil the eggs for at least 11 minutes until fully set.

Method

  1. Mix the flour, semolina, yeast and sugar in a bowl, with part of the salt on the opposite side. Add the lukewarm milk and olive oil, bring together and knead for . It is ready when a small piece stretches thin enough to let light through without tearing.

    Add in this stepStrong bread flour 160 gFine semolina 40 gInstant dried yeast 1 tspSugar 1 tspSalt ¾ tspLukewarm milk 130 mlOlive oil (for the dough) 1½ tbsp

  2. Shape into a ball, place in an oiled bowl, cover and leave somewhere warm for , until doubled.

  3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven grill to 250 °C. Put the peppers, tomatoes, chilli and unpeeled garlic on a tray on the top shelf and grill for , turning once, until blackened in patches and soft inside. Tip them into a bowl, cover and leave for 10 minutes.

    Add in this stepGreen bell peppers or long green peppers 2Tomatoes 1Hot green chilli 1Garlic cloves, unpeeled 1

    oven

  4. Peel and seed the peppers and tomatoes and squeeze the garlic out of its skins. Chop everything finely with a knife, then stir in the caraway, the rest of the salt, the olive oil and lemon juice: this is slata mechouia. If it is watery, drain it in a sieve for 5 minutes so it won’t make the bread soggy.

    Add in this stepGround caraway ½ tspSalt ½ tspExtra-virgin olive oil (for the salad) 2 tbspLemon juice 1 tsp

  5. Divide the risen dough into 6 pieces, shape them into 8 cm ovals, set them on oiled baking paper, cover with a tea towel and let rise for . When a gentle poke springs back slowly, they are ready to fry.

  6. Bring a pot of water to the boil and keep it on high heat. Lower the eggs straight from the fridge in with a ladle, cook for exactly and move them at once to iced water: the whites set, the yolks jammy. Peel when cool and halve.

    Add in this stepEggs 1

    high heat

  7. Pour 5 cm of oil into a 20 cm pot and bring it to 170 °C on medium heat. Fry the rolls 2 or 3 at a time for about 2 minutes per side, turning, until deep golden. Frying them all takes about . Let the oil come back to 170 °C before each new batch.

    Add in this stepNeutral oil, for deep frying 750 ml

    medium heat

  8. Split the rolls along the side into pockets and spread plenty of slata mechouia on the bottom. Add big flakes of tuna, the jammy eggs, halved olives and preserved lemon, then dot with harissa. Eat straight away, before the yolk runs.

    Add in this stepCanned tuna in olive oil, in chunks, drained 120 gPitted black olives 12Preserved lemon rind, finely chopped 1½ tspHarissa 2 tsp

Cook's tip

Semolina gives a crisper crust and a chewier crumb. Mechouia tastes even better made a day ahead and keeps 3 days in the fridge. Use eggs straight from the fridge so the timing is exact.

Cooking it at camp

At a campsite, grill the peppers and tomatoes directly over embers for an even smokier mechouia. Bring the dough cold-proved from home and fry safely in a small pot with 3 cm of oil, 1 or 2 at a time. The jammy eggs can be boiled at home and carried in the cooler.