Kefta-Stuffed Msemen with Ghee Layers
Moroccan street-bakery style: msemen laminated with ghee and wrapped around a cumin-paprika beef and herb filling, griddled until shatteringly crisp.
Method
Mix the flour, semolina and salt in a bowl, add the lukewarm water a little at a time and bring it together, then knead for into a soft, smooth dough.
Add in this stepPlain flour 150 gFine semolina (for the dough) 40 gSalt (for the dough) ½ tspLukewarm water 120 ml
Divide into 4 pc, roll into balls, oil them, cover with cling film and rest for .
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for hands, worktop and cooking) 0.9 tbsp
Meanwhile, make the filling. Heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat and cook the onion for until translucent, then add the beef, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper and cook for more, breaking the meat up finely. There must be no pink left and the juices should have almost evaporated. Turn off the heat, stir in the parsley and coriander, then spread it out and let it cool completely; hot filling tears the dough.
Add in this stepOlive oil (for the filling) 1 tbspOnion, finely chopped 100 gMinced beef 120 gPaprika ½ tspGround cumin ½ tspSalt (for the filling) ½ tspBlack pepper 1 pinchFlat-leaf parsley, chopped 10 gFresh coriander, chopped 10 g
medium heatOn an oiled worktop, stretch a ball to about 25 cm, thin enough to see through. Brush thinly with ghee, sprinkle with semolina and fold the top, bottom and sides in by thirds to make a square of about 12 cm. Put an equal share of the cooled filling in the centre, fold the four corners over it and press the seams to seal into a parcel of about 8 cm.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for hands, worktop and cooking) 1¼ tbspGhee, softened 20 gFine semolina (for folding) 20 g
Lay seam-side down, cover with oiled cling film and rest for , then press gently with oiled hands into squares of about 11 cm. Press too hard and the filling bursts through.
Heat a 28 cm pan on medium-low heat and cook 2 at a time for in total, turning every 1 to 2 minutes, until both sides are deep golden and crisp and the centre feels hot when pressed. Depending on how many you serve, cook in 2 batches. They are thick, so resist turning up the heat.
Add in this stepVegetable oil (for hands, worktop and cooking) 0.9 tbsp
medium-low heat
Cook's tip
Ghee contains no water, so the layers separate and crisp better than with butter. Making the filling the day before and chilling it dries it out and makes wrapping easier. For heat, stir 1 teaspoon of harissa into the filling.
Cooking it at camp
Make the filling and fold the parcels at home, wrap each in cling film and keep them in the cooler below 5 °C. At camp, cook them slowly on a cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-low heat so they heat right through.