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Algerian Carrots
Algerian Carrots
This is a great side dish that breathes new life into carrots. They are steamed, then sautéed in an aromatic spice syrup that you create. They are then finished off with a little squeeze of lemon juice.
Equipment
- steamer
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 lb carrots peeled; cut into carrot sticks
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Bringbthe water to a boil in a steamer pot. Steam the carrots for 6 minutes. Set aside, reserving a 1/4 cup of the liquid.
- Heat up the oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Let the garlic and spices permeat in the oil for 10 minutes.
- Pour in the reserved liquid and bay leaf. Cover. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Add the carrots to the pan, costing in the spice mix. Increase the heat to medium high and sauté for 2 minutes.
Prego Steak Sandwich
Prego Steak Sandwich
In addition to the prego rolls, the Portuguese also introduced the prego steak sandwich to South Africans. This might be the most ultimate steak sandwich you’ll ever eat. It is that good and fairly easy to make. Thinly sliced sirloin steaks are marinated in a peri peri based marinade, then quickly grilled. The steaks are topped on a prego roll with onion and tomato. I made a simple peri peri aioli to smear on top of the roll.
Servings: 4 sandwiches
Equipment
- immersion blender
Ingredients
Steak Marinade
- 3 tbsp peri peri sauce
- 1 small roma tomato chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
Prego Sandwich
- 4 prego rolls sliced in half
- 1 1/2 lbs top sirloin cut into 4 steaks; each steak sliced in half and pounded to 1/8” thick
- tomato thinly sliced
- onion thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp peri peri sauce
- olive oil
Instructions
- Place the marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
- Using an immersion blender, purée the ingredients.
- Marinate the sirloin for 8 hours.
- Heat up a tbsp of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Toast the prego rolls until golden brown.
- Add another tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Increase the heat to high. Add in the sirloin in 2 batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan.
- Cook the sirloin for no more than 2 minutes a side.
Sandwich Assembly
- Place 2 pieces of steak on the bottom part of the prego roll.
- Mix together the mayo and peri peri and smear the top part of the bun. Top the steak with sliced tomato and onion.
Prego Rolls
What a lot of people don’t realize is that South Africa was discovered by a Portuguese explorer in 1488, heavily influencing the country’s cuisine. The Portuguese introduced prego rolls (amongst many other things) to South Africa, becoming a staple at the dinner table. The rolls only have a couple of ingredients and are fairly easy to make if you have the patience to allow dough to rise. Prego rolls are good on their own with butter, but even better as a prego sandwich.
Equipment
- standing mixer with dough hook attachment
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp active dry yeast
- 1 tsp sugar
- 4 1/4 cups bread flour plus more
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Add the warm water, yeast, sugar, oil, and salt to the bowl of a standing mixer on low speed. Mix for 2 minutes. Pour in the milk.
- Slowly incorporate the flour into the bowl until a ball forms. Knead in the mixer on medium low speed for 5 minutes.
- Take the dough off the hook. Cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes.
- Lightly flour a clean surface. Roll the dough out into one long cylindrical shape. Cut that in half. Then cut 6 equal pieces out of each cylinder, for a total of 12 pieces.
- Roll each piece into a ball and cut an X into the top.
- Place each dough roll on a baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap and allow the rolls to rise for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the baking sheet on the center rack.
- Bake for 12 minutes until golden brown.
Peri Peri Sauce
Peri peri is eaten all over Southern African countries such as Mozambique and South African. The sauce, which can double as a marinade, has the perfect balance of sweet, salt, and acidity, with a tremendous amount of heat. It pairs well with just about every meat, fish, and seafood. The base of the sauce comes from African bird’s eye chilies. Since these peppers aren’t accessible outside of Africa, Thai red bird’s eye chilies are a suitable replacement. All of the ingredients are puréed in a food processor, then slowly simmered to cook out the raw flavor of the ingredients. Peri peri can be stored in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.
Equipment
- food processor
Ingredients
- 1 red onion chopped
- 8 garlic cloves chopped
- 1/2 cup red bird’s eye chilies chopped
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and chopped
- 2 small roma tomatoes chopped
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 small lemons juiced and zested
- 4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tbsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 tbsp oregano
- 1/2 tbsp smoked paprika
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a food processor.
- Purée until smooth.
- Place the purée in a small pot over medium low heat. Simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring.
Chicharron de Pollo
Chicharron de Pollo
Chicharron de pollo, also known as fried chicken, is eaten all over Latin American. Unlike the traditional buttermilk marinated fried chicken of the south, this Puerto Rican style is marinated in olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and oregano. The chicken is then dredged in sazon seasoned flour. There are a couple more steps to frying this chicken then just tossing it in oil. First, the oil needs to be heated over medium high heat. The chicken is dropped in a fried for 3 minutes a side, then drained on a rack. This first step seals in the juices and creates the crust of the breading. Then the heat is dropped to medium. The chicken us returned to the oil and fried for 5 minutes a side, then drained on a rack. This allows the chicken to cook through without burning the breading. Lastly, the heat is increased to high. The chicken is fried one more time for a minute a side to make it extra crispy. The chicken will need to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- 4-6 bone in chicken thighs
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp sazon with annatto
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Mix together the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Place the chicken in the marinade. Marinate for 8 hours.
- In a separate glass dish, mix together the flour and sazon.
- Dredge the chicken in the flour on all sides. Shake off any excess flour.
- Heat up 2” of cooking oil in a deep pan over medium high heat. Carefully place the chicken in the oil.
- Fry the chicken for 3 minutes a side. Drain grease on a rack. Reduce the heat to medium. Fry again for 5 minutes a side. Drain grease on a rack. Increase the heat to high. Fry for a minute a side.
- Let the chicken rest on a rack for 10-15 minutes before serving.
