Tajine el Bey
Abuja, Nigeria · Voir toutes les recettes
Aperçu
Tajine el Bey is a Tunisian tajine, and the first thing to understand is that a Tunisian tajine is not a Moroccan one. The Moroccan tajine is a slow-cooked stew named after the conical earthenware pot it is cooked in. The Tunisian tajine is something else entirely: a baked dish closer to a thick omelette or an Italian frittata, built on eggs and cheese with meat and vegetables folded through, cooked in the oven and cut into squares or diamonds to serve. The two share a name and almost nothing else. Tajine el Bey is the refined version. It is assembled in three separate layers, meat, spinach, and a ricotta-style cheese, each mixed and cooked apart before being brought together, which gives a cross-section of distinct bands rather than a uniform bake. It is then cut into diamonds and presented the way baklawa el Bey, the tricolour almond pastry, is presented. The name and the colours are the point. Bey was the title of the ruler of Tunis under Ottoman suzerainty, and the red and green of the finished dish are the Bey's colours. It is a dish designed to be looked at as well as eaten, which is why it belongs at the elegant end of Tunisian cooking despite being straightforward to make. The texture is its other distinction, soft and yielding rather than set firm.
Note de Patrimoine AFN
The Tunisian tajine is a baked egg and cheese dish, unrelated to the Moroccan stew of the same name beyond the shared word. Tajine el Bey takes its name from the Bey of Tunis, the ruler under Ottoman suzerainty, and its red and green layers reproduce the Bey's colours.
Ingrédients
For the meat layer
For the spinach layer
For the ricotta layer
For the mold
For the decor
Les mentions alimentaires sont fournies par les contributeurs à titre indicatif. Elles ne sont pas vérifiées par AFN et dépendent des produits que vous achetez. En cas d’allergie grave, vérifiez vous-même chaque ingrédient. Cuisine, allergies et votre propre jugement
Préparation
- 1
For the meat layer
- 2
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown the onions for a few minutes.
- 3
Add the ground meat and garlic and stir well.
- 4
Add the cumin and the tabel. Add salt, black pepper and mix well.
- 5
Cook the meat over medium heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
- 6
Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
- 7
Add the grated cheese and eggs and mix well.
- 8
Gently mix this preparation to obtain a smooth and even layer.
- 9
Preheat the oven to 350F (180˚C).
- 10
Butter a baking dish and pour all the ground meat mixture.
- 11
Using a spatula, even out the surface.
- 12
Bake for 10 minutes. The surface must harden a little.
- 13
For the spinach layer
- 14
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Sauté the spinach, stirring regularly until all the liquid is reduced.
- 15
Let cool completely then add the egg yolks, the whole eggs, and the tabel.
- 16
Season with salt, pepper and stir well.
- 17
Pour the spinach stuffing in the oven dish, on top of the meat layer, then sprinkle with grated cheese.
- 18
Bake for 10 minutes.
- 19
For the ricotta layer
- 20
Mix the ricotta, grated cheese, and egg whites.
- 21
Add the ricotta mixture to the spinach layer and bake again for 10 minutes.
- 22
Let cool and cut small diamond-shaped slices.
- 23
Sprinkle each with crushed nuts or pistachios or a mixture of both.
Notes de l’Africook
- Cook and cool the three mixtures separately before assembling. Layering them warm makes them bleed into one another and lose the bands.
- Drain the spinach hard. Wet spinach releases water into the bake and stops it setting cleanly.
- Do not overbake. It should be just set and still soft, a firm, dry tajine has gone too far.
- Let it cool before cutting. Diamonds cut cleanly from a cooled bake and tear from a hot one.
- Ricotta can be replaced by a similar fresh cheese, but drain whatever you use.
Questions fréquentes
Is this the same as a Moroccan tajine?
No, despite the name. A Moroccan tajine is a slow-cooked stew named after the conical clay pot it cooks in. A Tunisian tajine is a baked dish of eggs and cheese with meat and vegetables through it, much closer to a thick omelette or a frittata, cooked in the oven and cut into portions. If you are expecting a stew, this will surprise you.
Why is it called el Bey?
The Bey was the ruler of Tunis under Ottoman suzerainty, and the red and green layers of the finished dish are the Bey's colours. It is presented cut into diamonds in the same way as baklawa el Bey, a tricolour almond pastry that follows the same idea. The dish is named for the visual reference as much as anything.
Can I make it in one mixture instead of three layers?
You can, and you would have a perfectly good Tunisian tajine, but not tajine el Bey. The three separate layers are the whole distinction, giving a striped cross-section when cut. Combining them gives a uniform bake, which is the everyday version of the dish rather than this one.
What is it served as?
Usually as a starter or as part of a spread of small dishes, cut into diamonds or squares and served at room temperature or just warm. It also works well cold, which makes it useful for gatherings where things are laid out in advance.
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