One Brik at a Time

Traditional Brik (Breek) ingredients...well, except for there is an egg...and salmon isn't usually used. I might try it. I did buy the good tuna in olive oil!
Non-traditional Brik A'Leouf ingredients....again, there is an egg as well.
Soaking chili's in hot water to make harissa..since I couldn't find it at The Nugget. Note..I ended up using way more peppers and put boiling water over them..then plastic wrap on top. Let them stand for 24 hours. Also..I cut tops off first and de-seeded before topping off with the hot water.
My preserved meyer lemons will add a nice touch to the Brik!

So...I get all this stuff and then see that I have to let the Phyllo thaw for 5 frickin' hours! Who knew? So, tomorrow I will be stacking Brik's like a mason. Anyone want to sample??

This is one of Marlena's recipes from Jewish Cooking. My blogger buddy Eileen made it over at her place a while back. It's on the Jewish Menu for American River College's Oak Cafe next week so decided to go nuts with it! I'll post pics and results Thursday evening! Below is a Harissa recipe I found that got 5 star ratings...maybe I'll use it.

This North African condiment is based on a recipe in A Mediterranean Feast by Clifford Wright (William Morrow, 1999).

Source: Saveur

Photo: Andre Baranowski

8 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
and seeded (about 2 oz.)
8 dried new mexico chiles, stemmed
and seeded (about 1 1⁄2 oz.)
1⁄2 tsp. caraway seeds
1⁄4 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried mint leaves
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more as needed
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer spices to a grinder with the mint and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.

2. Drain chiles and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the ground spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a sterilized 1-pint glass jar and fill with oil until ingredients are submerged by 1⁄2". Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Paste will keep for up to 3 weeks.

MAKES 1 CUP

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #117