A Southern North African Sandwich

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A Southern North African Sandwich

Recipe courtesy Tanya Holland

 

Kesra: Moroccan Bread:

1/4 cup plus 1 cup warm water (approximately 110 degrees)

1 package active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour

1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, plus 1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 teaspoons sesame seeds

2 tablespoons olive oil

Curly lettuce, for garnish

 

Vegetables:

2 medium size eggplants

Salt

Olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

Paprika

Cayenne

3 green tomatoes, sliced

4 ounces butter

 

Harissa-style Fresh Roasted Red Pepper Spread:

2 red peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded

3 fresh small red chiles, chopped

6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

2 teaspoons ground coriander seeds

1 teaspoon ground cumin seeds

1/2 teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Kesra: In a small bowl of 1/4 cup warm water, stir in the

yeast and sugar. Stir lightly until yeast begins to dissolve. Allow

mixture to stand until it begins to bubble, about 10 minutes.

 

In a standing mixer bowl, put flour and 1/3 cup of cornmeal. Make a

well in the center and add yeast mixture, salt, and melted butter.

Knead the bread and gradually add remaining warm water until dough is

smooth and elastic.

 

Sprinkle baking sheet with olive oil and then dust with cornmeal.

Separate the dough into 2 balls of equal size and sprinkle sesame

seeds evenly over the loaves and flatten into round circles. Cover

the doughs with a clean towel and let rise in warm place until

doubled in size, about 1 hour.

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the top of each dough with a

fork all over. Bake for 10 minutes.

 

Lower heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or

until crusty and golden brown.

 

For the Vegetables: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

 

Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch round slices and sprinkle with salt,

let sit in colander for 10 minutes until bitter juices are extracted.

 

Rinse the slices, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the

eggplant slices until they are tender and a little crisp.

 

Mix flour and cornmeal and season with spices, to your taste. Coat

each tomato slice with mixture and heat butter in heavy skillet

(preferably cast iron). Add the tomatoes and cook until golden brown

on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

 

For the Harissa: Process all the ingredients in a food processor.

Season, to taste, and reserve in a small bowl.

 

To assemble sandwich, spread 2 slices of Kesra with Harissa spread.

Place a layer of eggplant, then tomatoes on bottom slice. Curly

lettuce is optional. Top with other slice of bread.

 

 

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Difficulty: Easy