There comes a time when even a pyrophobe would like to be creative or is forced to use the kitchen to survive.
The kitchen has no religion, and I myself feel sometimes that exploring the culinary arts of other countries is a must to inspire taste buds bored of repeated meals.
Today I share a recipe for the famous Moroccan harcha, the semolina pan-fried flatbread.
Harcha is really low-cost, and several ingredients might be already available in your kitchen.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 kilogram of fine semolina flour
- 1/2 cup of melted butter
- 1/2 cup of cooking oil
- 1/2 tablespoon of granulated sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon of salt
- 1 cup of milk
- 1 tablespoon of fresh yeast
- 1.5 cups of warm water
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 30 grams of black olives
- Cottage cheese (Moroccan fresh cheese or “jben” in Moroccan Darija) or cheesy cream
- 1/2 tablespoon of thyme
The list of ingredients might scare you. But don’t judge a book by its cover as this might be the easiest recipe for a new dish.
In a medium-sized pot, put your semolina along with the oil and melted butter. Separately, mix the milk with the fresh yeast, and add it to the pot with granulated sugar, and salt.
When all the ingredients are in the pot, slowly add warm water to mix all the ingredients. Do not add all the water at once; pour it in little by little until you get a light mixed dough. Add more water if the dough is still hard.
You will need to let the dough sit for 30 minutes.
During that period, cut the black olives into small pieces and mix them with half a packet of cheesy cream or cottage cheese and a tablespoon of thyme.
You can also use mozzarella cheese if you wish. If you do not have any of those cheeses, you could simply use 100 grams of processed cheese (five triangles of Laughing Cow).
Once your dough is ready, prepare to create magic with your hands. Using your hand, shape the dough into small balls.
Take each ball and make a small hole in it. Fill the hole with the cheese and olive mixture before reshaping the dough into a small ball again.
Then press the ball with your hand to shape it into a flattened circle.
Put a medium frying pan on the stove, and once it is hot, be ready to put your little harcha rounds in.
Don’t take your eyes off the pan; it takes a little while for them to be ready.
Once the semolina dough turns golden, be ready to prepare your plate for the delicious harcha. You can serve them during iftar, suhoor, or breakfast on regular days with a cup of mint tea or milk.
