Another Loubia B'lham - White Bean & Lamb Soup

Rainy days in England call for soup, Algerian soup.

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Batata Koucha - Algerian Oven Potatoes

                                                       
Lamb & chickpeas sauce covered with a layer of fried potatoes.

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Shorba 'M'katfa' - Vermicelli Soup

A vibrant red soup with vermicelli.

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Lamb Rogan Josh & Mango Lassi

2 post in 1 day then gone for almost a week, what can i say? I am a consistently inconsistent blogger.

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Loubia B'lham - White Bean & Lamb Stew

It may still be summer but with the drop in temperature here in the UK our family have been enjoying autumn and winter dishes throughout the week.

Here is a warm and hearty white bean and lamb stew, It's popular all over north africa but i'm calling it Algerian because i'm deeply attached to the country through my husband.

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Lamb, Chickpea & Spinach Curry With Mash Potatoes

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

You should know there is a slight curry obsession in my household this year. From rogan josh to chicken tikka masala and now this high in iron and protein curry gets added to my list of favourites.

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Lasagne But Not As You Know It

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

Unauthentic home comfort food. This 'lasagne' uses non traditional spices, lamb mince, NO wine, 1 layer of pasta which is good if your trying to reduce your intake of carbs and instead of the traditional parmesan / mozarella crust I topped mine with my favourite British cheese, cheddar!

2 out 3 of my children love it and so do I.

In my best Italian accent ''Ya cannat beata home-made''!

Lasagne

Makes 1 x 20 cm square lasagne about 2-3cm deep

Ingredients

Meat Sauce

250 grams mince lamb

1 average onion, finely chopped

salt, to taste (for me ¾ teaspoon )

black pepper, to taste (for me ¼ teaspoon)

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon garlic granules

1 x 400g tin plum tomatoes

sprinkling of sugar 

Béchamel Sauce

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 tablespoon plain flour

400 millilitres whole milk

salt & pepper, to taste

To Assemble

3 lasagne sheets (dry)

mature cheddar cheese, grated

Method

1. Make Meat Sauce: In large frying pan sauté onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add mince seasoning spices and cook until meat has browned. Add tin of tomatoes and sugar, crush the tomatoes using wooden spoon then let the sauce cook, stirring occasionally until the sauce has reduced about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside.
2. Pre Heat Oven to 180 C. Make Béchamel Sauce: In a medium sized saucepan melt butter over medium heat then add flour and continuously stir for a minute or two using a wooden spoon. Slowly add milk, stirring always using a whisk until the sauce has thickened slightly about 5 minutes. Stir in salt and pepper then switch off the heat. 
3. Assemble and Cook: In a 20x20 cm square baking tin place half of the meat sauce and spread to make an even layer then do the same with a third of the béchamel sauce, layer of lasagne sheets, then add the remaining half of meat sauce, the remaining two thirds béchamel sauce and top with a layer of cheese. Bake in oven on middle or top shelf (if you like a crust) for 20 minutes, check after half time to make sure the cheese isn't burning! Remove from oven and let it cool for 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Shorba Frik / Jari / Tomato And Green Wheat Soup

As-Salaamu Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah,

I hope your all having a productive Ramadan. 

I was delighted when Lubna from yummy food invited me to take part in her Ramadan global event - joy from fasting to feasting.

Head on over to yummy food to get my shorba frik recipe.

MENA Cooking Club: Algerian Dolma

 As-Salaamu Alaykum,

As the host for this months MENA cooking club challenge I had to pick 1 savoury and 1 sweet dish for us all to try from my husband's beloved homeland Algeria.

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Lamb Rogan Josh (Dairy Free)

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

I and many of you enjoy takeaway curry! Go on, admit it.

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North African Inspired Lamb & Lima/Butter Bean Soup

As-Salaamu Alaykum,

In my opinion we all need one more soup recipe.

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Lamb Chop & Okra Tagine

Salam Alaykum Wa Rahmatullah,

This was my first try at an authentic Tagine recipe, authentic being that i cooked it in the actual Tagine vessel inside the oven and not substituted it with my stew pot on the stove.

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Lahm Lhalou - My Family Version Of Sweet Meat (Algerian Ramadan Special)

El Ham Lahlou is a traditional Algerian dish served in Ramadan at the end of the day to break ones fast. Made salt free to prevent thirst and yes you have guessed right is super sweet!

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