What’s going on brothers and sisters?
I hope you all are doing well and that you’re enjoying the Fall. For me, this month marks the beginning of home-cooking season.
While I do cook at home almost year-round, I like this time of the year to come up with of recipes for you guys and gals.
This one is Called Taktouka. It’s a warm salad or side that is essentially made by roasting peppers and cooking them in a fresh tomato sauce.
Don’t even ask me about the name, I have no idea what it means or where it came from. Just like many things from Morocco, the origin of this dish is obscure, despite its enormous popularity.
I have lived in the south, center, coast, Mediterranean, Atlantic and I have always found this dish on every menu and every household table I have been invited to.
It’s a popular side.
Nobody knows why it’s called Taktouka, the name itself has no meaning in Arabic and nobody seems to care. I didn’t either.
I will leave it to the food historians to unravel this mistery for me.
HOW TO EAT TAKTOUKA
Like most Moroccan dishes, Taktouka is served with bread. Preferably a Moroccan bread(LINK) or at the least a bakery style French bread.
The whole purpose of the bread is to soak that awesome tomato sauce, of course.
No to mention that eating this without bread, or any other saucy Moroccan dish, is just wrong. They are made to be enjoyed with bread.
Moroccan cuisine is the Low-Carber’s nightmare.
It’s also very common to serve your Taktouka with a drizzle of your finest olive oil. Because the tomatoes are sweet, the sourness from the olive oil complements it perfectly.
Of course, how you eat Taktouka is up to you at the end.
I have served it on top of pasta once and I was very happy with it.
Did I also mention that it is vegan? 100% plant-based, just like many Moroccan dishes.
Today’s Recipe
Taktouka
Moroccan side dish made with roasted bell peppers and fresh tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 5 ripe italian tomatoes grated
- 2 large green bell peppers
- 1 large onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
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Set your oven to broil
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Split the tomatoes in half (length-wise) and use a box grater to grate the inside of the tomato into a bowl to extract the pulp of the tomato, set aside. If you don't want to do this, you can just dice your tomatoes.
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Cut the bell peppers in half (length-wise) , de-seed, and set on a lined (parchement paper) sheet pan. Put the bell peppers in the oven (place in the middle rack) and remove them once they start to get charred on the tops
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Heat a pan to medium heat, after 3 minutes add the olive oil and onion, cook onions until they turn translucent. Finely chop the garlic cloves and add in once the onions are translucent. Add the tomato pulp and lower heat to medium-low so the mix can simmer for 20 min. Add your spices (cumin, paprika, and salt)
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Put the bell peppers in a large ziplock bag and close it, trapping air inside so that the bell peppers can sweat. Once they do, you'll be able to easily take off the skins. Open the bag and carefully remove the burnt skin.
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Chop your bell peppers into strips and add to the sauce. Remove from heat and let cool-down before serving. Enjoy!
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