While I was having lunch at Au Rendez-vous/La Maison de Couscous in Paris (see page 112), the owner brought out some of the magnificent Tunisian Sabbath stew he was cooking for that evening. It was made with a special North African kind of wheat berries, meat, a large amount of oil, onions, and a mixture of coriander, caraway, and harissa, the spice combination of peppers and garlic. This is certainly a later variation of the thirteenth-century recipe for orisa, a famous nutritious porridge brimming with soaked wheat berries, chickpeas, pounded meat, melted mutton fat, and cinnamon, found in the Manuscrito Anonimo, an Arabic-language Andalusian cookbook. Among the Jews of Tangier it was a simple meatless dish consisting of crushed wheat spiced with red pepper. I have made a vegetarian version that can accompany any meat dish or be served alone.
Ingredients
8 to 10 servings
Step 1
The day before making this dish, put the wheat berries in a large bowl. Cover with cold water, and soak overnight.
Step 2
The day of serving, heat the olive oil in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven. Scatter in the onion and garlic, and sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the carrots, celery, turmeric, honey or sugar, harissa, coriander, caraway, black pepper, and coarse salt. Drain the wheat berries, and add them to the pot along with enough broth to cover the wheat berries by 2 inches.
Step 3
Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour, or until most of the water has evaporated. Season with additional harissa, if you like, or serve more on the side.
You can transfer the wheat berries and seasonings to a slow cooker, adding more water, if needed, to cover them by 2 inches. Cook overnight. By lunch on Shabbat morning, they will be a nice golden color and will have a concentrated nutty flavor.
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