The World Of Jewish Cooking, Gil Marks When the Sepahrdim arrived in northwest Africa following the expulsion, they merged their dishes with the native cuisine, exemplified by North African Sabbath step known by various names in different parts of the country: dafina/adafina (Arabic for "covered"), skhina (from an arabic word meaning "hot") and frackh (Arabic for "happiness"). These stews reflect popular local seasoning combinations ... cumin, cinnamon, paprika, and saffron ... while dates or honey impart an interesting depth of flavor.
Some versions add sweet potatoes, others a spoonful of minced red chili.
Algerian dafina is usually accompanied with a bobinet (steamed beef sausage) or megina (steamed beef and egg hash), while Moroccan stews usually contain a calf's foot, a whole tongue, or a kouclas (a dumpling similar to rudimentary Ashkenazic kugels). In the Sepahrdic tradition, all of these stews contain huevos haminados (brown eggs). The following is a basic Moroccan dafina. This is different from the previous recipe.
Soak the chickpeas in water overnight. Drain 2. Heat the oil in a 6- to 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until soft and translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add, without mixing, the chickpeas, garlic, bones, meat, potatoes or bulgur, dates or honey, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, tumeric or saffron, salt, and pepper. Place the kouclas* (see below) in the center of the dafina, and arrange the eggs around it. Add enough water to cover.
Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, occasionally skimming the foam, for 1 hour.
Tightly cover the pot, place on a blech (a thin sheet of metal placed over the stove top) over low heat or in a 225-degree oven, and cook overnight. Or transfer to a slow crock-type cooker set on low to cook overnight.
Dafina is traditionally separated into different dishes before serving: the chickpeas and cooking liquid in one bowl, the eggs in a second, the potatoes in a third, the meat in a fourth, and the dumpling in a fifth.
Posted to JEWISH-FOOD digest V97 #009 From: Pat Gold
Date: Sat, 31 Aug 1996 18:32:02 -0700
