For the third meal on my Global Table Adventure, I decided to make Hot Algerian Lasagna. I love anything that involves pasta, so this recipe really got me excited. If you aren’t familiar with Algeria, it is the largest country in Africa, located in the Maghreb region to the Northwest. Approximately 90 percent of Algerians live in the northern, coastal area and more than 25 percent are under the age of 15.
Check out this video for images from Algeria:
There are quite a few ingredients that go into this meal, and let me tell you, my spice collection is growing! Before I started Global Table Adventure, I had never before cooked with ground caraway, coriander seed, cumin, thyme or turmeric.
For this meal, you will need:
Part 1 (In the Skillet)
1 lb. ground lamb or chicken
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. harissa
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tsp. cayenne pepper (or 1 tsp to make it mild)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground caraway
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
Part 2 (Add to Skillet)
2 cups tomato puree, plus a half cup
1 can drained, rinsed chickpeas
1 cup water
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1 lb)
Part 3 (Before you bake)
1 lb. no-boil lasagna sheets
15 oz ricotta
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 cups shredded Gruyère
salt and pepper
I wanted to make this with ground lamb, but I searched multiple grocery stores and could not find it. If anyone has any tips on where I can get it, let me know! I also had trouble finding Harissa at the grocery store, but I ended up googling and finding it at Crate & Barrel, which just so happens to be up the street from my house. Note: This meal takes about two hours to make, so make sure to have plenty of wine and cheese around for snacking! Just don’t get too full! Visit this page for preparation instructions and be sure to check out the other Algerian recipes available at GlobalTableAdventure.com.
During preparation, my boyfriend Adam was in charge of dicing the onions and potatoes, and accidentally mixed the two, so instead of adding the potatoes in step 2, we added them during step 1. I don’t think it made too much of a difference, they just had a little longer to simmer. Our casserole dish ended up stacked with three layers of lasagna sheets but it was boiling over, so I suggest using the biggest dish you have or cutting down the serving size.
All in all, the meal turned out lovely. The flavor was unlike anything I’d tasted before and far from Mom’s lasagna that I’m used to. The only criticisms I have are that 1) I could have gone without the chickpeas. I don’t think they added much flavor and the texture was a bit strange while eating the lasagna; 2) I’m not used to eating chicken with my lasagna so that was a bit weird as well. I’d probably try it with ground lamb the second time around, or go without meat altogether; and 3) Ours turned out a bit spicy so be cautious with amount of cayenne and Harissa you include. And serve with a tall glass of iced cold milk!
✔ Algeria
Capital: Algiers
Boundaries: Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Niger, Mali and Mauritania
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Tags: Algeria, Algerian Lasagna, Algerian Recipe, Chicken, Global Table Adventure, Gruyere, Lamb, Lasagna, Recipe
Sounds different and delicious! How much did this cost you to make, Lauren?
This recipe was actually pretty expensive… I’d say around $50 total. The most expensive ingredients were the Harissa ($8 at Crate & Barrel, the only place I could find it) and $13 for a bag of shredded Gruyere cheese (I foolishly grabbed it without looking at the price). The spices are always an expense for me as well, since I started out not having much and I’m growing my collection as I go