ALGERIA...A MELTING POT

Algeria is one of those countries that I was drooling to get at...literally! This is truly a melting pot of cuisines. Northern African meets Turkish. Chicken, lamb and lentils are main features, and each region brings something different to the table. The heavy Muslim influence promises delicacies made during the month of Ramadan. Add some influences from Europeans, and you have a cornucopia of gastronomic delights. Let's dig in!

I have noticed that I already made dishes from lamb over the past week, so I opted for a fish dish. I purchased 2 pounds of cod. For some reason, The smell of cod does not appeal to me, so I only use it when I am going to be using a lot of spices. That made it the perfect fish for this dish...Fish and Celery Tagine; or, Hut Bil Karfas. I think that is Algerian for "Good Eats". I cut a pound of celery into 2 inch chunks, and lined the bottom of a casserole dish with them. I then ground together a mixture of spices...2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 1 teaspoon of cumin, a pinch of saffron, 1/2 a teaspoon of cayenne, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. I lay the fish out, sliced a few minor cuts into the flesh, and applied the above poultice. I let this set for about an hour, during which time i worked on the side dish...couscous. When the hour was up, I put the fish on top of the celery, and covered with the juice of 1 squeezed lemon1 chopped large tomato and about a tablespoon of freshly chopped parsley. Covered with foil, i baked this at 350 for half an hour; then removed the foil and baked an additional 15 minutes.

The couscous was beyond simple. Follow the directions for cooking couscous, and add raisins and fresh mint. Yum yum!



FISH AND CELERY TAGINE:

1 Pound Celery Stalk
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt And Pepper -- To Taste
2 Teaspoons Paprika
1 Teaspoon Cumin
Saffron -- To Taste
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Pounds Cod or other firm flesh fish
Juice of 1 Lemon
1 large Tomato Chopped
1 Tablespoon Parsley -- Finely Chopped