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Mrefisa

Mrefisa is a traditional Western Saharan recipe for a classic stew of meat (lamb, rabbit, goat or camel) and seasonal root vegetables in an onion and garlic stock served on a bed of flatbreads. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Western Saharan version of: Mrefisa.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

140 minutes

Total Time:

160 minutes

Serves:

6

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Lamb RecipesBread RecipesWestern-sahara Recipes

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Mreifisa is a classic Western Saharan stew of lamb or kid goat with onion, garlic and seasonal root vegetables that's traditionally served on a bed of unleavened flatbreads (made from flour, salt and water only) that are traditionally cooked in the heat of the Saharan sands. This dish is from Berber Sahrawi tradition, but it is related to Moroccan Rifissa. This is traditionally made from rabbit, lamb, kid goat or camel.

Ingredients:

1.5kg lamb cut into serving-sized pieces (use any larger bones for the stock)
stalks from a bunch of parsley
5 small or medium potatoes (you can substitute turnips, carrots or a mix, depending on what's available)
3 onions
6 garlic cloves
olive oil
salt
Sarahawi flatbreads, to serve (you can use this basic flatbread or Moroccan mseman as a substitute)

Method:

For the stock, combine the lamb bones in a pot with 1.5l water, 1 whole onion (do not peel), 2 garlic cloves, chopped, the parsley stalks and a splash of oil. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook whilst you prepare the other ingredients.

Add a generous glut of oil to another pot. Place over medium heat and when hot use to fry a julienned onions (2) for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and the peeled and halved (if large) potatoes, Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onions and potatoes begin to colour then add the lamb pieces. Reduce the heat to low and cook the lamb for about 60 minutes, until it releases its liquid and has nicely coloured all over.

After about an hour, remove and discard the onion and lamb bones from the stock. Use a ladle to transfer the stock into the same pot as the lamb (leave as many of the parsley stalks behind as you can). Once all the stock is added, bring to a simmer, cover and cook gently for about an hour, until the meat and potatoes are tender.

To serve, arrange the flatbreads in the base of a dish. Layer the lamb and potatoes on top then ladle over just enough of the stock that the flatbreads are moistened but not drowned.

Serve hot garnished with parsley leaves and with more flatbreads on the side.