Tajine Kaftaji is a traditional Tunisian recipe for a classic dish of lamb and vegetables in an egg base. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Tunisian version of: Tajine Kaftaji.
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This is a classic Tunisian egg and lamb meat dish that originates form Kairouan.
Ingredients:
350g lamb's liver and heart
200g fresh tomatoes
150g green bell peppers, de-seeded and sliced into strips then finely cubed
150g butternut squash, finely cubed
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into slices and finely cubed
100g dry breadcrumbs
8 eggs
30g onions, finely chopped
1/2 tbsp tomato purée
pinch of ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
4 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
olive oil for frying
Method:
Bring a pan of water to a boil, add 2 of the eggs and boil for 10 minutes, or until hard. Remove from the water and set aside.
Chop the lamb heart and liver into strips then cut these strips into cubes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan. Add the meat and chopped onion and fry until nicely browned all over. Add the tomato purée and turmeric and stir to combine. Add 250ml water, stir to mix then bring to a simmer. Continue cooking until the mixture is almost dry.
Whilst the meat mixture is simmering, heat oil in a deep fryer. When hot, add the vegetables (bell peppers, butternut squash and potatoes) in batches and cook until golden brown and done thorough. As each batch cooks, remove from the fryer and drain on kitchen paper.
Finely dice the tomatoes then combine in a bowl with the fried bell peppers, fried potatoes and fried squash. Season with the ground coriander, salt and black pepper.
Peel and chop the hard-boiled eggs. Take the meat mixture off the heat and turn into a bowl. Stir in the chopped eggs, breadcrumbs and the vegetables.
Break the remaining 6 eggs into a bowl and beat to combine. Pour this egg mix over the meat and vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Season to taste then stir in the chopped parsley. Butter a springform cake tin and press the mixture into this. Use a palette knife or spatula to even the top then transfer to an oven pre-heated to 180°C and bake for about 20 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked.
Turn onto a serving plate, slice into wedges and serve. Tunisia Traditional lamb potatoes lamb, offal, meat, frying, eggs, vegetables, potatoes, herbs lamb liver, lamb heart, tomatoes, green bell peppers, butternut squash, potatoes, breadcrumbs, eggs, onions, tomato puree, coriander, turmeric, parsley, olive oil
