Living in Paris is great when you like to travel but don't have time to do it! This weekend I went to the Tunisian neighborhood of Belleville to reconnect with my roots. What a delight!
The mixture of aromas, cultures and costumes... for me, it's a real getaway. I open my eyes wide to take it all in, Naturally I take advantage of the opportunity to buy all kinds of often unfamiliar fruits and vegetables, colorful spices and pastries (which I give away to keep my figure) - and then comes the best moment: lunch in restaurants often frequented by natives. How I love it!
From this little journey, I've brought back an essential dish that is a symbol of Tunisia: the authentic complete fish dinner that I sampled in the restaurant La Goulette. A dish that symbolizes summer, sun and conviviality. It's made up of a fried fish, a cooked salad based on tomatoes and mixed peppers, a fried egg and French fries..... to die for!
Sophie Gozlan
If you want to get on Tunisian time, follow the step-by-step progression:
Began by preparing the Mechouia salad.
Grill the tomatoes, pepper and garlic cloves on a roasting pan in a hot oven for about 30 minutes. Half-way through, turn them on all sides. The skin of the vegetables should be blackened and the vegetables tender.
When cooked, peel them gently. To remove the skins easily, place them in a sealed plastic bag for 15 minutes.
Chop everything with two crisscrossed knives - but don't use a blender!
Place the mixture into a salad bowl and dress with olive oil, some ground coriander, salt and pepper.
Just before serving, add some lemon juice. Serve the salad cold.
Meanwhile, peel the potatoes, cut into fries and cook in hot oil.
Also fry the chili peppers, piercing them first.
Season the fish with salt and pepper and fry it separately in a large skillet.
At the last minute, cook the fried eggs, leaving the yolks soft.
Now all that is left is to arrange everything on large plates and teleport yourself to North Africa, to the exotic atmosphere of homemade harissa and the bewitching scent of jasmine.
Special collaboration with Sophie Gozlan, a Tunisian now living in Paris, who is rediscovering the classic dishes of her grandmother's kitchen.
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