Mhadjeb (Algerian Stuffed Flatbread)
Mhadjeb is a thin, flaky Algerian flatbread made from semolina dough folded around a slow-cooked filling of onions and tomatoes. The dough needs only semolina, flour, salt and water, and two rests make it easy to roll thin. Four onions cooked down until soft give the filling its sweetness, and black pepper and ground chili add warmth. It is cheap, filling and cooked in a single pan, which explains its long place in Algerian kitchens.
Instructions
Mix the semolina, flour and salt in a bowl. Stir in water a little at a time, working it with your hands, until the dough is smooth and soft.
Soak a plastic bag in warm water and lay it over the dough while it is still dripping. Let the dough rest, then uncover it and knead gently for a few minutes.
With oiled hands, shape the dough into balls and set them side by side. Cover them and let them rest again, since this second rest makes the dough easier to work and the bread better.
Peel the tomatoes and dice them small. Heat oil in a pan over medium-low heat, add the onions, and stir often until they turn soft and translucent.
Stir in the tomatoes, the black pepper, the ground chili pepper and some salt. Cover the pan and cook over low heat, stirring now and then so nothing sticks, then let the filling cool.
Roll the first ball out on an oiled surface and brush the top lightly with oil. Spoon some filling into the middle and fold all four sides over it to make a square.
Oil the top of the square and set it in a hot pan over medium-low heat. Cook until the underside is well browned, then flip it and brown the other side before taking it out.
Shape and cook the remaining dough and filling the same way. Serve the mhadjeb hot.
Make it personal.
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