red and delicious

this very popular appetizer dish is found on many a sephardic table, especially those of jews having spanish descent, such as moroccans. it is a staple dish on the sabbath and at (almost) all holidays throughout the jewish calendar.

called la salade cuite (matboucha) or ensalada cocha, this dish is not a salad as we know it in north america. a "salade" {saw-lahd} in sephardic terms is more a kind of starter, of which there are several [such as this one]. a majority of them are composed of everyday vegetables, such as carrots, zucchini, beets and eggplant which are quickly cooked or slowly stewed, the latter method serving to concentrate and intensify their flavours. these salades are then served at either room temperature or slightly warm.

the way i am presenting it here is a very easy and quick way to do it and is the way many people prepare it. using fresh tomatoes, in my opinion, just doesn't pay as it takes tremendous time and effort to wash, peel, cut and cook them — using the canned variety gives just as decent results. note that for as many cooks as there are, equal numbers of versions and manners of preparing this appetizer exist.

this is la salade cuite in its most basic form. it is customarily eaten with challah or pita, like a spread. this also helps to sop up any of the wonderful juices.

ensalada cocha or la salade cuite (matboucha)

a tasty appetizer dish most commonly seen on the sephardi sabbath & holiday table, this is always served at room temperature with bread like challah or pita. because of its acidity, it can be kept for at least a week in the fridge and gets better over the course of a few days.

ingredients:

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
4 - 5 cloves garlic
1 or 2 green bell peppers
4 - 6 tbsp vegetable or mild olive oil

1 - 1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 - 2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground cumin (optional)
2 tsp paprika

*some people like to add a (hot) green chili, or some harissa paste, for "une salade piquante" (spicy salade)

2 - 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander (optional)

method:

the first step in making this is to grill your green pepper(s). i do it in a grill pan on the stove top until all sides are charred, which takes about 30 to 40 minutes. you can also do it at 450F in the oven or toaster oven turning the pepper(s) every once in a while until they are blackened.

once it has charred, place it in a bowl and cover the bowl. let the pepper cool down and then peel away all of the skin.

remove the top and cut in half. discard the seeds.

cut the pepper into 1/4" strips lengthwise and set aside. keep the juices to add later; they are not bitter. cut the strips in half. they should be about 1 1/2 to 2 inches.

the second step is to cut the garlic into 1/8" slices and sauté them in 4 tbsp oil over medium low heat. cook them until they are softened. if they blacken, throw them out and start again.

add the whole can of diced tomatoes to the pan and the salt (start with 1 tsp and adjust at the end if needed), pepper, sugar and paprika. you can also add the green peppers now. add the harissa paste, to taste, or the hot green chili, if using.

bring it to a boil. once boiling, turn the heat to medium high. cook the mixture, covered, for a good 10 minutes and then remove the lid. the mixture should have thickened up.

at this point you can also keep the lid on half way to reduce splattering. i like to cook it in a wide sauté pan but you can also use a dutch oven casserole pan.

let the mixture cook for about 40 to 45 minutes or until there is very little, or almost no liquid left and the tomatoes are starting to look shiny.

the salade is cooked. remove from the heat and let it cool a bit. taste it and adjust the seasonings. add the chopped coriander, if using. i usually add a tbsp or two of extra virgin olive oil at this point but that is optional.

let it sit for a few hours for the flavours to settle.

serve at room temperature with challah or other bread like pita.

enjoy!