Mama Maries Moroccan Tuna Brik Recipes

TUNISIAN BRIK (ESSENTIAL MEDITERRANEAN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F Metl the butter in a small frying pan and cool the onion over low heat until soft but not brown, about 5 minutes.
• Combine the onion, tuna, capers, parsley and parmesan in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Cut the filo pastry sheets in half widthways. Layer four of the half-sheets together, brushing each with melted butter. Keep the remaining pastry covered with a tamp towel.
• Spoon half the tuna mixture onto one end of the buttered pastry, leaving a border. Made a well in the center of the mixture and carefully break an egg into the well, being careful not to break it. Season with salt and pepper.
• Layer two more sheets of the filo together, brushing with melted butter, and place on top of the tuna and egg. Fold in the pastry sides, then roll into a firm parcel, keeping the egg intact.
• Place on a lightly greased baking tray and brush with melted butter. Repeat with the remaining pastry, filling and egg.
• Bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• NOTE: the yolk is still soft after 15 minutes. If you like your eggs firmer, bake for a little longer.

TUNISIAN TUNA-AND-EGG TURNOVER

Steps:

• Mash together tuna, scallions, parsley, capers, olive oil, salt, and pepper in a bowl until tuna is broken up and mixture is combined well.
• Stir together egg white and water in a cup with a fork.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 200°F.
• Heat 1/2 inch vegetable oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet until it registers 350°F on thermometer.
• While vegetable oil is heating, arrange 2 spring-roll wrappers on a work surface and brush centers lightly with olive oil (do not oil edges). Leaving a 1-inch border all around, put 2 tablespoons tuna mixture near lower right corner of 1 wrapper and form mixture into a ring (about 1/2 inch high and 3 inches in diameter) to contain egg.
• Repeat procedure with other wrapper. Brush edges of both wrappers with egg white mixture (use separate brushes for oil and for egg white), then break an egg inside each "ring" and season eggs lightly with salt and pepper. Fold top left corner of each wrapper over egg to form a triangle and press edges together to seal.
• Immediately lift 1 brik gently by tip of triangle and lower into oil, keeping long side of triangle in center of skillet. Repeat with second brik and fry briks, lapping oil over exposed wrappers with a metal spatula, until undersides are golden, about 1 minute. Flip each brik over sideways with aid of 2 metal spatulas, so long side of each triangle stays in center, then continue to fry, lapping exposed wrapper with oil, until wrapper is golden and egg is cooked but yolk is still runny, about 1 minute more. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, then put on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven while making remaining briks.
• Make more briks in same manner (using a second baking sheet for keeping last batches warm). Return oil to 350°F between batches.
• Serve briks warm.

BRIK (EGG-STUFFED PASTRY FOR ONE SERVING)

Steps:

• This is a very tricky pastry to make. When working with phyllo pastry, always work with one sheet at a time and keep the remaining sheets covered so that they do not dry out.
• Fold one sheet of pastry into quarters. Using a pair of scissors, cut the folded pastry into the largest circle possible. Discard the trimmings. This will produce four circles. Use all four circles at a time for one brik.
• Oil a small round plate slightly larger than the pastry circles. Add the stacked circles of pastry. Spoon the tuna over half of the round, leaving a margin of about one inch.
• Break the egg in the center over the tuna and smear some of the white around the margin and unfilled pastry half. Sprinkle the egg with the onion, capers, parsley, coriander, salt, pepper and cumin.
• Fold the pastry over to enclose the egg and make a half moon shape. Using the fingers, rub the oil from the plate all over the pastry.
• Heat about half an inch of oil in a skillet. It is important that the oil be heated to about 330 degrees. It must not be too hot or the brik will burn.
• As carefully as possible, lift and slide the pastry into the oil. Cook 50 seconds or so on one side until nicely browned. As the pastry cooks press down the rounded edge with a spatula. Baste. Turn and cook about one minute on the other side.
• Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.