3 oz/75 g chickpeas
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cardamoms
4 cloves
a 2 inch/5 cm stick of cinnamon
2 oz/50 g ghee or butter
1 tbsp. curry paste
½ tbsp. ground almonds
1 chicken, jointed
3 fl. oz/75 ml thick coconut milk
juice of 1 lemon
salt

Soak the chickpeas overnight, drain and cook in fresh water until tender. Fry the onion, garlic, cardamoms, cloves and cinnamon lightly together in the ghee or butter. Add the curry paste and ground almonds. Mix thoroughly and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the jointed chicken and let it fry in this mixture for 15 minutes. Add the coconut milk and simmer, uncovered, until the chicken is tender. Add the chickpeas, lemon juice and salt (to taste). Simmer together for 5 minutes, serve.

2 medium-sized aubergines
1 large onion; chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
6 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb/400 g stewing beef or lamb, cubed
4 oz/100 g chickpeas, soaked overnight
salt and pepper
½ tsp. ground coriander
1 large can tomatoes
1½ pints/¾ liter stock or water

Slice the aubergines, sprinkle with salt and let drain for 15-30 minutes. Meanwhile, fry the onion and garlic in 4 tbsp. of oil in a heavy saucepan until soft. Add the cubed beef and brown quickly. Stir in the soaked and drained chickpeas, salt, pepper and coriander. Mix together for a few minutes, pour in the can of tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the stock or water, cover and cook in the oven 325°F (Mark 3) for 2½ hours. Fry the aubergines lightly in 2 tbsp. of oil and add them to the stew 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time.

Variations:
1. Use 2 lbs/800 g courgettes instead of aubergines. Add the sliced courgettes about ½ hour before the end of the cooking time. Replace the can of tomatoes with 3-4 tbsp. tomato purée and spice the dish with 1 tbsp. allspice (instead of ground coriander).
2. For a nice vegetarian mousakka leave out the meat and cut the aubergines in chunks rather than slices.
Reduce the quantity of water used.

Serves 4

2 calf's feet
3 tbsp. oil
salt and black pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
½ lb/200 g chickpeas, soaked overnight

Garnish:
2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

Wash and scurb the calf's feet thoroughly. Blanch them in boiling water until a scum has formed. Drain. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the feet until browned. Add salt and pepper (to taste), turmeric and the soaked and drained chickpeas. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer gently until the meat is practically falling off the bone. Bone (if desired) and add the meat to the pan.


Variations:
1. Use pig's trotters instead of calf's feet.

2. It is sometimes served as a soup; increase the quantity of water and use only 1 calf's foot.

3. A Moroccan version (Hergma) is spiced with ½ tsp. ground ginger, 1 tsp. paprika and ½ tsp. cayenne (instead of turmeric). Add 4 oz/100 g of cooked rice at the end of the cooking time.

1 lb/400 g lean beef or lamb, cubed
several bones from the meat
12 small white onions
3-4 oz/75-100 g butter or smee
3 oz/75 g chickpeas (soaked overnight)
1 pint/½ lietr meat broth
1½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin or cinnamon
6 oz/150 g rice (soaked for ½ hour)

Fry the meat and the onions together in butter until the onions are golden and the meat browned all over. Add the soaked and drained chickpeas and the meat broth to cover. Season with salt and pepper, add the cumin or cinnamon and simmer gently in a covered pan until the meat is tender and the chickpeas cooked (about 1 hour).
Drain the soaked rice. Check that there is about 2 cups liquid left in the cooking pan and adjust accordingly.
Add the rice, mix well and simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes (add more water if necessary) until the rice is cooked. Turn off the heat and allow to rest a few minutes before serving.

Variations:
1 This can also be made without the meat.
2 Replace the rice with 4 oz/100 g of cracked wheat (previously browned in butter).

1 lb/½ g fresh faba beans or
8 oz/250 g dried faba beans
4 oz/100 g rice
2 large onions
1 lb/½ kg ground beef
6-8 tbsp. dried dill weed, or
1 teascup fresh dill weed
2 eggs, beaten lightly
1 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. butter
1 can chicken broth
2 tbsp. water

If using fresh faba beans, boil them in salted boiling water (about 20 minutes). Drain and refresh with cold water, remove skins. If using dried faba beans, soak them overnight in cold water, then boil them in salted water until tender (about 1 hour). Boil the rice in salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. Grate one onion and mix it with the ground beef, peeled faba beans, rice, dill weed, beaten eggs, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Shape into balls.
Slice the remaining onion and sauté in the butter until golden brown. Add chicken broth and water. Bake, covered, in the oven at 350°F for about 1 hour, turning occasionally.
The meatballs can also be simmered in a covered saucepan for about 1 hour.

1 lb/½ kg fresh faba beans, shelled
1 oz/25 g butter
1 small onion, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
salt and pepper

Cook the faba beans until tender in boiling salted water, drain. Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the chopped onion gently until it becomes transparent. Add the bacon pieces and fry until crisp. Add the beans, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, stir for a few minutes. Serve.

½ lb/¼ kg lamb, cubed
2 oz/50 g butter
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 lb/½ kg fresh faba beans, shelled
½ pint/250 ml water
Salt and pepper

Brown meat in the butter. Add onion and garlic and simmer until the onion is transparent. Add beans and water. Season to taste. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes until the beans are tender and the meat is cooked.

Serves 4

5 tbsp. oil
1 lb/½ kg fresh or frozen faba beans,
shelled
½ tsp. dried thyme
salt and black pepper
1½ lbs/¾ kg beef, minced
1½ tsp. mixed spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cayenne pepper and cloves)
3 eggs
juice of ½ lemon (optional)

Mix 3 tbsp. oil with about one teacup of water in a saucepan. Add beans and thyme, season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer gently until the beans are tender, adding more water if necessary. Meanwhile, prepare the ''tatbila'' or meat mixture. Heat 2 tbsp. of oil in a deep frying pan or heavy casserole. Add the minced beef before the oil gets too hot. Add mixed spices, salt and pepper and enough water to cover. Simmer until the meat is cooked and the water absorbed (the mixture should be quite dry).
Add the meat mixture to the beans and stir well, crushing lightly with a fork. Break the eggs into the pan and stir. Cook, stirring constantly until they are set. Cool in the serving dish, tasting to adjust the seasoning. Serve cold sprinkled with lemon juice.

2½ lbs/1 kg smoked collar bacon
joint
1 bouquet garni*
1 small onion
parsley
½ tsp. dried savory
1 lb/450 g green shelled faba beans, fresh or frozen or two cans (10 oz/300 g) of green faba beans
2 oz/50 g butter
2 oz/50 g onion, chopped
2 oz/50 g plain flour


* Bouquet garni:
1 sprig parsley
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig marjoram

Tie in muslin or two thicknesses of cheesecloth.

Cover bacon with cold water and soak for 3 hours. Drain and place in a large saucepan. Cover with fresh water and slowly bring to the boil. Drain and refresh with cold water, add the bouquet garni, peeled and quartered onion, parsley and savoury. Cook for 65 minutes.  Meanwhile cook the beans in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain and reserve the cooking liquor. Heat the butter in a small saucepan. Add the chopped onion and fry gently until soft. Mix in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes until golden, then blend in 1 pint/500 ml of the bean water (or the water drained from the cans of beans and bacon water) and stir sauce over low heat until it thickens. Add beans and cook for 5 more minutes until heated through.
Serve the bacon in fairly thick slices with the beans.

Serves 4

4 oz/100 g chickpeas
4 oz/100 g faba beans
1 onion, sliced
3 fl oz/75 ml olive oil
6 oz /150 g dried octopus, chopped
1 oz/25 g parsley, chopped
1 oz/25 g celery
4-5 carrots, chopped
3-4 turnips, chopped
half a medium-sized cabbage, chopped
2 tbsp. tomato purée
½ tsp. hot sauce
salt
½ tsp. chilli powder
1 lemon
1 lb/500 g pasta

Soak the chickpeas and faba beans in cold water overnight. Next day, fry the onion in hot oil until brown. Add the octopus pieces, add the soaked chickpeas and faba beans, the chopped parsley, celery, carrots, turnips and the cabbage. Mix in the tomato purée hot sauce, salt and chilli pepper. Simmer in 1¾ pints/1 liter water until the vegetables are cooked. Pour over another ¾ pints/½ liter of water, bring to the boil, add the pasta and cook until tender (15-20 minutes). Sprinkle with lemon juice before serving.

¼ lb/100 g lean ham, diced
2 tbsp. oil
1 garlic clove
1 small onion, chopped finely
2 lbs/1 kg fresh faba beans, shelled
½ pint/250 ml tomato juice
c tsp. dried basil
salt and pepper

Fry ham in oil with a whole garlic clove and the finely chopped onion for 5 minutes; remove garlic. Combine the shelled beans and tomato juice in a saucepan with a tightly fitting cover, season with basil, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 1½ hours or more until the beans are very tender. Add more tomato juice, if necessary.

Serves 8

2 lbs/1 kg fresh faba beans
1 chicken stock cube
2 oz/50 g streaky bacon, diced
2 onions, chopped
3 tbsp. plain flour
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch of grated nutmeg
½ pint/250 ml single cream

Shell the beans and cook them in boiling, salted water until tender. Reserve ½ pint/250 ml of the cooking liquor, topping up with extra water if necessary. Dissolve the stock cube in it. Fry the diced bacon and chopped onion gently together in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the flour. Gradually stir in the stock. Return pan to the heat and cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly until sauce thickens. Remove from heat and season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir in beans and cream and heat gently for 5 minutes more, stirring. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

Serves 4

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