North African flavors

I've been intrigued and inspired by the flavors of North Africa since I visited Paris' Quartier Latin as a teenager. Since then, I've had the pleasure of traveling to Morocco for a couple months, and always seek out North African restaurants wherever I live and travel. This weekend I tried out a couple new recipes that were both simple and delicious. Above is a Moroccan-style potato and egg sandwich, mid-preparation. When I saw this recipe, it made me think of going on a late night sandwich run with my travel-mate to this place where you could get egg sandwiches stuffed with french fries. The perfect late night guilty pleasure. I seasoned the potato-onion-pepper mixture with a liberal amount of cumin, salt and pepper, and a good dash of cayenne. It was perfect, easy to prepare, inexpensive, and something I am sure to return to when I'm seeking comfort food.


Last night, in the interest of making more of my own bread, I prepared Flatbread with Dukka. Dukka is an Egyptian spice and nut blend that I came across in Australia--apparently it is pretty popular there--I had never heard of it in the US. I bought a small pouch of dukka at Herbie's in Sydney, but had yet to open it. This recipe seemed like the perfect way to sample the dukka and make some simple homemade bread. It turned out delicious, crunchy in some areas, softer in others, and the warm nutty spice blend sprinkled over the top. Also very good for breakfast!