Tajine el Bey

Tajine el Bey is a delicious and refined variant of Tunisian tajine. It consists of 3 pranks mounted separately to compose a layer of meat, a spinach based and the last floor made of ricotta, representing the 3 colors of the Bey of Tunis.

Cuisine: North African, Tunisian

Servings: 8 people

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time  1 hr

Total Time  1 hr 30 mins

Ingredients

For the meat layer

• 1 lb beef , ground
• 2 onions , grated
• 3 cloves garlic , pressed
• 2 oz. cheese (e.g. mozzarella), grated
• 4 eggs , beaten
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon tabel (Tunisian spice blend)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

For the spinach layer

• 10 oz. fresh spinach , rinsed, drained and finely chopped,
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 2 oz. cheese (e.g. mozzarella), grated
• ½ teaspoon tabel
• Salt
• Black pepper

For the ricotta layer

• 10 oz. ricotta
• 2 oz. cheese (e.g. mozzarella), grated
• 3 egg whites slightly beaten
• Black pepper
• For the mold
• 3 tablespoons butter

For the decor

• 3 oz. walnuts (or pistachios, slightly roasted), crushed

Instructions

For the meat layer

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and brown the onions for a few minutes.
2. Add the ground meat and garlic and stir well.
3. Add the cumin and the tabel. Add salt, black pepper and mix well.
4. Cook the meat over medium heat, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring regularly.
5. Remove the meat from the heat and let it cool for 15 minutes.
6. Add the grated cheese and eggs and mix well.
7. Gently this preparation to obtain a smooth and even layer.
8. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
9. Butter a baking dish and pour all the ground meat mixture.
10. Using a spatula, even out the surface.
11. Bake for 10 minutes. The surface must harden a little.

For the spinach layer

1. In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Sauté the spinach, stirring regularly until all the liquid is reduced.
2. Let cool completely then add the egg yolks, the whole eggs, and the tabel.
3. Season with salt, pepper and stir well.
4. Pour the spinach stuffing in the oven dish, on top of the meat layer, .
5. Bake for 10 minutes.

For the ricotta layer

1. Mix the ricotta, grated cheese, and egg whites.
2. Add the ricotta mixture to the spinach layer and bake again for 10 minutes.
3. Let cool and cut small diamond-shaped slices.
4. Sprinkle each with crushed nuts or pistachios or a mixture of both.

source:www.196flavors.com