Born to a family of butchers from Casablanca, Morocco, Guy Peretz took
his knowledge a step further and became chef and owner of a few
successful restaurants, as well as a catering business.
His
cuisine is very much influenced by the North African Jewish traditional
cuisine, to which he brings his knowledge of the gourmet cuisine
acquired from his extensive experience of cooking and studying with top
chefs and a number of culinary institutions around the world.
In
his third recipe book, Sefer Habasar (The Book of Meat), the 34-year-old
Peretz returns to the family trade – meat. He brings his understanding
of handling meat and getting the best results. The recipes in the book
are all influenced by his cuisine, using olive oil, thyme, garlic, root
vegetables and, of course, good meat.
Here are a few of the chef’s recipes from his book.
THE PERFECT PAN-FRIED STEAK
Makes 2
This
recipe is for a real French-style beef steak, which should always be
prepared in a skillet and not on the grill. Searing the meat on a very
hot skillet locks the juices inside, resulting in a perfect, succulent
piece of meat. Ask your butcher to cut thick slices. Thinly sliced
steaks tend to dry out easily. If you prefer to eat less, prepare one
thick steak and share it with someone or eat only half.
✔ 2 steaks, 300 gr. each. Choose aged marbled entrecote. Ask the butcher to cut from the middle of the entrecote.
✔ 1 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 1 Tbsp. goose fat
✔ 2 sprigs thyme
✔ 4 garlic cloves with the peel (use roasted confit cloves if you have them)
✔ Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
✔ 1⁄2 cup red wine
Before
cooking the meat, make sure it is at room temperature. The shock of
being transferred from a very cold temperature to very hot may cause the
meat to toughen.
Heat a heavy skillet. Add oil and fat. Fry the thyme for a few minutes and put aside.
Meanwhile, rub the steaks with oil, massaging them a little and season with salt and pepper.
Place
steaks on the hot skillet and cook for about 11⁄2 minutes until upper
side of the meat “sweats.” Turn them over and cook on the other side
until done to desired degree. Just before removing from the heat, pour
wine into the skillet. The wine absorbs all the juices and flavors that
accumulated in the skillet. Pour the wine gravy on the steak and serve.
BASIC POT ROAST
The
easiest way to prepare a family roast is to cook it with aromatic
vegetables, slice, arrange on a heat-proof baking sheet and finish in
the oven with your favorite gravy.
✔ A shoulder of beef
✔ 1 Tbsp. oil
✔ 1 large onion, quartered
✔ 4 stalks celery, cut into chunks
✔ 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
✔ 1 leek, white part only, washed and cut into 3 or 4 pieces
✔ 4 cloves, with the peel
✔ 4 bay leaves
✔ 1 tsp. allspice
Heat
oil in a heavy pot and sear meat on all sides until browned. Add cut
vegetables and spices and continue frying for 5 more minutes. Pour in
enough boiling water to cover, and cook for 1 hour or until meat is
almost tender. Remove meat from the pot and let it cool on a cutting
board. Strain the cooking liquids and reserve.
When cooled, slice meat into 1-cm. thick slices and arrange on a baking sheet.
Pour
your favorite sauce – mushroom, wine, root vegetables or any other
sauce – on the sliced meat and bake in a 180º oven for 30 minutes.
Prepare the sauce using the juices left from cooking the meat.
FESTIVE
EGGPLANT AND MEAT BAKE Makes 4 This North African-inspired dish of
ground meat baked with eggplant, roasted almonds and spicy tomato sauce
is prepared in individual dishes and served on special occasions.
✔
3 eggplants, sliced lengthwise into 4-mm. thick slices, with the peel
✔
1⁄2 cup olive oil
✔ Salt and black pepper
✔ 2 tomatoes, sliced into
1-cm thick slices
Filling:
✔ 400 gr. ground beef
✔ 3 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 1
onion, chopped
✔ 4 cloves garlic, chopped
✔ 4 celery stalks, chopped
✔
1⁄2 cup coriander leaves, chopped
✔ 4 Tbsp. almonds, sliced and lightly
roasted
✔ Salt and black pepper
✔ 1⁄2 tsp. baharat (spice mix)
Sauce:
✔ 1
onion, chopped
✔ 1 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 4 cloves garlic, chopped
✔ 2
celery stalks, chopped
✔ 4 tomatoes, sliced
✔ 1 Tbsp. tomato puree
✔
Salt and black pepper
Heat oven to 180º.
Brush the eggplant
slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake the eggplant
slices on a lined baking sheet for 6 to 10 minutes until golden in color
and tender.
Grease 4 individual baking pans (you can use
disposable ones), and line with the eggplant slices, leaving half of
each slice hanging out – to be used as a cover after filling. Set aside.
To
prepare filling: Fry the onion in olive oil, add garlic and celery, add
the meat and crumble with fork. When the color of the meat changes, add
the rest of the ingredients and cook for 5 minutes.
Remove from
heat. Fill each dish with a generous amount of the meat mixture,
pressing it a little. Place a tomato slice on top and cover with the
remaining eggplant slices.
Place on a baking sheet and bake in a 180º oven for 10 minutes.
To
prepare sauce: Fry the onion, add the garlic and celery. When cooked a
little, add the tomatoes and continue cooking 2 more minutes. Add the
tomato puree and season to taste. Add 1 cup of water, mix and cook for
10-12 minutes or until sauce thickens.
To serve: Place a ladle of the sauce in the middle of each plate, turn and release one baked eggplant onto each plate.
MOROCCAN-STYLE HAMBURGER
Makes 2
Peretz
has created his own hamburger, which is inspired by the the North
African cuisine he grew up on. The meat is spiced with ras el hanout, a
spice mix typical to Eastern cuisines, and served with Moroccan bread.
For the burgers:
✔ 400 gr. coarsely ground beef. Ask the butcher for thin ribs, known in Israel as shpondra, or cut No. 9.
✔ 2 onions, chopped and fried
✔ 1 Tbsp. ras el hanout spice mix
✔ 4 Tbsp. coriander leaves, chopped
✔ 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
✔ 2 Tbsp. arisa (Moroccan hot sauce)
For serving:
✔ 2 Moroccan breads (panera) or other bread
✔ 2 grilled tomatoes, peeled
✔ 2 chilies, grilled
✔ 2 Tbsp. garlic confit
✔ 2 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 1 bunch coriander, leaves only
Mix
together all the burger ingredients and form into two equal-sizes
patties. If you have rings, use a 10 cm. one to shape the patties. Cool
in the refrigerator for 2 hours. While the meat is cooling in the
refrigerator, grill the tomatoes and chilies and peel them.
Grill the burgers on an open grill or in a heavy griddle pan.
Warm the bread and place on the plates.
Place
grilled burgers on the bread and top with grilled vegetables. Garnish
with chopped coriander leaves and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Note:
Make sure the meat patties are flat and the burger is the same
thickness throughout so that it cooks evenly. This is especially
important when cooking in a frying pan.
Recipes and photos courtesy of Korim Publishing House and chef Guy Peretz of Confit Haifa and Gazpacho Ashkelon.
The cookbook is available in bookstores around the country. NIS 98
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