Dafina
User Reviews
5.0
6 reviews
Excellent
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
12 hrs
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Total Time
12 hrs 30 mins
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Servings
12 people
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Moroccan, Israeli, North African
Dafina
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Dafina is the quintessential Moroccan Jewish dish served on Shabbat (Saturday) for lunch. This beef stew includes rice, chickpeas, potatoes and eggs.
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Ingredients
- 6 lb small white potatoes
- 2 pieces calf's foot
- 1 lb beef cheek
- 1 lb braising steak
- 4 dates
- 2 cups chickpeas (soaked overnight)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or white sugar), for the caramel
- ½ cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- salt
- white pepper
- 12 eggs
For the rice
- 8 oz. parboiled rice
For the wheatberry
- ½ lb wheatberry
- ¼ cup sunflower oil
- 1 teaspoon ground ñora
- 3 garlic cloves , crushed
- 1 whole garlic head
- 2 sweet dried peppers
- 2 dried chili peppers (or 1 dried pimento pepper)
- salt
- 1 small piece beef
For the meatloaf
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 small bunch parsley leaves
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 pinches ground mace
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- salt
- pepper
Equipment
- 2 cooking bags
- parchment paper
Instructions
- Prepare a caramel. If using a slow cooker, prepare the caramel with the sugar in a small saucepan and pour it onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the chickpeas, then add the potatoes on top with the cow's foot in the middle and the dates scattered around the pot. Add the meat on top. Add the spices, salt, pepper and pour boiling water on top.
- Turn the cooker on high immediately after mixing the ingredients by slowly moving the pot from side to side to allow the spices to infuse. Add the oil.
Wheatberry
- Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl. Add twice the volume of water and the washed unpeeled garlic head. Put the ingredients in a cooking bag. Do not seal the bag. Roll the edges and place on top of the other ingredients.
Rice
- Cook the bags of rice in a saucepan. Put aside. Keep some room for the rice in the pot, as it will be added to the pot early Saturday morning
Meatloaf
- Mix the ground beef with all the ingredients except the egg, breadcrumbs and spices. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Form one or two long thick sausages depending on the room left in the pot. Wrap the meat in parchment paper or in a cooking bag and set it on top.
- Finally, add the eggs.
- If using a traditional pot: start the dafina at around 10 am on Friday (the day before serving) on a high temperature and lower the heat once the potatoes are cooked until it is time to put on the hot plate. Depending on the power of the hot plate, the level of liquid may need to be checked. Typically, as soon as the pot is on the hot plate, the level should be about ¾ high.
- If using a slow cooker, the thermostat should be set on "high" all day Friday and then turned to "low" just before Shabbat. The level of liquid should be the same as in a classic pot.
- In both cases, add a heavy cloth on top of the pot to cook “à l’étouffée” or stew the dafina until ready to serve.
Notes
- Mistakes to avoid
- Never use firm types of potatoes (e.g. red ones)
- The potatoes must be kept at a constant temperature otherwise they won't have a melting texture, the hot plate must therefore be very hot when putting the pot on so the heat is constant.
- If using a slow cooker, only add the wheat once boiling point has been reached again. The slow cooker takes time to heat up and the wheat should not stay too long in cool water.
Genuine Reviews
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5.0
6 reviews
Excellent
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