Go Back

Soraya's Bricks Three Ways

Enjoyed alongside Lamb Chorba during Ramadan 2024.
Prep Time2 hours
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time2 hours 30 minutes
CourseDinner, Iftar, Lunch
CuisineAlgerian
Keywordbricks
Servings20 bricks

Equipment

  • large frying pan

Ingredients

  • 2 large potatoes
  • 1 cup red onion, diced 1 med-lg size
  • 1 tsp oilve oil
  • 6 eggs
  • 500 g ground beef
  • ??? spices for beef
  • 500 g natural tuna
  • chopped parsley leaves
  • chopped cilantro leaves
  • ??? spices for potato-tuna
  • 2 packages of bricks 2×10 bricks
  • 1 jar green olives, pitted
  • 1 packet La Vache qui Rit find equivalent for USA
  • sunflower oil for frying
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Potatoes and Tuna

  • Boil the potatoes in a medium pan of salted water. Meanwhile, chop the onion and herb leaves, and prepare the rest of the ingredients for all of the bricks.
  • When fully cooked, remove and discard the skins, putting them in large bowl. Mash roughly with a fork, and allow to cool. Move onto the eggs and beef, and return to the next step later.
  • When the potatoes are cool, empty the can of tuna into the same bowl. Add 1/4c of the red onion, parsley, coriander, some salt, .... SPICES? BLACK PEPPER? and stir to combine. keep aside.

Prepare the Scrambled Egg + Ground Beef

  • Meanwhile, crack the eggs and whisk them with a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat, and when hot, add olive oil. Add the eggs, and allow to set, then gently stir occasionally until the eggs are just cooked. Reserve the eggs in a medium bowl and allow to cool.
  • Using the same skillet, heat to medium -high heat, and when hot, add olive oil. When warmed, add the beef, letting it brown a bit, but also stirring. After a few minutes, add 3/4c of the diced red onion. Add salt, black pepper and SPICES? When cooked, remove to a medium bowl and allow to cool.

Assemble the Bricks

  • Clear a workspace big enough to lay the bricks flat in front of you, with all of the stuffings close at hand. We made these three types in three different shapes as a way to tell them apart from each other.
  • BEEF + EGG + CHEESE (triangles)
    - Start with the brick folded in half, the rounded part towards you. On the far right side, leaving about 1 inch/2.5 cm from the edge, add about a third of cup of the cooked beef, add about 1 heaping tbps of scrambled egg, and 1 triangle of Vache Qui Rit.
    - Fold up the round part of brick towards the top/flat part, tuck the far right edge on top, starting to make a triangle. Complete the triangle by tucking and flipping the filling towards the rest of the empty brick, and continuing to do so until the full brick has been used, tucking in the last part to keep it together. Keep aside, covered in the paper the brick came in so as not to dry out.
  • TUNA + EGG + CHEESE (squares)
    - Start with the whole round brick. Using about a third cup of the tuna mixture, shape a square-ish hollow shape in which to put the egg and cheese. The "walls" should be an even height of about a half inch.
    - Make a square shape by folding up the brick across the square you have made, alternating sides and folding/tucking as needed to keep the contents inside. Use your finger to add a bit of water on the last flap brick to keep it sealed.
  • BEEF + EGG (cigars)
    - Mix the remainder of the beef and egg together.
    - Start with the brick folded in half, the rounded part towards you. put the beef and egg mixture in a log shape, about 3cm/1"+ thick, and 5"/12cm long. Take the bottom part of the brick and fold it over the log of filling tucking it snuggly. One at a time fold the right and left parts of the brick toward one another, making right angles of the brick in relation to the log, and again making it fit snugly. Now roll the wrapped, full part away from you to finish the cigar shape. use a bit of water on the last edge of the brick to help it stick.

Cook the Bricks

  • Heat an oven to 100C/210F, with a large baking sheet inside it. Too keep them warm before serving, add cooked bricks in a single layer (lest they get soggy!) as they come out of the pan.
  • Just before mealtime, heat a large fry pan over medium heat. When it is hot, add the oil.

Serve

  • Enjoy soon after frying. Can be enjoyed with a bit of Algerian harissa.

Notes

?? Do you use a bit of water to seal the bricks when not tucked in (the cigar for example?)
??how do divide up the diced red onion between the beef and tuna?
?? which bricks use the green olives?
?? parsley, corrander and mint leaves in the tuna/potato?
Print Recipe