Hareesa is a Tunisian Shabbat overnight stew that started as an Arab overnight dish of wheat and meat. The dish was first recorded as areesa in a 13th century cookbook by Al Baghdadi, Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ (The Book of Dishes) as well as in the Andalusian Kitab al-Ṭabīḫ of the same century.

The dish immigrated to Spain with the Muslims, where it was adapted by the Jews who prepared it for shabbat (they also used the name hamin de trigo, hot dish of grains, for the dish.) In 1492, with the inquisition, the dish moved to North Africa with the Jews who were expelled from Spain.

The dish lasted for so long because it is just that tasty… Read more about its history in this p ost.

Tunisian and Moroccan hareesa/harīsa/oriza overnight stew

Recipe by Vered GuttmanCourse: Main course, ShabbatCuisine: Tunisian, Jewish, IsraeliDifficulty: Medium

Servings

servings

Prep time

minutes

Hareesa is the Shabbat overnight stew of the Jews of Tunisia.

Ask your butcher for beef fat or a very fatty beef cut for the koukla patties. Alternatively, you can use corn or olive oil.

INGREDIENTS

¼ cup corn or vegetable oil
2 yellow onions, halved and sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoonד tomato paste
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons turmeric
1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1½ cups wheat (or freekeh, farro or spelt, or a combination)
4 chicken quarters (thigh and drumsticks), or a whole chicken, cut
6 cups boiling water
6 eggs, washed well
6 koukla patties
For the koukla patties (optional)
6 oz. beef or chicken fat or a fatty beef cut or corn oil (see note above)
1 egg
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon course sea salt
¾ cups farina
3 slices of 2-days-old bread or challah, soaked in water, then squeezed

DIRECTIONS

Put oil in a large over-proof pot over medium-high heat, add sliced onion and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it begins to brown. Lower heat as needed. Add brown sugar and sauté for 5 minutes longer, until nicely caramelized.
While the onion is sautéed, Make the koukla. Finely chop beef fat or beef cut, if using. mix all ingredients of koukla in a medium bowl and set aside.
When onions are ready, transfer about a quarter of them into the koukla bowl and mix well. If mixture seems dry, add a couple of tablespoons water and mix again.
Add tomato paste, paprika, turmeric and 1 tablespoon salt to the onions in the pot, cook for another minute and remove from heat.
Mix wheat into the onion mixture in the pot. Top wheat with chicken pieces and cover with 6 cups of boiling water. Chicken should be completely covered with water, about an inch more. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, skim any foam and continue to simmer.
Form 6-8 large flat patties of the koukla mixture and arrange in the simmering water on one side of the pot. Arrange eggs on the other side, next to the koukla patties. Bring to boil again, lower heat to medium-low, cover with lid and continue to simmer until oven is warm.
Turn oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit. Check the pot, the water should reach almost the top of the koukla patties. Cover back with lid. If the pot is not tightly sealed, wrap it with 2 layers of aluminum foil to make sure it’s sealed well. Transfer to oven for the night. When ready to serve, remove from oven, let stand for 10 minutes (the rest of the liquid will be absorbed at this point) and serve.