Mechouia (p. 63)

Mechouia is Tunisian Grilled Vegetable Salsa which is supposed to be good as either a first course on its own or as a side salad (in our case paired with hot dogs.)

I roasted green and red peppers as well as several chili peppers over my gas stove. Once they were cool enough to handle, they were peeled, diced, and placed in a bowl.

While the peppers were roasting, I put whole tomatoes and halved onions in the oven to roast. The tomatoes came out when the skins were beginning to peel off.

The skins were peeled completely off and the tomatoes diced and put in with the peppers and chilies.

The onions continued cooking for about 10 more minutes and were then diced and added to the salsa.

In a small bowl, I combined garlic, salt, and crushed coriander seed. Once these were well mixed and formed a sort of paste, I stirred it in with the vegetables. I left the mixture in the fridge for several hours -- once we were ready to eat I added olive oil and lemon juice, mixed, and served.

This was really tasty. The chili peppers added a surprising spice (not to me, since I knew they were in there, but to other people eating them), and the flavors were very fresh. I could eat this as a sauce on fish or just as a salad.

onion -- $1.98

tomatoes -- $1.80

chili peppers -- $.08

peppers -- $3.48

Total Cost of Mechouia: $7.34