Grilled Salad from Tunisia

The ingredients of this salad called Salāṭa Mishwiyya in Arabic, the New World tomatoes and peppers having been introduced by the Spanish, are all grilled then tossed together. It is a very popular salad throughout Tunisia and one is likely to encounter it many times in ones travels in country. I first ate it in Djerba, where it typically accompanies other grilled food. You can double the recipe easily.
½ pound ripe, but firm, tomatoes
2 green bell peppers (about ¾ pound)
4 fresh red chiles (about ½ pound)
1 medium-size onion, peeled and quartered
2 garlic cloves, peeled
4 ½ teaspoons caraway seed
¾ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
24 imported black olives, pitted or whole
One 3 ½-ounce can imported tuna in olive oil, drained and flaked apart
2 hard-boiled eggs, shelled and quartered
1. Prepare a hot charcoal fire or preheat a gas grill on high for 20 minutes.
2. Grill the tomatoes, peppers, and onion until all have blackened and blistered peels or black grid marks, about 15 minutes for the smaller peppers and tomatoes, and about 20 to 25 minutes for the bell peppers and onion.
3. Peel and seed the grilled vegetables, cut them up, and place in a food processor. Process with 4 or 5 short pulses and transfer to a medium-size bowl. (You can also chop them coarsely with a chef’s knife).
4. Pound the garlic, caraway seeds, and salt together in a mortar with a pestle until almost a paste. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the grilled vegetables. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with the olive oil and lemon juice, and garnish with the olives, pieces of tuna, and quartered eggs.
Makes 4 servings

North African Dry Rub

Americans are notoriously poor at geography, a fact that should scare any parent whose child is thinking of joining the military. Why? Wouldn't you like to know something about where you might die? So how about North Africa? The last time anybody in the U.S. military died in North Africa was in WW II; and they died for a very good cause: the defeat of the Nazis. It's the western part of the southern Mediterranean littoral and comprises the countries of Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. In geography it's known as the Maghrib. It's a nice place to know. So what's a "North African Dry Rub?" This is an American term referring to the kinds of spices used in one of these countries to rub into meat before baking or grilling. In the Magrib there is no such thing as a "North African dry rub." In all the Mediterranean the heaviest use of spices is found in these three countries. The most common North African spices are cumin, caraway, coriander, turmeric, paprika, chile, cinnamon, black pepper, saffron, cubeb, aniseed, and fenugreek. Many others are used.

[Photo: Clifford A. Wright]