Tunisian Brik

A Brik is a mouth watering pastry case filled with TUNA, POTATO,EGG and a few other bits and pieces to your own personal taste.
We make them at home to eat alone, or as part of a meal or to take with us on outings or as a packed lunch.
It is a traditional Tunisian delicacy and was believed to have come about in a manner similar to the British Cornish pasty-the working men used to take them to work for lunch as a filling nutritious lunch, all packed in its own pastry case!
As the pastry is similar to filo and the Brik is similar to the Turkish Borek and as the TURKS were resident in Tunisia for many years, may have influenced the Brik or maybe the Brik influence the Borek :)

You can try Brik in TUNISIA or in the UK in Tunisian restaurants, but in here in London, some we  have tried are not as good as they should be and were served burnt to a crisp!
The end result should be a crisp golden brown as above and are the triangular shaped ones in the picture. The rectangular ones are a concoction of mine which is based on the Greek Spanakopitta- a cheese and spinach stuffed filo pastry, which I will include in my new cookery blog.

Ingredients for Brik

one pack of Brik pastry-available from all middle eastern grocery stores. If you cannot get it then buy spring roll pastry(the frozen ones from Chinese supermarkets and choose the large square sheets-approx £1.70 a pack-not the authentic, but still come out as good as ever).

mashed potato cooled (good way to use leftovers)

canned,drained tuna chunks

1 egg for each brik-use small eggs

Harissa, black olives salt and black pepper-chopped parsley

optional-grated cheddar cheese                 hot oil for frying (vegetable or sunflower)

lemon wedges

Method:- (see directions for folding your brik)

1.Take one sheet of Brik pastry or spring roll pastry
2.Fold all four edges in to make a square shape
3.Make a line to show half way on your square sheet and remember you are going to fold into a triangle.
4. Take your mashed potato and place on the pastry to half way-I use a spoon full and make into a sausage shape around the triangle to form a kind of wall.
5. Now place some tuna inside the wall.
6. Break your small egg into the wall preferably in a little well to stop it going everywhere.
7. Flavour to taste with your harissa paste (hot and spicy-use with caution if not used to it), chopped black olives, black pepper and chopped parsley and cheese if liked.
8. Put eaten egg around the edges to glue the brik together and fold one half over the other and seal-press with sharp edge of knife to seal.
9. Make sure your oil is hot in a good flying pan and place the brik into it, leave for a couple of Min's to brown on underside, then turn over carefully. allow other side to cook.
10. Remove from oil and leave on paper to drain from excess oil.

Repeat this process for each brik you require and serve hot with lemon wedges which are squeezed over the Brik on eating. We use fingers but you can use knife and fork too as they can get a bit messy.

The Briks can be eaten cold and reheated in an oven but don't taste as good as freshly made.
One Brik is usually sufficient for each person, but they are very moreish and expect second helping requests!
You could serve one Brik per person with a soup eg., Shorba (recipe will follow).