Tunisian cuisine features all the hallmarks of delicious North African food: complex spices, combinations of fruit and meat, Mediterranean ingredients and a hint of French colonial influence. Tagines, the flavourful stews that range from Morocco to Egypt, get there name from the characteristic conical dishes of the same name that they are most often cooked in.
Dali Chehimi has put together a delightful menu featuring several classic Tunisian dishes, many rarely seen in Toronto.
—–
Stuffed Calamari
Fresh squid stuffed with calamari, spinach, rice, egg, garlic, onions, parsley, mint and harissa, braised in light tomato sauce with chickpeas and potatoes
Ommek Houria
A spicy Tunisian starter, somewhere between a salad and a dip, made with sweet braised carrots combined with homemade harissa (Moroccan hot sauce), garlic and olive oil. A popular dish to break the Ramadan fast.
Tunisian chicken two ways:
Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Green Olives
This is a classic North African tagine, or stew, named after the conical earthenware pots they are typically cooked in. This dish combines the aromatic citrus of homemade preserved lemons with briny, earthy green olives, fresh coriander and tender chicken to great effect.
Chicken with Apricots, Prunes & Almonds
A distinctive North African combination of fruit, nuts and aromatic spices, slowly braised until meltingly tender and fragrant.
Vegetable Tagine
An aromatic Tunisian vegetable stew of sweet potatoes, carrots & cabbage
The mains are complemented with Dali’s homemade harissa and a tri-color couscous.
Selection of Baklawa
An array of small, buttery phyllo pastries, rich with nuts and delicately sweetened, from Toronto’s finest Middle Eastern bakery. Served with Tunisian-style mint tea.
—–
$50 +HST
—–
A veteran Toronto restaurateur, Dali Chehimi’s storied career has seen him working at iconic restaurants such as Sassafraz, Sarkis and Avec, as well as running Casbah, an innovative pop-up food stall specializing in Tunisian fare.
—–
Every weekend The Depanneur invites a guest chef to host a fun, informal BYOB dinner party.