My wife’s parents were both born in Tunisia.  They are Sephardic Jews with a rich history, many stories and delicious food.  All foreign to me when we were first married, I have come to adopt many of my mother-in-law’s traditional dishes into my growing repertoire of recipes.  Each dish she prepares, whether it be for Shabbat or for one of the many holidays, is something that her mother had prepared, as did her grandmother.  Each dish has a history and a story, and was prepared specifically for a certain meal on Shabbat or holiday.  There are certain variations to some of the dishes between my father-in-law’s family and my mother-in-law’s, but to the naked pallet, they are hardly noticeable.

One of my favorites is called Nikitouches.  It’s well known among all of the Tunisian Jews and is simple to make, consisting of just a few simple ingredients, It is rich and indulging.  My mother-in-law told me that in Tunisia, they prepared it every week for Shabbat lunch.  She can remember her mother preparing it as well as her grandmother.  Back then, there was no instant couscous so they had to make it all by hand, with a couscousiere (one of my favorite French words).  It took three hours of steaming, sifting and seasoning..  Nikitouches also consists of a special, small, hand-made pasta (fortunately for me they are available in stores where I live).  It’s what adds that something extra to the dish.  My mother-in-law still prepares them by hand, a task I have yet to master.  A great substitute is Israeli couscous.

In the 1960’s, my in-laws were literally kicked out of Tunisia.  They had little time to prepare and pack, and were limited to how many bags they could take with them.  Some Jews made their way directly to Israel, while others, like my in-laws, went to France. Nikitouches has traveled from Tunisia to France, from France to Israel, and somehow has made its way into this American Ashkenazi’s repertoire.  I encourage you to try this.  Your family will love it.

Ingredients:

3-4 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

6-8 pieces of dark meat chicken, skin on

2 tbsp canola oil

2 tsp salt (plus a little more for seasoning the chicken)

Crushed black pepper

1 tbsp turmeric

1.5-2 liters of boiling water (can substitute chicken stock, but reduce the amount of salt you use to season)

1 sachet of Nikitouches pasta (or 1 cup of Israeli couscous)

1 package of instant (plain) couscous

In a pot, heat oil.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and place in the pot with the hot oil, skin side down.  Brown the chicken in the pot, about 5 minutes on each side.

Remove the chicken and set aside.  Add the onions and fry them in the oil/shmaltz (chicken fat) mixture.  Make sure to stir up all of the delicious bits at the bottom.  When lightly golden brown, add the turmeric and salt.  Mix.

Take the browned chicken and add to the onions.  Cover with water and let simmer for about an hour and a half.

About twenty minutes before the end of the cooking time, add your Nikitouches (or in a pan, brown the Israeli couscous (dry) and add to the soup).  Serve over couscous.