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A kosher food enthusiast and home cook with hundreds of published recipes, Giora Shimoni has worked in online publishing for over 20 years.
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Updated on 12/21/21
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:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Matbucha-585c596c3df78ce2c3af9765.JPG "Matbucha: The Moroccan Tomato and Pepper Salad Israelis Adore (1)")
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 6to 8 servings
45 ratings
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"Matbucha, a traditional Moroccan dish, is so popular in Israel that it can be found right next to the hummus on grocery store shelves," says Giora Shimoni. But ever since his neighbor Carmit taught him how to make her spicy tomato and pepper-based matbucha, he "didn't want to settle for store-bought matbucha anymore." Luckily, her recipe, which he shares below, is both easy and versatile―you can use it as an appetizer salad served with crackers or pita, as asandwich spread, or as acondiment for fish, meat, or tofu dishes. Iteven makes an unconventional, yet delicious topping for a wide range of latke recipes.
Miri's Recipe Testing Notes and Tips
You can tailor the heat in this recipe to your preference by tweaking the ingredients. Use bell peppers and sweet paprika for a milder flavor, dial up the heat to medium with hot paprika, or go all out on the spiciness by using a jalapeño along with hot paprika.
Shimoni points out that "the matbocha's spiciness will depend upon the size and strength of the peppers used." Since the heat level of individual peppers on a single plant can vary, it can be hart to predict how spicy they'll make a dish. But don't worry―If your matboucha turns out spicier than you'd like, Shimoni suggests adding a few more cooked tomatoes.
Shimoni's recipe calls for eitherjalapeño or bell pepper, but you can certainly use both if you'd like.
To start a meal Israeli-style, serve matbucha with a selection of salads and dips, such ashomemade hummus, the roasted eggplant and tahini dip baba ghanoush, a cool cucumber and tomato salad,and freshly baked pita bread.
Updated by Miri Rotkovitz
Ingredients
6 medium tomatoes, ripe, cored and chopped into 1-inch pieces
4 to 6 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 small green jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced, or 2 medium green bell peppers, chopped
1/3 cup canola oil, or olive oil
2 tablespoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or sea salt
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Steps to Make It
Place the tomatoes, garlic, and peppersin a heavy-bottomed 3-quart saucepan.
Set over medium heat and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring frequently with a spoon.
When the vegetables are nice and soft, add the oil, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Cook, stirring frequently, for another 10 minutes.
When the mixture is well blended and most of the liquid has evaporated, the matbucha is ready.
Cool and store in a covered container in the refrigerator.
| Nutrition Facts (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 106 | Calories |
| 9g | Fat |
| 6g | Carbs |
| 1g | Protein |
Show Full Nutrition Label
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| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6to 8 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 106 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 9g | 12% |
| Saturated Fat 1g | 4% |
| Cholesterol 0mg | 0% |
| Sodium 242mg | 11% |
| Total Carbohydrate 6g | 2% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 7% |
| Total Sugars 3g | |
| Protein 1g | |
| Vitamin C 15mg | 77% |
| Calcium 20mg | 2% |
| Iron 1mg | 4% |
| Potassium 278mg | 6% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
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