Matbucha is a traditional Moroccan spread, dip, salad, sauce, appetizer, starter for Shakshuka, or sandwich topper. It’s a staple. Considered one of the many “salatim” (salads) served alongside a meal or part of a mezze spread.
There are as many Matbucha recipes out there as there are families that make it. Traditionally, Matbucha consists of tomatoes, peppers, garlic, and spices simmered slowly in lots of oil, until it’s thick and spreadable. There are versions with red bell peppers and even some with grated eggplant. Served at room temperature, enjoy it as a dip for pita, in a sandwich with schnitzel, use it to make a base for Moroccan fish or simmer some eggs for a very quick shakshuka.
How to Make it
It starts with fire roasting the long hot pepper over an open flame to give a nice smokey flavor to the dish. If you cannot find long hot peppers, a jalapeno pepper will work well. After it’s charred it’s put into a zip top bag to steam. This will help with removing the skin later. You can also add some red bell peppers, just be sure to fire roast them and peel them as well.
The tomatoes need to be peeled since the skin will never cook down enough to disappear into the Matbucha. Peel the tomatoes by scoring the bottoms with an “X” and blanching them quickly in boiling water. They get transferred to an ice bath to stop the cooking and help remove the skins easily. Peel and discard all the tomato skins. If it’s the middle of the winter and the tomatoes at the grocery store aren’t looking so hot, use two 28 ounce cans of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes instead. Just be sure to discard the liquid and use only the actual tomatoes. Crush them by hand and throw them into the sauce.
Peel the pepper as best you can and slice it thinly. If you’d like a more mild Matbucha, remove the seeds and discard before slicing it. Chop up the tomatoes and crush and chop the garlic. I know that seems like a lot of garlic, but it’s worth it.
YES. A HALF A CUP OF OIL. You read that correctly. A traditional Matbucha is almost like a confit of tomatoes of sorts. Oil is so important here. This recipe calls for olive oil but you can use canola as well. The difference will be in the flavor along with the fact that olive oil will harden in the fridge, canola generally does not. This salad is served at room temperature though so use what you have and what you like.
The oil and the garlic are put into a skillet before the heat is turned on allowing them to warm together. This brings the most flavor out of the garlic without the risk of burning it. Then the paprikas are added and cooked to allow them to bloom before the tomatoes and peppers are added. Season with kosher salt and white pepper, which is more acidic in flavor than black pepper and works so well here. If you don’t happen to have any, you can use black pepper or just omit it all together. Everything is brought to a simmer and cooked, uncovered, stirring and crushing some of the large pieces of tomato occasionally until thick and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Allow the Matbucha to come to room temperature before serving. It can also be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week ready for Shakshuka or your next sandwich!
Ingredients
- 1 long hot pepper
- 1 ½ pounds roma tomatoes about 10-12
- ½ cup olive oil or canola oil
- 10 cloves garlic crushed and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoon sweet paprika
- ½ teaspoon hot paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- Char and toast the long hot pepper over an open flame until evenly blackened all around. Immediately transfer to a zip top bag and allow to steam.
- Using a sharp paring knife, score the bottom of the tomatoes with a shallow “X”.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and make an ice bath (water and ice) in a large bowl.
- Place the tomatoes into the boiling water with a slotted spoon and cook for 25-30 seconds, until you see the peel start to pull away from the tomatoes.
- Immediately transfer the tomatoes into the ice bath.
- Peel the tomatoes and the long hot pepper and discard the skins.
- Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch pieces, discarding the stem core at the tops, and slice the long hot pepper into thin strips.
- In a large skillet, add the oil and garlic then turn the heat on to medium.
- Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the sweet paprika and the hot paprika. Stir and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes, hot pepper, salt, and ground white pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Once simmering, turn the heat to low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally and pressing down on some of the larger tomato pieces, until the matbucha is thick and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 35-40 minutes.
- Allow to cool to room temperature before serving.
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