Tunisian Pkaila

Pkaila

Pkaila is a signature stew of Tunisian Jews: spinach cooked until it loses its water and fried in oil until very dark, then simmered with white beans and beef. The color is almost black, but the flavor isn’t burnt; it is deep, green and slightly sweet.

Prep time: 35 minutes · Cooking time: 3.5 hours · Yield: 8 servings · Difficulty: Medium

Dark is not burnt

The spinach has to dry out before frying. Fry over medium-low heat and stir often. If it browns in patches and smokes, the heat is too high; if it stays watery, it will stew instead of fry.

Ingredients (for 8 servings)

• 1.5 kg fresh spinach, or 1 kg frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed
• 180 ml olive oil
• 800 g beef for long cooking, cubed, from Israeli cut 5 or 8 (chuck/shoulder)
• 300 g dried white beans, soaked 12 hours and drained
• 1 large onion, chopped, and 6 garlic cloves
• 100 g tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon harissa, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/2 teaspoon caraway
• 1.5 liters hot water, salt and pepper

Choosing ingredients and substitutes

Frozen spinach without sauce is a good, easy-to-find substitute; squeeze it until almost no liquid is left. You can make the spinach base ahead and freeze it. Canned beans aren’t suited to the full cooking time; if you must, add 700 g drained only in the last hour.

Method

1. Dry the spinach. Steam the spinach in a wide pot without oil until the liquid evaporates, 20–30 minutes, and let cool slightly.
2. Make the pkaila base. Add 140 ml of the oil and fry over medium-low heat 45–60 minutes, stirring, until the spinach is very dark and crumbly. Don’t let it smoke.
3. Sear the meat. In a heavy pot heat the remaining oil, brown the beef cubes and remove. Fry the onion and garlic.
4. Bloom the spices. Add the tomato paste, harissa and spices and fry a minute. Return the meat and add the beans, spinach base and water.
5. Cook slowly. Bring to a boil, partially cover and cook 2.5–3 hours at a low simmer, until the beans and meat are tender. Add hot water as needed.
6. Adjust and serve. Salt only when the beans are almost tender, then cook another 15 minutes. The beef should reach 71°C (160°F) and be completely tender.

Nutrition facts and calorie estimate

All 180 ml of olive oil stays in the stew and was counted. A leaner cut of beef can save about 40 calories per serving.

Variations and tips

• The spinach base keeps up to three months in the freezer, divided into containers.
• Pkaila is thick but not dry; add only boiling water so the cooking doesn’t stop.
• Cool within two hours and keep up to 4 days in the fridge. Reheat until fully bubbling.

Summary

The signature of pkaila is slow, controlled frying of squeezed spinach, not burning it. A serving is about 580 calories. For a completely different Tunisian holiday stew, see msoki.