One of the best things I tasted in the past year was the Matbucha from Zabari Mediterranean Grill in Phoenix (Sadly now closed for business). I never heard of or knew of the dish called Matbucha until I tried it at Zabari. Matbucha is so delicious……I can’t believe this appetizer isn’t on the menu at most of the Mediterranean Restaurants in Metro Phoenix. Matbucha is also so delicious it should also be sold on supermarket shelves. You can think of Matbucha as a Middle Eastern/North African kind of Salsa. Matbucha in Arabic translates to Cooked Tomato Salad. The ingredients of Matbucha are Tomatoes that have the skin and seeds removed (so they taste extra sweet and yummy), roasted bell peppers (either red or green or both), garlic and chili pepper (s). Some variations do include some spices and some herbs. I’m lucky that I got in a recent last visit to Zabari Mediterranean Grill. I was only there days before they suddenly closed.  I had the most AMAZING Chicken Shawarma Pita with Matbucha and a few other fillings. The pita was incredible too and I have no clue how they stuffed it with so much food.

We couldn’t believe how great the food was…..Me and my husband are very saddened they closed because to date this was the tastiest Mediterranean Restaurant we’ve found in Metro Phoenix. If I knew they were closing I would have purchased a bunch of food to go. At least they left me with a happy food memory and I can thank them for introducing me to the delicious Cooked Tomato Salad called Matbucha. Since I tried the Matbucha from my first visit I kept thinking about it. I was hoping I’d come across a really great recipe for Matbucha but most of them didn’t sound as special as I thought this salad really taste. I read maybe every recipe I could find on the internet for Matbucha. I picked the ingredients I wanted to use and winged it.  This dish takes two hours to cook. It’s just like making home made tomato sauce. After you season it will taste different by the end of cooking time so the seasonings will need adjustments about a hour and a half into cooking time.

Ingredients for about 10 servings

1 Tablespoon course sea salt

3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves – shredded….(really 5…I added one more near the end for adjustment)

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

2 Tablespoons Aleppo ground red pepper (it’s a fruity pepper with mild heat) ((similar fruity with mild heat peppers but different tasting   are Nora Pepper and Piment d’ Espelette))

4 Tablespoons water

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon hot paprika

1/2 teaspoon  Hungarian sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

5 lbs tomatoes (big round ripe) seeds and skins removed – rough chopped

1 large onion – diced

1 lb roasted red bell pepper – skin, stem, seeds removed and rough chopped

1 bay leaf

optional * up to 2 Tablespoons sugar – you may or may not need any sugar…depends on your taste and how sweet tomatoes are.

2 serrano chili peppers (fried or roasted) and fine chopped – (you might want more…two chilies gives a very mild heat)

Optional 1 garlic clove shredded – I thought it needed one more garlic at the end

Optional just a pinch of parsley and cilantro at the end after salad is chilled

Optional fresh ground black pepper to taste

Directions

In a pot get the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and salt. Mix. When the onions look about half cooked add the garlic on top of the onions on one half and on the other half of pot cook up the tomato paste at the same time.

Keep the 4 tablespoons of water on the side.

When the onions are cooked add the Aleppo pepper and the paprikas, cumin and coriander and stir around the best you can. During this time use as little of the water as possible. The mixture will get very thick and you will need to use the water but use as little as possible.

Add the tomatoes. They must have the skins removed and also be deseeded.

An easy way to remove the skins is by removing the core and making an x on the botton of tomatoes like this.

You drop the tomatoes in boiling water. They only need 30 seconds – to a minute usually….depends on how hard the boil and the amount of tomatoes cooling down the pot.

The skins peel off very easily. Actually they just slip off.

Then you remove the seeds. It’s easier than you think. Just cut the tomato in half. Pretend it’s a lemon and squeeze. The seeds just disappear.

All the tomatoes and CLEANED UP roasted peppers got in the pot rough chopped.

Add a bay leaf and one hot chili pepper (finely chopped)

Turn down to simmer and let it go 90 minutes and stir occasionally.

Test and adjust seasonings.

I thought mine needed sugar so I added two Tablespoons but if my tomatoes were better I don’t think I’d need it. I also added one more shredded garlic and some black pepper.

Let it simmer another 30 minutes.

I don’t think seasoning will need any more adjustment but you should test and adjust anyway.

Mixture is hot and needs to sit out at least an hour to cool some before you can refrigerate.

Matbucha SHOULD be chilled to serve.

Optional a light amount of fresh parsley and cilantro. (I recommend  just a small amount)

…It’s basically easy and is just like making really good marinara sauce. You just make it once you know what type of ingredients go in it.

Matbucha is a cooked tomato salad that is served cold like an appetizer. Here I have it pictured with a soft healthy style Lavosh Bread. Please don’t tell anyone because Matbucha is suppose to be served cold…..But I love Matbucha served hot over meats too. My husband freaked out in a good way when I served it with brisket. It was prize winning good…I’m not kidding either.