Moroccan Vegetable Cake (El-Machamar)

On Monday we celebrated Alex’s fifth birthday with my own version of a South American tres leches, which I had a feeling he would love, because this year he didn’t want a chocolate cake (?!?) And to make him feel even more pleased, I put my health concerns on the side and I put some (natural fruit-colored) jelly beans around the cake to make it colorful, just how he likes.

Upon the little sugar addict’s request, I also made meringue kisses, just like the ones he saw on the cover of the Martha Stewart’s Living Magazine. To make sure I didn’t change anything, he said,”Mommy, but the same!” Poor kid, he knew I would modify something in the recipe. As they say in India, “same-same, but different.” I made them the same, but a different color – because artificial colors are not an option and because I couldn’t find a natural yellow or orange at Whole Foods, plus the red one they have was pretty expensive, so I juiced my own fuchsia. Beets produced the most vibrant and beautiful pink-purple color. When Alex saw them he forgot all about the yellow and orange.

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been eating and sharing a lot of sweet recipes. Unfortunately, when I overdose on sugar, my health gets compromised. So if I can’t make any sweet cakes, I’ll make different kind of cakes. Machamar is a Moroccan fluffy cake (pashtida in Hebrew) that my mother always makes. The basic original recipe is much more simple, but I like to play with it. It is an excellent vegetarian main dish. You can add all kinds of vegetables, like zucchini, leeks, peppers, sweet potatoes, or spinach – either mixed in, on top, in the middle, or on the bottom.

Same version that I made with the only two small carrots I had in hand… But you have to admit, the pattern still looks nice.

Ingredients

• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 large sweet potato or 2 big carrots (optional)
• 1 handful parsley
• 1 handful spinach (optional)
• 2 leeks (optional) – white part only
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 1/4 cup canola oil

Directions

1. The parsley, spinach, and leeks should be soaked in cold water, drained, and dried with a salad spinner or a clean kitchen towel.
2. Wash and peel the potatoes and sweet potato. Cut the potatoes into big cubes and put into a pot with a steaming basket for about 15 minutes. Cut the sweet potato in half and add to the pot. Continue to cook the potatoes and sweet potato until the potatoes are soft – about 5–10 minutes. The sweet potatoes don’t need to be soft. If you don’t have a steaming basket, boil the potatoes and sweet potato on medium-low heat.
3. Put the soft potatoes into a large mixing bowl, and mash them with a fork. Add the eggs, and beat together with a wooden spoon until well combined.
4. Preheat the oven to 380°F and line a small dutch oven or a round oven-proof dish with baking paper.
5. Slice the leeks into ½-inch rounds. Sauté in a wok or a medium skillet for a few minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add to the potato mixture.
6. Chop the parsley finely, and stir into the mixing bowl.
7. Stir in the baking soda, white pepper, salt, and lemon juice. Mix until all the ingredients are well combined.
8. Slice the sweet potato into ¼-inch rounds, and place them on the bottom of the dutch oven or pan.
9. Pour the oil into the Dutch oven, and add the batter. Put it in the oven for about 45 minutes. To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the middle; if it comes out clean, the cake is ready!

The best Alex can get.