Tunisian Egg Briks

Mme M's Note:

This fried dish is a flavorful way to make eggs. Apart from the first bite, squirt lemon juice into the brik before each mouthful. The yolks should be runny, and the whites of the eggs set. You can use brik sheets (round), large wonton skins (square), or phyllo sheets (rectangular). Whatever you are able to use, the desired result is to have the ingredients inside a triangular, or half-moon, or enveloped shaped thin pastry, and to deep fry it right away. Once you get the hang of making them, you can work quickly.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 4 eggs
• 4 phyllo pastry sheets
• 1 (320 g) can tuna in vegetable oil, drained
• 3/4 cup parmesan cheese
• 3/4 cup mashed potatoes (optional)
• 4 teaspoons harissa
• 4 tablespoons flat leaf parsley
• 2 lemons
• 3 cups oil (for frying)

Directions:

1. Directions are given per brik.
2. Place the phyllo sheet on a work surface. Phyllo is rectangular. Either cut it to make a square, or fold the phyllo so you work with a single layer sheet.
3. Using only the top half of the phyllo sheet, spoon 1 tablespoonful of tuna onto the phyllo. Sprinkle 1/4 the amount of parmesan onto the tuna. (If using mashed potato, put 1/4 of the mashed potato onto the tuna and parmesan.) Dot 1 teaspoon of harissa around the mixture. Sprinkle on 1 tablespoon or less of parsley. Make sort of an open circle with the mixture.
4. Now, crack open an egg, and drop it on this mixture in a way that the mixture won't let the egg white run out easily. The mixture should surround the egg.
5. Fold the bottom half of the phyllo sheet over the top half. This will cover the whole mixture. Seal the edges with egg white as you make the fold. If you have excess pastry per brik, just fold the excess in towards the center of the brik; it will resemble an envelope.
6. Slip this brik into hot oil. Fry 30 seconds on one side, or until the phyllo is a golden brown color. Turn it, and fry the other side, also 30 seconds, or until the color is golden brown.
7. Continue with the other briks.
8. Serve with lemon wedges to squeeze into every bite, salad and tomato.