Fall

M'semen - Spiced savoury Stuffed Moroccan Crêpes

April 11, 2012
5
2 Ratings
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

M'semen is a Moroccan crêpe that you can eat sweet or savoury. It isn't a liquid mixture like common crêpes, it's a dough that is stretched with your fingers into paper-thin thickness and folded into a square crêpe, which is then either fried or baked.
For the stuffed m'semen I chose a typical Moroccan filling with ground beef and spices.
Enjoy the m'semen with fresh mint tea.
Maria Teresa Jorge

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Dough For M'semen
  • 7 ounces regular flour
  • 7 ounces semolina flour - very thin
  • 8.8 ounces water - tepid
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pinches active dry yeast
  • 1 cup vegetable oil to stretch dough
  • Spicy Beef Filling
  • 7 ounces ground beef
  • 2 onions medium - chopped
  • 1 garlic - chopped
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons hot paprika
  • 1 pinch cumin
  • 1 pinch all spice
  • 2 tablespoons fresh coriander - chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley - chopped
Directions
  1. Sautée the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add the minced meat,the garlic and the spices and cook stirring well to brown meat evenly. Allow to cool and add the chopped parsley and coriander.
  2. In you mixer combine both flours, sugar, salt and dry yeast. Start your mixer on low speed and add the tepid water gradually to make a dough. Continue beating for 10 minutes to get a very smooth and elastic dough - it should be soft but not sticky. Oil the ball of dough and allow to rest for ten minutes covered. If doing the dough by hand you will need to work it for 15 minutes.
  3. Oil your hands, the working surface (preferably marble or granite) and a big tray. Divide the dough into equal portions about a golf ball size (+ or less 20). Divide the filling into the same number of parts.
  4. Using your fingers, spread a ball of dough into a very thin circle on the oiled surface. The dough should almost be transparent (use as much oil as you need!)
  5. In the centre add your filling. Fold one third of the circle into the middle and then the opposite one third into the middle. You now have a long strip. Flip the strip over and fold each end into the middle. You now have a square with the filling between layers of thin dough.
  6. Put the square on the oiled tray and continue with the rest of the dough.
  7. To cook: Warm up a heavy frying pan. Take one m'semen, flatten it with the palm of your hand and place it on the hot frying pan. You don't need to oil it as the dough is already oiled. Allow to cook until golden on one side. Flip and cook other side.
  8. To bake, pre-heat the oven to 400ºF degrees. Place the flattened m'semens on a lined baking sheet and cook until golden.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • vvvanessa
    vvvanessa
  • cheese1227
    cheese1227
  • Maria Teresa Jorge
    Maria Teresa Jorge
  • backcountrybaker
    backcountrybaker

9 Reviews

vvvanessa April 12, 2012
One of my favorite flatbreads!
 
Maria T. April 12, 2012
Thank you vvanessa. Hope you get a chance to try my recipe.
Maria Teresa
 
backcountrybaker April 12, 2012
I made these last night with lamb instead of beef and they were delicious! Wonderful recipe.
 
Maria T. April 12, 2012
Thank you backcountrybaker for trying and posting result. I'm so happy you liked them.
Maria Teresa
 
Maria T. April 12, 2012
Thank you backcountrybaker for trying and posting result. I'm so happy you liked them.
Maria Teresa
 
cheese1227 April 11, 2012
Lucky for us it's getting more and more available!
 
Maria T. April 12, 2012
Well, I would certainly make it with lamb or half lamb half beef.
Hope you get the chance to make them sometime.
 
cheese1227 April 11, 2012
Oh, my these look fabulous. I could see using lamb too!
 
Maria T. April 11, 2012
Hi cheese1227, yes lamb is indeed what would be most suited but I didn't know if in the US it is easy to get ground lamb so I decided to make them with what is most available for everyone.
Thank you.