Morocco Food | Morocco Cuisine | Morocco Recipes

Spicy Coriander Fritters

Mona — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 03:29:18 +0000

Chermula Beignets
It is said that fritters are of Saracen origin and that they were brought to the West by the Crusaders. These crispy fritters are usually made with the left-over chermula mariande for fried fish. They are so tasty, though, that they are worth making on their own to serve with drinks or as a starter. If you are going to serve them with drinks, drop the batter into the hot oil by teaspoonful to make small bouchees. Makes 20-25 fritters.

ingredients

chermula
1 free-range egg
150 g/5 oz plain flour
1/2 teaspoon easy blend dried yeast
vegetable oil for deep-frying

preparation

Combine the chermula with the egg, whisking well to mix. Add the flour and yeast. Stir in 120 ml/4 fl oz tepid water to make a batter, then leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to become bubbly.

Heat enough vegtable oil in a large frying pan to deep-fry the fritters. When the oil is very hot (it is hot enough when the oil forms bubbles around a little of the batter) drop in the batter by the tablespoonful. Leave a little space between each fritter so that they don’t stick to each other, and fry just a few at a time. Fry for 102 minutes on each side or until golden brown all over. Remove to several layers of kitchen paper to drain. Serve hot, on their own or with fried fish.

Chick Pea and Lamb Soup

Mona — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 18:15:05 +0000

Harira
Harira seems to be every Moroccan’s favorite late afternoon snack. Moreover it is what is first eaten when the fast during Ramadan is broken. Harira is normally served with a sweet accompaniment such as dates or Tressed Pastries, but it is sometimes eaten with a savory dish such as potato cakes, instead of diced lamb. The chick peas can be replaced with dried split broad beans or lentils and the vermicelli with short-grain rice, rinsed before use, or m’hamssa (big couscous grains.) served 4-6

ingredients

75 g/2 ½ oz dried chick peas soaked overnight with ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda added to the water.
250 g/9 oz lamb neck fillets cut small cubes.
1 large onion thinly sliced
55 g/2 oz fresh flat-leaf parsley most of bottom stalks discarded then very finely chopped
pinch of saffron filaments crushed
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
sea salt and finely ground black pepper
1 x 400 g/14 oz can Italian plum tomatoes coarsely chopped
55 g/2 oz butter
55 g/2 oz vermicelli broken into 2 cm/ ¾ in pieces
55 g/2 oz fresh coriander most of bottom stalks discarded then very finely chopped
1 teaspoon tomato puree
juice of 2 lemons, or to taste
3 – 4 tablespoons plain flour

preparation

Drain and rinse the chick peas. Spread them on a clean cloth, cover them with another cloth and, with a rolling pin, crush lightly to split them in half and loosen their skin. Out them in a bowl of water and stir with your hand. The skins should float to the surface, which will make them easy to remove and discard.
Put the drained chick peas into a large saucepan. Add the lamb, onion, parsley, spices, 1 teaspoon pepper, the tomatoes and their juice, and 3 liters/ 5 ¼ pints water. Bring to the boil. Drop in the butter, cover and leave to medium high heat for 1 hour.
Stir in the vermicelli, coriander, tomato puree and lemon juice. Reduce the heat under the pan to low.
Mix the flour with 240 ml/ 8 fl oz water. Dribble this mixture into the soup, stirring constantly to prevent lumps from forming. The soup should thicken to a velvety consistency. Add sea salt to taste and simmer for a few more minutes, or until the vermicelli is cooked. Check the seasoning, then serve very hot.

Calf’s Foot with Chick Peas and Wheat

Mona — Sat, 24 Mar 2007 05:13:53 +0000

Hergma
For Moroccans, this is classic street breakfast fare, and huge enamelware dishes filled with this rich mixture of chick peas and calf’s foot are a common early-morning sight. Though I love calf’s foot I couldn’t find this dish appetizing on the streets. Luckily a friend agreed to make it for me, for lunch, and it was perfectly exquisite. You can replace the calf’s foot with sheep’s trotters, in which case allow at least one per person. Serves 4-6

ingredients

150 g/5 oz husked whole wheat grain
2 calf’s feet singed, thoroughly washed and cut across in half
250 g/9 oz dried chick peas soaked overnight with 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda added to the water
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons ground cumin
¼ teaspoon dried chilies crushed to a coarse powder, or to taste
sea salt
2 tablespoons paprika

preparation

If the wheat grain is not husked, soak it overnight in water.
Put the cleaned pieces of calf’s foot in a large flameproof casserole or preserving pan and pour in 3 liters/5 ¼ pints water. Bring to boil over a medium high heat, then skim, cover and leave to boil for 45 minutes.
Add the rinsed and drained chick peas and wheat, the oil, peeled garlic cloves, cumin and powder chilies. Boil, covered, for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender and the broth has reduced to an unctuous sauce.
Add sea salt to taste. If the sauce is still runny, increase the heat to high and boil uncovered until reduced. Stir in the paprika. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then serve very hot with good bread and a selection of refreshing salads.

Minced Meat Balls

Mona — Sat, 24 Feb 2007 10:10:36 +0000

Qotbane del Kefta
The best kefta I have eaten ware in Tangiers. There I had a charming guide, Rashid, who born and brought up in the medina, and knew every single cafe, restaurant and stall – and, of course, which ones were the best. He took me on a marvelous gastronomic tour of all these tiny places, culminating in a visit to a very old man who make the most exquisite kefta. The recipe below is his. Makes 24 brochettes.

ingredients

1 medium sized onion quartered
55 g/2 oz each fresh flat leaf parsley and fresh coriander most of bottom stalks discarded
2 – 3 springs of fresh mint, leaves only
1 kg/2 ½ lb boneless lamb, preferably from the shoulder minced
1 teaspoon each ground cumin and paprika
½ teaspoon each ground allspice, ras el hanout (optional) and dried chilies crushed to a coarse powder
sea salt

preparation

Put the onion, coriander, parsley, and mint in a food processor and process until very finely chopped.
Put the minced lamb in a mixing bowl and add the chopped onion and herbs, all the spices and sea salt to taste. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. If you have a blender, process the meat mixture in it, in batches, for very short time to make it little smoother.
Divide the meat into 24 portions. Roll each portion into a ball and warp it tightly around a skewer, squeezing it up and down, to form a sausage 10 – 15 cm/4 –6 in long. Pinch it quite thin at each end.
Cook the kefta over a charcoal fire or under a preheated hot grill for 3 – 4 minutes on each side or until they are done to your liking. Serve immediately.

Eggs with Prawns and Coriander

Mona — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 22:42:29 +0000

Tajen Fatooma
This tortilla-like dish has a delicate lemony taste. The recipe comes from a man in Tetouan who has a delightful little restaurant not far from the superb fish market there. Have the prawns ready to use at room temperature to make user they will heat up thoroughly in the time it takes for the eggs to cook. serve 4

ingredients

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves finely chopped
300 g/10 oz fresh coriander most of bottom stalks discarded then finely chopped
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
sea salt
juice of 1 lemon, or to taste
9 free-range eggs
¼ teaspoon dried chilies crushed to a coarse powder, or to taste
600 g/1 lb 5 oz medium-sized cooked and shelled tiger prawns.

preparation

heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan (preferably one from which you can serve at table.) When the oil is hot add the chopped garlic and coriander and sauté for 1-2 minutes.
Add the cumin, 350ml/12 fl oz water and salt to taste and stir to mix. Bring to the boil over a medium high heat, then cover and leave to boil for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce has reduced and there is hardly and water left. If necessary, boil uncovered until excess water has evaporated. Add the lemon juice and leave to bubble for another 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat the eggs and season them with the crushed chilies and salt to taste.
Reduce the heat under the pan to low. Add the prawns to the sauce, stir and spread them out evenly. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if necessary, then add the eggs. Cover the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the eggs are set to your liking. Serve immediately.

Spiced Onions with Honey

Mona — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:11:56 +0000

Besla M’assala
This surprising dish does not have a very appealing color – the spice mixture turns the onions dark brown – but don’t be put off because it is quite luscious. Traditionally it is served with plain fried fish, but it is particularly good with Squabs Stuffed with Couscous. Serves 4

ingredients

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
6 medium-sized onions (about 900 g/2 lb) thinly sliced
1 ½ teaspoons ras el hanout
sea salt
2 tablespoons good runny honey

preparation

Put the oil and onions in a large saute pan, add 350 ml/12 fl oz water and place over a medium high heat. Stir in the ras wl hanout and a little sea salt. Bring to the boil, cover and leave to boil for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring regularly, until the onions become quite mushy. This will take 20 – 30 minutes.
Uncover the pan, increase the heat a little and cook, stirring continuously, for about 5 minutes to reduce the sauce further if needed. Add the honey and leave to bubble for a few more minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve very hot.

Okra in Tomato Sauce

Mona — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 08:58:26 +0000

Maraq bel-Melükhiyya
If you are using fresh okra choose them quite small and unblemished – large ones are normally rather stringy and not as tasty. Frozen okra are always small, but they do not have as fine a taste or texture as fresh okra. Serves 4

ingredients

400 g/14 oz okra (fresh or frozen)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove finely chopped
1 X 400 g/14 oz can Italian plum tomatoes coarsely chopped with their juice
30 g/1 oz each fresh flat-leaf parsley and fresh coriander most of bottom stalks discarded then finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon dried chillies crushed to a coarse powder, or to taste
sea salt

preparation

if you are using fresh okra, shave the stem off, following the slant; make sure you don’t break into the seed part of the vegetable which is where the dreaded mucilagenous substance lurks. Wash and dry well. if you are using frozen okra thaw them by plunging in boiling water, then drain and pat dry.
Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole over a medium high heat and fry the chopped garlic until golden. Add the okra and sauté for 2-3 minutes. This should seal them and make them less gooey.
Add the chopped tomatoes with their juice, the herbs, spices and salt to taste and bring to the boil. Cover and leave to boil for 10 minutes.
Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for a further 5 minutes or until the okra is tender and the sauce has thickened. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Dried Broad Been Soup

Mona — Mon, 25 Dec 2006 03:42:29 +0000

Beyssara
Beyssara, or Beyssar, depending on who you speak to, is a street-breakfast staple, somewhere between a thick soup and a thin puree. In Marrakesh it is cooked in large, round earthenware jars which are balanced over charcoal fires in a tilted position. The narrow opening of the jar faces the cool and he ladles the soup out into bowls using a long handled spoon. Serves 4-6

ingredients

250 g/9 oz dried split broad beans, soaked overnight with 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda added to the water
2 unpeeled garlic cloves
1 ½ teaspoons each ground cumin and paprika
scant ½ teaspoon dried chillies crushed to a coarse powder, or taste
sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

preparation

Rinse the broad bean, which will have swelled to twice original size, and put them in a large saucepan. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves and the spices and cover with water (about 2 liters / 3 ½ pints). Bring to the boil over a medium high heat, then cover the pan and leave to boil for 30 minutes or until the broad beans have turned into a mush.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for a further 10-15 minutes.
Discard the garlic and add sea salt to taste. Pour into a shallow serving bowl, drizzle olive oil all over and sprinkle with a little more cumin. Serve very hot, with more oil and cumin for those who like it.

Sweet Grated Carrot Salad

Mona — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 05:06:48 +0000

Khizü Mehqüq
Khizü Mehqüq is generally eaten after the main course and before the dessert, to refresh the plate. Adding sugar to salads is a specialty of Casablanca, and carrots – like beetroot or cucumber – lend themselves particularly well to sweet seasoning. Serves 4-6

ingredients

4-6 spring of fresh flat-leaf parsley most of bottom stalks discarded then very finely chapped
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ tablespoons icing sugar
juice of 2 oranges
750 g/1 lb 1- oz carrots grated

preparation

Mix the chopped parsley with the cinnamon, sugar and orange juice in a salad bowl.
Add the grated carrots and mix well together. Taste adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve slightly chilled.

Potatoes with Parsley and Garlic

Mona — Thu, 14 Dec 2006 05:25:23 +0000

Btata Mqalliyya
Here is a simple way of giving plain boiled potatoes a lift. The saffron gives the skins a pale yellow tinge and, together with the parsley and garlic, enhances their flavor. If they are small, half the amount of water and cook for 10 minutes only. Serves 4

ingredients

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves finely chapped
1 pound new potatoes
a few springs of fresh flat-leaf parsley finely chapped
sea salt and finely ground black pepper

preparation

Put all the ingredients in a medium sized saucepan, seasoning with a little salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, and add 200ml / 7 fl oz water.
Bring to the boil over a medium high heat, then cover and leave to boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring the potatoes halfway through, or until the potatoes are tender and the sauce has reduced. If necessary, increase the heat to high and boil uncovered until reduced. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.