Morocco Recipes
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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.
January 18th, 2007
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.
December 25th, 2006
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.
December 18th, 2006
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Recipes in the site are mainly form Street Cafe Morocco an excellent book by Anissa Helou
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