Morocco - Foods of the Middle East
By Peter Watson
Possibly the best known of the countries in the Mid-East
region and the most visited is Morocco. This land stretches
from the Mediterranean to the Sahara Dessert with the majestic
Atlas Mountains between. This is a magic land and it has magic
food.
One of the heart dishes is Couscous, so a word of explanation
before we proceed.
Couscous is both a grain and a made food. Couscous is made
from Durum wheat, a very hard wheat that is used in Italy
to make pasta. The grains are milled medium fine and then
rubbed together with a little water to form larger grains
and these are then dried. This method is still used to some
extent today in household in Morocco, others use the same
pre prepared and partially cooked Couscous we find readily
available in the stores today.
Couscous - a basic recipe
500 grams of Couscous grains
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil or 1 tablespoon of butter
1. Place the grains in a sieve and run them under
cold water, breaking up any lumps that you find. Spread the
grains on a flat tray and sprinkle with a little salt, allow
to puff and swell for about five minutes. Work the grains
a little more with the hands to break up any lumps that may
have formed.
2. Put the bottom of the Couscousier (or a double
saucepan with holes that are not too large) on to boil with
either a stock or even water. Place the worked grains in the
steamer top and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the steamer
and spread onto the tray, when cool enough, break up lumps
and sprinkle with half a cup of cold water. Roll again between
your palms to break up lumps and return to the steamer for
a further 15 minutes.
3. Repeat the process above, this time working with
either the oil or the butter and steam a further and final
15 minutes. This should leave the grains puffed, completely
cooked and soft.
Basics:
In the seaside regions vegetables are always available and
sauces based on tomato are common. A sauce (or a paste) that
is found on all Moroccan tables is "Harissa", made
from chillies and flavoured with cumin, coriander and garlic.
Buy Harissa from a reputable source and be sure to keep in
the refrigerator once opened. Olives both green and black
are a necessary as are preserved Lemons which in Moroccan
dishes cannot be replaced. A paper thin pastry called "Ouarqa"
is also used, but may be replaced with Filo.
The spice mix "Ras el Hanout" is the most frequently
used (see previous
article). In both savoury and sweet dishes, distilled
flower waters (orange and rose) are very common and available
from speciality shops. The herb "mint" plays a vital
role in the dishes of the area as well.
Meats range from the most popular, lamb, to chicken with
the occasional use of beef. Fish is eaten in areas where it
is readily available and is cooked in many different styles,
often marinated with a mixture called "Chermoula"
that is made from pounded parsley, coriander, garlic and paprika
with oil, lemon juice or vinegar.
Foods
Lamb cooked in a variety of ways is the most popular meat
and can be found right across the region. Lamb is often cooked
in large pieces in a Tajine (a stoneware or terracotta dish
with a conical top used for wet cooking), in sates or brochettes
where the lamb is cut into bite size pieces and mixed with
olive oil, paprika, cumin and parsley, grilled over an open
flame and then drizzled with lemon juice. Lamb is also used
in one of the Kefta (see Kofta in Indian cuisine) dishes.
Kefta
1 kilo of minced lamb
1 medium onion grated
1/2 (total) cup of chopped coriander and parsley
salt and black pepper to taste.
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon Harissa.
1. Place all the ingredients into a bowl and begin
to kneed, when thoroughly mixed, take a handful and form into
a sausage shape. Thread them carefully onto a metal skewer
or if worried about this, use one of the BBQ hinged wire grilling
racks and lay onto that.
2. Grill over charcoal (remember to let all the black
die off and just have the glowing coals remain) until the
outside is browned and the inside cooked through.
3. Serve with a tomato sauce - chopped and seeded
tomatoes that are mixed with a little olive oil and lemon
juice, spiced up with a little more Harissa.
Chicken with Lemon and Olives.
This is a dish that is great to use those large chicken
thighs. I like to leave the skin on, but it can be removed
or indeed, cooked on then removed.
8 chicken thigh pieces
(Optional - 3 or 4 chicken livers)
1 teaspoon salt
2 chopped cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon of sweet paprika (not hot)
1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper
3 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1. Marinade the chicken pieces (and livers if using)
for 1 or 2 hours. When done, place all, including the marinade
into a casserole with:
1/2 an onion grated
large pinch of powdered saffron
1/2 cup of water
Bring this to a boil and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Remove the chicken livers from the dish and chop
or crush, add to the casserole with:
1/2 an onion grated
And then cook for a further 20 minutes, adding more water
if necessary.
3. Take from the heat and add:
1 cup of pitted black or brown olives
Skin of two preserved lemons (available from Gourmet food
stores) flesh removed and cut into strips.
Cook for a further 5 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken pieces from the dish and cook
the sauce down to a thick mix adding the juice of one fresh
lemon. This can be served with a simple plain Couscous.
Tajine of Fish with Chermoula
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A row of
Tanjines
cooking
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Buy a jar of Chermoula from a good Gourmet food shop.
1 kilogram of thick fish fillets (Trevally or Blue Tooth)
2 Tomatoes peeled and seeded and chopped
1 large red capsicum, grilled and blackened and peeled, then
chopped into strips
3 tablespoons of parsley - chopped
1 preserved lemon, peel only chopped into strips
1/4 cup green olives
1. Marinade the fish fillets in enough Chermoula to
coat them for up to 2 hours.
2. Pit the green olives and set aside.
3. Place the fish along with the chopped tomato into
a Tajine and add a tablespoon of extra Chermoula, and the
capsicum strips, then cook (with the lid on) over a moderate
heat for about five minutes (or until the fish is cooked).
4. Remove from the heat, add the green olives and
the lemon rind and serve.
Salads
These play an important role in the day to day eating in Morocco
and are always fresh. A carrot salad, beetroot salad, a salad
of fresh tomatoes with onion, potato salad (usually served
warm), cucumber salad along with cooked vegetable salads will
all be eaten.
Breads
Moroccan breads are usually flat breads, some that are slightly
risen with a yeast or sponging technique. These form an essential
part of every meal.
Desserts
Sweet dishes are mostly based on pastries of pastries of various
kinds and I would advise rather than trying to cook some of
the complex and difficult foods, a trip to the Middle Eastern
shops in every major city will yield a veritable hidden treasure
of fantastic cake shops where you will be able to choose,
with help, from a wide selection.
There are a number of cook books on the Food of Morocco and
I would be delighted to point anyone in the right direction
who is interested to learn more. Email me here: Peter
Watson.
For cooking equipment such as Tajines, try any major cook
shop and be sure to carefully follow instructions in the preparation
of the Tajine before cooking with it.
- Peter Watson
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