Mediterranean Cuisine

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Showing posts with label Morocco. Show all posts

Ingredents:

1.3 kg/3 lb lamb from a leg or forequarter
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2-3 teaspoons harissa
2 teaspoons ground fennel seeds
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 tablespoons paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
225 ml/8 fl oz iced water
thin sausage casings

Preparation:

Trim any fine skin from the lamb, but leave a good proportion of fat. Cut into 2.5 cm/1 in cubes; check the weight. If the lamb is not very cold, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours in the coldest part of the refrigerator.
Place the lamb in a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix well. Process in six batches in a food processor with a steel blade until finely minced. Transfer to a wide dish. Mix in the pepper, harissa to taste, spices and chopped garlic. Process again in six batches to mix the flavourings evenly into the meat, adding 2-3 tablespoons of iced water to each batch. Transfer to a large bowl and mix well by hand.
If the sausage casings are fresh, finse off the salt and soak in warm water for 30 minutes. Run cold water through each length of casing to check for holes. Fit about 1 m/3 ft of fresh casing onto the nozzle of a sausage filler or large funnel. If using dry casings, cut off a 7.5 cm/3 in length.
Pass the lamb mixture through a sausage filler or push through a funnel with the end of a wooden spoon. When the mixture appears at the end of the nozzle, stop and pull the casing over the end and tie, then continue with filling. Let the sausage curl into the dish. When the casing is filled, leave the open and untied, and fill more casings as necessary.
Stretch the sausage along the work surface and press the half-way point with a finger. Twist at this point three times. Even out the filling between the twist and the tied end, mark the half-way point and twist again. Continue to twist until the required lengths are formed. Tie off the end.
Use the sausages within 2 days, or store well wrapped in the freezer.

Sausages

Merguez

Added on 5:38 AM

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1kg lamb leg or lamb rump steak, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces
1 large brown onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 x 410g cans Ardmona Rich & Thick
Moroccan Style chopped tomatoes with ginger and coriander
600g kent pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 3cm pieces
400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
200g green beans, trimmed, cut into 4cm pieces fresh coriander leaves, to serve

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large, heavy-based saucepan or ovenproof casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add one-quarter of the lamb. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove to a bowl. Repeat with remaining oil and lamb, adding more oil if necessary.
Add onion to pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and pumpkin. Return lamb to pan. Increase heat to high and bring to the boil.
Remove from heat. Cover and place in oven. Cook for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Add chickpeas and beans. Cook for a further 15 minutes or until beans are tender. Spoon into bowls. Sprinkle with coriander. Serve.

tasty

Moroccan lamb tagine

Added on 4:55 PM

Ingredients:

2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 pound beef stew meat, (such as chuck) or lamb stew meat (shoulder or leg), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

6 cups reduced-sodium beef broth, or water

1 14-ounce c diced tomatoes

2 small turnips, peeled and diced

2 carrots, diced

2 stalks celery, leaves included, thinly sliced

Pinch of saffron threads, (see Ingredient Note)

12 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, plus more leaves for garnish

8 sprigs fresh cilantro, plus more leaves for garnish

1 large zucchini, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 ounces angel hair pasta, (capellini), broken into small pieces (about 1/2 cup), or orzo, preferably whole-wheat

1-2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and turmeric; stir to coat. Add meat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Add broth (or water), tomatoes and their juice, turnips, carrots, celery and saffron. Tie parsley and cilantro sprigs together with kitchen string and add to the pot. Bring the soup to a boil. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender, 45 to 50 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and cook, covered, until soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add pasta and cook until soft, 4 to 10 minutes, depending on the type of pasta. Discard the parsley and cilantro sprigs. Season with salt (start with 1 teaspoon if you’re using beef broth; add more if you’re using water) and pepper. Serve sprinkled with parsley and/or cilantro leaves, if desired.

Turmeric

Chorba (Moroccan Vegetable Soup)

Added on 4:51 PM

Ingredients:

4 ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 roasted green peppers, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley (optional)
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin (optional)
2 to 3 teaspoons vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation:

Place the tomatoes, roasted green peppers, and parsley in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate if you won't be serving the salad right away.
When you're ready to serve the salad, add the salt, pepper, cumin, oil and vinegar. Toss or stir gently and serve immediately on small plates or in small bowls.
You can eat this salad with a spoon, but it's also delicious scooped up with a piece of crusty bread.

Vegetarian

Moroccan Tomato and Roasted Pepper Salad

Added on 4:45 PM

Ingredients:

1 lb. (about 1/2 kg) ground beef or lamb (or a combination of the two)
1 medium onion, chopped very fine
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot ground pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped mint leaves (optional)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, and leave for an hour or longer to allow the flavors to blend. The kefta is then ready to shape and cook.
To make kebabs, take small amounts of kefta and shape them into cylinder or sausage shapes. Skewer the meat, squeezing it to mold in the skewer.
Cook over hot coals, approximately five minutes each side. (It may take less or more time, depending on how hot the coals are, and how thick you shaped the kefta.) Watch the kebabs carefully, so you don't dry out the kefta.
Serve immediately, or wrap in aluminum foil to keep hot while you cook additional kebabs.
Kefta kebabs are often served in bread with tomato and roasted pepper salad (recipe is below) as a filler, and Mint tea as a beverage.

tasty

Moroccan Kefta Kebab

Added on 4:43 PM

Ingredients:

175g dried chickpeas
2 tbsp olive oil
4 lamb shanks (medium)
2 medium onions , chopped
2 tsp finely chopped fresh root ginger
3 garlic cloves , finely chopped
2 fresh green chillies , seeded and finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
2 large tomatoes , peeled, seeded and chopped
pinch of saffron strands
2cm/0.25in piece of cinnamon stick
450g carrots , cut into thick slices
140g ready-to-eat dried apricots
1 tsp clear honey

to serve

50g blanched almonds , fried in butter until browned
chopped fresh coriander

Preparation:

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain, tip into a saucepan and cover generously with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 45 minutes and drain.

2. Heat the oil in a large casserole and brown the lamb all over. Remove and set aside. Pour off most of the fat, leaving 1 tablespoon in the dish, add the onions and fry for 8-10 minutes until soft.

3. Preheat the oven to 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C. Mix together the ginger, garlic, chillies, cumin, coriander, pepper and paprika. Add half of this to the onions, tip in the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Put in the lamb and chickpeas, cover generously with water (about 850ml/11⁄2 pints), bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and cook in the oven for 11⁄2-2 hours until the chickpeas are really tender. (You can prepare up to this stage the day before. Cool, cover and refrigerate. Bring back to simmering point before starting step 4.)

4. Remove from the oven and stir in the remaining spice mixture, the saffron and cinnamon, carrots, apricots, honey and salt. Cover and return to the oven for 45 minutes-1 hour until the lamb is tender and the vegetables cooked. Scatter the almonds and coriander on top.

tasty

Lamb shanks with chickpeas

Added on 7:09 PM

Ingredients:

4 tbsp olive oil
8 cloves garlic, sliced
8 soft tomatoes, chopped
2 fresh green hot pepper, minced
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
½ cup water

Preparation:

1. Heat the olive oil, and then slightly fry hot peppers and garlic.

2. Add tomatoes mix for 20 seconds, and cook the mixture for 15 minutes
on low fire.

3. Add tomato paste and the other spices, and gently mix the blend.

4. Add ¾ cup water, mix a little, and let the blend cook for 5 more
minutes until it gains a dense homogeneous texture.

tasty

Matbucha Salad

Added on 6:42 PM

Ingredients:

(for 4 servings)

6 oranges, sliced in rounds, pealed and seeded
6 large pitted dates, chopped
6 almonds, slivered
2 teaspoons butter
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons sugar

Preparation:

1. In a heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat melt butter. Stir in the almonds. Continue heating until the almonds just begin to brown. Remove from the heat to a plate covered with paper towels. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar.
2. Combine oranges and dates in a serving bowl. Gently stir in lemon juice and chill until ready to eat. Just before serving sprinkle almonds over each salad.

tasty

Orange and date dessert salad

Added on 1:23 AM

Ingredients:

2 cups dark lentils
1 onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt
2 large onions thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons fresh coriander, chopped

Preparation:

1. Soak lentils for 2 hours in cold water. Then simmer them in enough water to cover plus 1 inch, along with the chopped onion, turmeric and salt. Cook about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the lentils are tender, adding a bit more water if necessary.

2. When the lentils are nearly done, sauté the onions in the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients.

3. Cook over low heat for 5 or 6 minutes. Then stir in the lentils. Add the coriander and simmer another 10 minutes to blend the flavors stirring several time. Serve hot.

Turmeric

moroccan spicy lentils

Added on 1:21 AM

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants
1 pound tomatoes, chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Tobasco sauce to taste

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place the eggplants on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes to one hour until tender. Scoop out the interior of the eggplants into a heavy saucepan.
3. Place the saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and the remaining ingredients. Stir and mash the ingredients together. Keep sauteing for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and chill 30 minutes before serving.

tasty

moroccan eggplant salad

Added on 1:18 AM

Ingredients:

2 x large carrots, cut into wedges.
1 handfull, black olives.
6 x radish, sliced thinly.
1 x clove garlic, chopped.
¼ teaspoon of paprika.
½ teaspoon of ground cumin, or ½ teaspoon of cumin seeds.
1 pinch cayenne pepper.
1 pinch cinnamon.
1 teaspoon salt.
1 x parsley, sprigs, chopped.
1 x fresh lemon, squeezed.
¼ cup of oil, olive.

Preparation:

Bring a pan of water to the boil.

Add the carrotts and cook until tender and then rinse them with cold water.

Drain the carrots and mix with the olives and radishes.

Mix the rest of the ingredients, including the chopped parsley and garlic, to create a marinade.

Pour the marinade over the carrot, olives and radishes and serve.

tasty

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Added on 9:17 PM

Ingredients:

Serves: 4 to 6

For the vegetables:

3 Courgettes (Zucchini) cut in chunks

4 red onions sliced

3 capsicums (Bell peppers) – one in each colour – red, green & yellow or orange

1 medium butter nut squash cubed into 2cm pieces

salt & pepper to taste

2 tsp each of ground cumin(jeeru) and cinnamon (taj) powder

2 tsp paprika powder

3 tbsp olive oil

For the Couscous:

3 cups couscous

420 g canned chick peas drained and rinsed

3 tsp salt

2 tsp Arabic seasoning mix (cumin, coriander, black pepper, fenugreek, garlic, ginger, mint, onion, cloves, cinnamon, chilli and aniseed powder)

juice of 1 lemon

3 tbp olive oil

hot water

Preparation:

1) Pre -heat the oven to 200′C. Chop all the vegetables into large chunks about 2 cm cubed pieces. For the zucchini/courgette I cut it half length ways and then chopped it into 1 cm semi circles. For the butternut squash I have learnt the hard way that you need proper sharp knife and peeler.

2) In a large baking tray place all the vegetables, and pour the olive oil over the vegetables together with the spices and salt, mix thoroughly and place in the oven.

3) While the vegetables are cooking, prepare the couscous. Drain & rinse the chick peas and keep aside. Boil some water. In a large bowl, place the couscous, chick peas, seasoning and all the other ingredients. Pour boiling hot water, enough to cover the couscous and 2 cms extra and mix with a fork. Making sure all the grains of couscous are coated with the spice, olive oil and lemon juice, keep on mixing at regular intervals just to make sure that the grains of couscous don’t lump together. Once the water has absorbed taste the couscous for the correct balance of flavours and to make sure the couscous is al dente, you can add a little extra hot water if needed and mix again with a fork.

4) Check on the vegetables and mix at regular intervals to ensure that the vegetables cook evenly and the spices mix well together. They should be cooked in about 30 mins, check to make sure, once cooked remove from the oven and you are ready to serve with the couscous.

Zucchini

Moroccan Style Vegetables with Couscous

Added on 9:15 PM

Ingredients:

(for 4 servings)

2 T lemon juice
½ to 1 t harissa OR ¼ t cayenne pepper
8 oz ripe tomatoes, preferably cherry tomatoes
2 T onion, finely chopped
1 T cilantro, chopped
½ t cumin seeds
½ t salt

Preparation:

Place 1 t cumin seeds in small pan and heat over medium-high heat for a few minutes, until they darken and smell roasted. Grind.

If using cherry tomatoes, halve or quarter. Any other kind, dice.

Combine lemon juice and harissa in one bowl, and everything else in another. Stir the lemon harissa into the tomato salad, then let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

tomato

Moroccan Tomato Salad

Added on 9:09 PM

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, small dice
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound merguez sausage, sliced 1/2-inch thick
1 tablespoon ras el hanout, see note above
1 teaspoon Spanish sweet smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 15-ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably Muir Glen
8 extra-large eggs
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, stems included
2 tablespoons harissa, see note above
warm crusty bread, for serving

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Toss in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add the merguez and sauté until almost cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and add the Ras el Hanout, Spanish smoked paprika and salt. Stir to combine and cook for a minute to lightly toast the spices. Add the tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium and cook until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.
Crack the eggs over the mixture, cover and cook until the whites set, but the yolks are still soft.
Spoon the ragout into four warm bowls, top with two eggs, a sprinkling of cilantro and a teaspoon of Harissa.
Serve immediately with crusty bread.

tasty

Moroccan Merguez Ragout with Poached Eggs

Added on 7:31 PM

Ingredients:

1 liter of water
3/4 cup (approx. 130 g) coarse semolina
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, or to taste
3 cups (750 ml) milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon anise seeds, or more to taste
honey

Preparation:

Bring the water to a boil and stir in the semolina and salt. Simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the semolina is tender and the mixture is quite thick.
Stir in the milk, butter and anise seeds. Bring back to a simmer, and cook for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the soup reaches a consistency you like.
Serve warm with honey on the side. If desired, sweeten the soup with the honey.
The soup will thicken as it cools; stir in additional water to thin the soup when reheating.

tasty

Moroccan Semolina Soup with Milk, Anise Seeds and Honey

Added on 7:27 PM

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500 g) fresh pumpkin, diced (1/4" pieces)
1 to 1 1/2 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
several small sprigs of cilantro, tied into a bouquet
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 medium to large onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 cups (1 liter) vegetable or chicken broth
2 to 3 teaspoons honey
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Ras El Hanout
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

Preparation:

In a small stock pot, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil over medium-low heat until tender, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pumpkin, chickpeas, cilantro, broth, honey, spices and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, partially covered, about 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is just tender. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick and cilantro.
If you wish to thicken the broth a bit, transfer several spoonfuls of broth to a bowl and allow it cool slightly. Add one or two teaspoons of cornstarch to the cooled broth and stir until the mixture is smooth. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the soup and simmer for several more minutes, until the broth has thickened.
Serve the soup hot or warm with a garnish of freshly ground pepper and nutmeg.

Turmeric

Moroccan Pumpkin and Chickpea Soup

Added on 7:24 PM

 Ingredients:

 1 ts Cumin seeds
 1 ts Fennel seeds
 1 ts Coriander seeds
 1/4 ts Cardamom, ground
 1 pn Crushed red pepper flakes
 1 pn Nutmeg, ground
 1 pn Cinnamon
 1 tb Olive oil
 1 1/2 c  Green olives, brought to room temperature
 1 tb Lemon juice
 1 tb Orange juice
 3    Garlic cloves, minced

Preparation:

Heat first 8 ingredients in a small skillet over medium heat until
fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat & add olives & toss to
coat.
Stir in remaining ingredients.  Refrigerate in an airtight container
for at least 4 hours or up to 3 weeks.  The longer the marinate, the
better they taste.  Drain & serve at room temperature.

tasty

MOROCCAN SPICED OLIVES

Added on 4:49 PM

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Warm Water (115 °F / 46 °C) • ½ tsp active dry Yeast • ½ tsp White Sugar • 1 cup Milk • 1 cup All-Purpose Flour h• 1 cup Semolina Flour • 2 Eggs • 2 tsp Baking Powder • 1 tsp Salt

Sauce • 6 tbsp Butter • Ύ cup Honey • 1 tsp Orange-Flower Water (or to taste, optional)

Preparation:

•	Combine warm water, yeast and white sugar in a food processor. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes till the yeast softens and forms creamy foam.
•	Add milk, flour, semolina flour, eggs, baking powder and salt.
•	Blend the mixture to from a smooth batter.
•	Leave the batter in the blender for about 30 minutes.
•	Heat a 5-inch nonstick skillet on medium-high heat.
•	Blend the pancake batter again for 10 seconds.
•	Pour Ό cup of the batter into the heated skillet.
•	Cook the pancake till bubbles form and pop, for about 3 minutes.
•	Adjust the heat to brown the bottom of the pancake and dry the tops.
•	Repeat with the remaining batter.
•	Make sure to blend the batter after preparing 3 or 4 pancakes to keep the batter fluffy.
•	Prepare the sauce by combining butter, honey and orange-flower water flavoring in a microwave-safe bowl.
•	Microwave the mixture on high for 1½ minutes, to melt the butter and heat the honey.
•	Remove and stir the sauce.
•	Drizzle 1 tbsp of the sauce over each pancake.
•	Serve warm.

tasty

Beghrir Recipe

Added on 12:42 PM

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp Honey • 1 tsp fresh Lemon Juice • 1 pound large Carrots (peeled & cut) • 2 1/2 cups Low-Salt Chicken Broth • 1 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds • 1/8 tsp Ground Allspice • 1/2 cup Plain Yogurt (stirred to loosen) • 2 tbsp Butter • 1 cup White Onion (chopped)

Preparation:

•	Take a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Toss onion and pan fry for 2 minutes. Add carrots broth and boil it for few minutes. Reduce heat; simmer (covered) for about 20 minutes.
•	In a small skillet toss in cumin seeds; heat it over medium-high heat for about 4-5 minutes; allow it to cool; grind the stuff in spice mill.
•	Remove the soup from heat; allow it to cool. Make a paste using a blender. Spoon the mixture to the same pan. Add honey, allspice and lemon juice. Garnish it with pepper and salt.
•	Scoop the content into bowls. Garnish it with cumin (prepared) and yogurt.

tasty