By Liz & Mayumi
November 8, 2008
View from outside (Moroccan music playing)
The Recipes:
Pomegranate Orange Spritzer
2 parts pomegranate juice
2 parts orange juice
1 part sparkling water
Lhzina: Orange & Olive Salad
4 Oranges, peel cut off and sliced½ cup Black Olives, oil cured
¼ cup Red Onion, sliced very thinly
1 tsp. Fennel Seeds, crushed
Paprika, sprinkled
Sea Salt, to taste
Red Wine Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
¼ cup Mint, chiffonaded
Peel the oranges and with a paring knife, carefully scrape off as much of the white pith as possible, without tearing the fruit. Slice each orange crosswise into 3/8th-inch thick slices. Arrange the slices on a platter, slightly overlapping each one. Scatter the olives and the onions over the oranges. Season everything with the fennel seeds and salt.
Splash the vinegar and drizzle olive oil over the salad. Scatter the mint on top.
Moroccan Beef Kefta
1 ½ pounds ground beef
½ cup minced onion
2 cloves garlic finely minced
2 TBS finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried mint, crumbled
2 tsp salt
¼ tsp fine, freshly ground pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
½ tsp Spanish paprika
¼ tsp cayenne pepper
In a large bowl combine all the ingredients. Cover and let sit for one hour. Soak 12 wooden skewers in water for one hour. Dip hands into a bowl of water. Shape and pack about a 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into 2 sausage-shapes on a soaked wooden skewer. Repeat procedure for remaining meat and skewers. Cook the keftas in the hot pan on both sides until cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Serve hot.
Apricot Tahini Sauce
Apricot Preserve
Tahini
Water
Pinch of salt
Mix equal amount of Apricot Preserve and Tahini together. Add water by small increments until mixture is the consistency of a sauce. Salt to taste.
Radish Salad with Citrus Cilantro Dressing
10 large radishes matchsticked or thinly sliced1 medium orange zested and juiced
½ lime juiced
2 T finely chopped cilantro
1 T finely chopped preserved Moroccan lemon
1 pinch of hot chili flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.
Spinach with Moroccan Preserved Lemon
1 lb fresh spinach
2 T finely chopped preserved Moroccan lemon
½ medium lemon juiced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 T olive oil
2 t ground cumin
Salt to taste
Rinse spinach well. Sauté spinach in heated oil. (May have to be done in batches.) Transfer to sieve and let drain. Let cool and chop finely. Combine all ingredients in bowl. Let sit 30 minutes before serving.
May be made ahead and refrigerated up to a day.
(Note: Moroccan preserved lemons are inherently salty. Wait to add salt if necessary, until after resting.)
Moroccan Carrots
2 cups diced carrots
1 TBS olive oil
¼ small red onion finely diced
½ t Cinnamon
Pinch of curry powder
¼ t Sugar
Salt & Pepper
Fresh parsley finely chopped
Place the carrots in cold water and bring to a boil. Cook them for 1 to 2 minutes until cooked through. Drain the carrots and transfer them to a sauté pan. Add the red onions and sauté in heated oil. Flavor it to taste with cinnamon, sugar, curry powder, and salt and pepper. Garnish with the chopped parsley.
B’steeya/Bastilla/Bstilla/Pastilla
(tradionally made with Squab-pigeon-but prepared with chicken here. Fish is also a lovely substitution)
½ chicken, cut up
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 whole cinnamon sticks
1 cup chopped cilantro
6 eggs
½ pound almonds , slivered & toasted
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
2 large sheets phyllo pastry dough per b’steeya
¼ cup melted butter
For Garnish:
Confectioner’s Sugar
ground cinnamon
Boil chicken in enough water to keep covered along with the chopped onion and spices until cooked, about 1 hour. Drain chicken, reserving about 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Bone the chicken and finger-shred the meat into small pieces.
Cook eggs, along with reserved cooking liquid from chicken in a large skillet until soft scrambled, do not overcook the eggs. Mix cooked eggs with chicken meat until well combined.
Mix almonds, sugar and cinnamon. The above three steps can be done ahead of time, if desired. refrigerate ingredients until ready to cook.
Phyllo dough is a little tricky to work with. For best results, thaw completely. It's important to keep the dough you are going to work with wrapped in a slightly damp kitchen towel, as the dough dries out very quickly and becomes fragile and breaks apart. To prepare for the recipe, separate a large sheet of dough and lightly brush with butter, fold in half lengthwise and place in a lightly buttered large muffin pan. Repeat and place crosswise, making a +. Then add about 1 Tblsp. of almond mixture in bottom of dough, then ¼ - 1/3 cup of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with ½ Tblsp. almond mixture and close up pastry. Brush with butter to keep moist. When the pan is full, cover all of the pastries with a damp kitchen towel until ready to bake. Bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.
Flip out of pans and top with sugar and cinnamon in a criss-cross pattern.
**note: The original recipe makes this in one large pastry, but I like them as little individual sized portions. As a main course, the large size is great!
Moroccan Lamb Tagine
3 pounds Australian lamb shoulder (usually with bones)
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fine, freshly ground pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup minced fresh coriander
4 oz diced tomatoes
Trim the lamb of excess fat. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, make a paste of the ginger, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and oil. In a 4 or 5 quart casserole pot, toss the lamb with the spice paste over very low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions, herbs and 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Remove the lamb from the pot, cut the meat from the bones, shred the meat into small sizes and set them aside. Skim off all the fat that rises to the surface. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Boil over high heat until the juices are reduced to thick gravy, about 10 minutes. Return the lamb to the pot and serve it hot with couscous.
Couscous El Fasi
1 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp chicken stock paste
1 sweet onion thinly sliced
1 TBS olive oil
½ cup raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
Pinch of cinnamon
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Boiling water
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the raisins and let sit for 20 min. Toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan until light brown and set it aside. In a big sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with medium-low heat until the onions are caramelized. Combine with the raisins, cinnamon, sugar, salt and the pine nuts. Salt to taste. Garnish it with chopped parsley.
Couscous:
Add chicken stock paste to a cup of boiling water. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour the chicken stock over it, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and serve it with the onion mixture on top.
Persian Love Cake
Candied rose petals
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
Petals from 2 organic roses
Cake:
1 cup cake flour
14 tablespoons baker's sugar or superfine sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds, crushed
Frosting:
2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
2 Pinches of saffron threads
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rose water
2 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios
For candied rose petals: Whisk egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Using pastry brush, brush rose petals on both sides with egg whites; sprinkle on both sides with sugar. Dry on nonstick rack at least 6 hours or overnight.
For cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Sift flour, 7 tablespoons baker's sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Whisk yolks and next 4 ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons baker's sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment, and cool completely.
For frosting: Combine 1/2 cup cream and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 20 minutes. Chill until cold.
Beat remaining 2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form; strain in saffron cream. Beat until peaks form.
Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Garnish cake with rose petals and pistachios.
**Different brands of rose water and saffron have unique concentrations. You may have to play with this recipe to adjust it to your liking.
One review I found on this cake said, “… the cake was like running through a field of flowers and then falling with your mouth open.” It’s a very unusual and refreshing cake! Enjoy!
Mint Tea
Peppermint tea bag
1 branch of fresh mint
1 cup boiling water
Place one tea bag and the fresh mint in a cup of boiling water and steep 3 to 5 minutes.
Pinch of saffron
1 tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fine, freshly ground pepper
½ tsp sweet paprika
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup finely chopped onions
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1/3 cup minced fresh coriander
4 oz diced tomatoes
Trim the lamb of excess fat. With a mortar and pestle or in a blender, make a paste of the ginger, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and oil. In a 4 or 5 quart casserole pot, toss the lamb with the spice paste over very low heat for 2 minutes. Stir in the onions, herbs and 2 cups of water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until the meat is very tender and almost falling off the bones. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Remove the lamb from the pot, cut the meat from the bones, shred the meat into small sizes and set them aside. Skim off all the fat that rises to the surface. Add the tomatoes and their juice. Boil over high heat until the juices are reduced to thick gravy, about 10 minutes. Return the lamb to the pot and serve it hot with couscous.
Couscous El Fasi
1 cup couscous
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp chicken stock paste
1 sweet onion thinly sliced
1 TBS olive oil
½ cup raisins
¼ cup pine nuts
Pinch of cinnamon
½ tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Boiling water
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the raisins and let sit for 20 min. Toast the pine nuts in a sauté pan until light brown and set it aside. In a big sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions with medium-low heat until the onions are caramelized. Combine with the raisins, cinnamon, sugar, salt and the pine nuts. Salt to taste. Garnish it with chopped parsley.
Couscous:
Add chicken stock paste to a cup of boiling water. Put the couscous in a bowl, pour the chicken stock over it, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit for 10 minutes. Fluff it with a fork and serve it with the onion mixture on top.
Persian Love Cake
Candied rose petals
2 large egg whites
1/2 cup sugar
Petals from 2 organic roses
Cake:
1 cup cake flour
14 tablespoons baker's sugar or superfine sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3 large eggs, separated
6 tablespoons water
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon whole cardamom seeds, crushed
Frosting:
2 1/2 cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided
2 Pinches of saffron threads
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon rose water
2 tablespoons natural unsalted pistachios
For candied rose petals: Whisk egg whites in small bowl until foamy. Using pastry brush, brush rose petals on both sides with egg whites; sprinkle on both sides with sugar. Dry on nonstick rack at least 6 hours or overnight.
For cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line pan bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Sift flour, 7 tablespoons baker's sugar, baking powder, and salt into large bowl. Whisk yolks and next 4 ingredients in small bowl until smooth. Add yolk mixture to dry ingredients; whisk until smooth. Beat egg whites in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Gradually add 7 tablespoons baker's sugar; beat until whites resemble thick marshmallow fluff. Fold whites into batter in 3 additions. Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake until cakes are golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 15 minutes. Turn out onto racks, peel off parchment, and cool completely.
For frosting: Combine 1/2 cup cream and saffron in small saucepan. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat; let steep 20 minutes. Chill until cold.
Beat remaining 2 cups cream, powdered sugar, and rose water in large bowl until soft peaks form; strain in saffron cream. Beat until peaks form.
Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 6 hours. Garnish cake with rose petals and pistachios.
**Different brands of rose water and saffron have unique concentrations. You may have to play with this recipe to adjust it to your liking.
One review I found on this cake said, “… the cake was like running through a field of flowers and then falling with your mouth open.” It’s a very unusual and refreshing cake! Enjoy!
Mint Tea
Peppermint tea bag
1 branch of fresh mint
1 cup boiling water
Place one tea bag and the fresh mint in a cup of boiling water and steep 3 to 5 minutes.
Preserved Lemons: Take home gift
We had so much fun researching and preparing this night-- So sad it's over!
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