Moroccan soup ( HARIRA ) in Ramadan

Here is how to prepare moroccan soup harira :

Harira is the traditional meal eaten to break the fast during Ramadan; it is usually served with dates, figs and special sweets called chabakiya ( chbakiya ).

Ingredients :

1 lb of lamb cut in large pieces
1 small onion, minced
1/4 head of cabbage cut in largish pieces
1 C chickpeas soaked overnight (or from a can)
1/3 C lentils
2 quarts of water
1/4 C olive oil
1/3 C fresh parsley, minced
6-7 strands of saffron (soaked in a few tablespoons of hot water)
1/2 - 1 t pepper
2/3 t ginger
1 cube of chicken bouillon
salt
1/2 lemon

- Cook the lentils in salted water, when done drain then and squeeze the half lemon over them

- Cook all the other ingredients in a soup pot over low heat for 50-60 minutes (enough time to cook the meat and the chickpeas)

Additional ingredients :

1/4 C rice
1/4 C angel hair pasta, broken up
2 lbs crushed tomatoes (in cans)
3 T flour
1/3 C fresh coriander, minced
salt

- Add the tomatoes to the broth previously prepared and cook for 10 minutes

- Mix the flour with a little water to form a paste and then add this to the soup a little bit at a time while stirring constantly to avoid lumps

- Bring the soup to a boil, add the rice, pasta, coriander and the salt; allow to simmer another 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally

- Add the lentils, let cook for another 5 minutes and serve in bowls with lemon wedges on the side for those who want to add it to their soup

- Harira should be somewhat creamy but not thick so if it is too thick add a little water and cook for a few more minutes; if it is too thin add a little flour and water paste to thicken it

- Some cooks break an egg into the soup during the last five minutes of cooking and mix it well to keep it from solidifying
Bonne appetite

Ramadan mobarak

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MOROCCAN PRESERVED LEMON

Moroccan Preserved lemons (MSSIYAR) and olives

Ingredients :

1 Lbs. Salt, more than one if desired
1 Cinnamon stick
1/4 Cup Bay leaves
1/4 Cup of vegetable oil
Spring water
Directions :

Quarter the lemons from the top to within 1/2 inch of the bottom. Gently spread them without breaking the bottom and pack them with salt and then reshape the fruit.
Place 1 tablespoon salt on the bottom of a sterilized one pint mason jar.
Pack in the lemons and push them down, adding more salt and the optional other spices, between layers. Press the lemons down to release their juices and to make room for the remaining lemons. Cover the lemons with the spring water and leave enough space for the oil.
For the vegetable oil and seal the jar. The vegetable oil has no effect on the actual flavoring except that it works as a seal and protects the lemons from air contact during the preservation time.
Let the lemons ripen in a cool dry and dark area for at least 30 days before reopening.
To use, rinse the lemons, as needed, under running water, remove the pulp if desired.
Preserved lemons, sold loose in the markets (Souks) of Morocco, are one of the indispensable ingredients of Moroccan cooking, used in fragrant lamb and vegetables Tagines, recipes for chicken with lemons and olives, and salads. Their unique pickled taste and special silken texture cannot be duplicated with fresh lemon or lime juice.
Sometimes you will see a sort of lacy, white substance clinging to preserved lemons in their jar; it is perfectly harmless, but should be rinsed off for aesthetic reasons just before the lemons are used. Preserved lemons are rinsed, in any case, to rid them of their salty taste.
There is no need to refrigerate after opening. Preserved lemons will keep up to a year, and the pickling juice can be used two or three times over a year.

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Moroccan Chicken baked with orange-spiced harissa sauce

Moroccan Chicken baked with orange-spiced harissa sauce

Ingredients :

* 1/4 c Harissa sauce (preceeding)
* 1/2 c Orange juice
* 1 tb Grated orange peel
* 1/4 c Cider vinegar
* 2 tb Vegetable oil
* 2 ts Sugar
* 1 ts Ground cinnamon
* 3 lb Chicken


Instructions :

Combine all ingredients except chicken to make a smooth sauce. Thin with orange juice if needed. Separate skin from chicken breast being careful not to cut the skin. Place some of the sauce between breast skin and breast. Cover chicken with the remainder of the sauce and marinate 3-4 hours in the refigerator. Bake chicken in a 350ø F oven for two hours until done basting frequently with sauce. Cover chicken with aluminum foil if chicken browns too soon.

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Moroccan Tagine of Seabass and Seasonal Vegetables

Moroccan Tagine of Seabass and Seasonal Vegetables

Ingridients :

30 sprigs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
20 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
4 thick slices (4 to 6-ounces each) white fish, rinsed and patted dry
4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
6 ribs celery, strings removed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium zucchini, cleaned, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 small onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
20 large green Italian olives, pitted
1/2 medium lemon, seeded, and cut into 1/8-inch slices
Freshly-ground pepper to taste
Wedges of lemon for garnish

Directions :

First For the marinade, in a large bowl, mix the parsley, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, paprika, cumin, and lemon juice. Stir to blend. Add the fish steaks and coat evenly with the marinade. Cover with foil or plastic wrap, and refrigerate 20 minutes to 8 hours.

In a small saucepan, blanch the sliced carrots in boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. Prepare the remaining vegetables for assembling the dish.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To assemble the tagine, place the celery pieces at the bottom of a glass 12x 8-inch baking dish. Top with all of the carrots and zucchini slices. Cover with half of the tomato and onion slices. Dot with half of the olives. Season with salt and pepper. Set the fish on top of the vegetables. Layer the remaining tomato and onion slices over the top. End with lemon slices and the remaining olives. Cover with remaining marinade.

Wrap with foil. Bake until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Then serve !
Bonne appétit

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Moroccan recipes : Moroccan spiced leg of lamb

Moroccan recipes : Moroccan spiced leg of lamb

Ingredients :

1 leg of lamb, skinned, boned and butterflied open
4 green cardamom pods
2 black cardamom pods
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 dried red chillies
2 bay leaves, torn into pieces
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground black pepper
4 fat cloves garlic, peeled
olive oil
grated zest of 2 lemons
salt

Directions :

1. Get your butcher to skin, bone out and butterfly the leg of lamb for you.
The idea is to end up with a large piece of meat of as even a thickness as
possible – no part more than 2” thick. Or do it yourself (see below).

2. Remove seeds from cardamom pods and toast them along with the cumin,
coriander, fenugreek, fennel and chillies in a small dry frying pan. It will
only take a few minutes – they’re ready when they start to smell great.

3. Grind the toasted spices up in an electric spice grinder or
with a pestle and mortar along with all the other spices and the bay leaves.

4. Pound garlic with a pestle and mortar, or smash it to a pulp with the back
of a knife. Using a little salt helps as it acts as an abrasive.

5. Mix garlic and spices in a bowl, along with enough olive oil to lubricate it
into a loose paste. Zest lemons over the bowl (so as to catch the oils that
are sprayed out) and stir to combine.

6. Around 6 hours before it’s time to cook, season the meat on both sides with
a good, even sprinkling of salt. Make sure the thicker areas get more salt
than the thinner areas. Place lamb in a large container and rub the spice
paste all over both sides. Store in the fridge, covered.

7. 1 hour before it’s time to cook take lamb out of fridge to bring to room
temperature. Get the grill (BBQ) really hot, if you have one, or
alternatively heat oven to 260C (500F) and find a rack you can fit over or
in a large roasting dish/tray.
8. Roast the lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the
thickest part reads 49C (120F), approximately 25 mins. The lamb should
still feel a little springy to the touch. If it feels hard, you’ve over-cooked it.
NB You should turn the meat over once or twice during cooking. Once
done, place on a cutting board, loosely ‘tent’ with foil and let sit for 10
mins. During this time the juices and heat will distribute themselves and
the internal temperature will rise by a few more degrees. (NB These
instructions are for medium-rare meat, which is by far the nicest way to
have lamb. If you want it more safely on the medium side, cook until the
temperature reads 55C (130F).)

9. Slice the meat fairly thinly at an angle and across the grain. The grain
direction will change periodically as the leg is made up of several different
muscles, each with their own grain direction. Serve with pita bread, rice or
couscous, some delicious sauces such as harissa and minty yoghurt, and a
fresh salad of some sort.
bonne appetit

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Moroccan Fish Tagine

Here is how to prepare a Moroccan Fish Tajine (Serves 4-6)

Ingredients :

1kg Monk fish or Sole (or similar),
450g onions, peeled and chopped
1 small whole garlic (crush the cloves)
175g dried apricots, chopped
85g flaked almonds
55g sultanas
400g chopped tinned tomatoes
1½ tbspn ground ginger
2 tspn black pepper
2 tspn cinnamon
3 tspn ground turmeric
1½ tbspn paprika
1 tspn cayenne pepper
1 tbspn olive oil
2 tbspn honey
1 tspn saffron
300ml fish stock
lemon rind, chopped
25g coriander leaves, chopped

Directions :
Moroccan Fish Tagine
Heat the olive oil in the tagine and add the spices, garlic and onion. Allow the onion to soften.
Add the apricots, almonds, sultanas, honey, saffron,lemon rind, tomatoes and fish stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 45 minutes.
After 30 minutes, add the fish to the tagine and finish cooking for 15-20 minutes.
Garnish with the coriander leaves .

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Chicken Stew Moroccan recipe

Here is how to make the chicken stew recipe in Moroccan way

Moroccan Chicken Stew recipe :

ingredients :

• 600g skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets, chopped
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 4cm knob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 280g passata or tomato puree
• 200g canned chick peas, drained
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

preparation :

Season the chicken with salt and brown in the oio in a large saucepan over medium heat until almost cooked through. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
After that Add onion, garlic, carrots and celery to pan and cook gently until tender. Stir in ginger, paprika, cumin, oregano, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Stir fry for about 1 minute, then mix in stock and passata. Return chicken to pan, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Then Add chickpeas and zucchini to pan and bring to a simmer. Cover pan and cook for about 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender. Stir in lemon juice and serve. bon appetit

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