Moroccan White Bread Recipe

  Allow 1 hour rising time. Yields two 8" to 9" round loaves.
  Prep Time: 20 minutes
  Cook Time: 25 minutes
  Rising time: 1 hour
  Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups white flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon yeast
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/4 cup warm water
• additional flour for kneading
• cornmeal, semolina or oil for the pan

Preparation:

Prepare two baking sheets by oiling the centers, or by dusting the pans with a little cornmeal or semolina.

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Make a large well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the yeast.

Add the oil and the water to the well, mixing to dissolve the yeast first, and then stirring the entire contents of the bowl to incorporate the water into the flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and begin kneading the dough. If necessary, add flour or water in very small amounts to make the dough soft and pliable, but not sticky. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic.

Divide the dough in half, and shape each portion into a smooth circular mound. Place onto the prepared pans, and cover with a towel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

After the dough has rested, use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough into circles about 1/4" thick. Cover with a towel, and leave to rise about one hour, or until the dough springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.

Preheat an oven to 435°F (225°C).

Score the top of the bread with a very sharp knife, or poke the dough with a fork in several places. Bake the bread for about 20 minutes – rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time – or until the loaves are nicely colored and sound hollow when tapped. Transfer the bread to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool.

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Moroccan Lamb with Dried Plums and Honey

Prep Time:     20 minutes 

Cook Time:   1 1/2 hours 

Serves:                6

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine 
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 to 1 1/2-inch cubes 
• 1 1/2 cups sliced yellow onions 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger 
• 1/8 teaspoon saffron (optional) 
• 1 1/2 cups lamb stock or water 
• 1 1/2 cups (about 9 ounces) pitted dried plums 
• 3 tablespoons honey 
• Salt and pepper 
• 6 cups hot prepared couscous 
• 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds 
• Watercress (optional) 
• Orange slices (optional)

preparation

In large skillet or Dutch oven, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat. Brown lamb, about 5 minutes. Remove lamb. Add onions; cook and stir 3 to 4 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add cinnamon, ginger and saffron, if desired; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add lamb stock; bring to a boil. Return lamb to pan; reduce heat to low. Cover; simmer 45 minutes. Add dried plums; simmer about 20 minutes longer or until meat is tender. Stir in honey; season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon lamb mixture over prepared couscous. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Garnish with watercress and orange slices, if desired.

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Seven-Vegetable Couscous

Total Time:             1 hr 5 min
Preparation:              30 min
Inactive:                       5 min
Cook:                           30 min
Yield:                       4 to 6 servings
Level:                              Easy

Ingredients

1-Seven-Vegetable Stew:

• 3 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 small turnips, peeled and quartered
• 1 medium yellow onion, quartered lengthwise, root end intact
• 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1/2 fennel bulb, thickly sliced lengthwise, root end intact
• 1/3 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon peeled, chopped, fresh ginger
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons each ground cumin, paprika, and sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
• 2 cups water
• 1 pound butternut squash
• 1 small zucchini, cut into 2-inch rounds
• 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, tied together with kitchen string
• 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes, with their juices

2-Couscous:

• 2 cups cold water
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• Harissa (Tunisian hot sauce)

Preparation

For the stew: Put the garlic, turnips, onion, carrot, fennel, raisins, ginger, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon in a large soup pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 10 minutes. Halve and seed the butternut squash and cut it into wedges. Tie parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Add squash, zucchini, chickpeas, and parsley sprigs to the pot. Using your fingers and working over the pot, tear the tomatoes into big pieces and add them to the pot with their juices. Simmer the stew, covered, until it is slightly thick and fragrant, and the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. (You can test the vegetables a bit sooner, remove them as soon as they are tender, and return them to the pot when you are ready to serve. All the vegetables should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, but still hold their shapes.) Remove cinnamon sticks.

For the couscous: Bring water to a boil with the butter and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the water has been absorbed and the couscous is plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.

To serve, spread the couscous over a large serving platter and, using a slotted spoon, mound the vegetables in the center. Pour some of the broth over the vegetables and sprinkle with the almonds. Pass the remaining broth and the harissa, if desired, at the table.

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Moroccan Meatballs Recipe

         
          Preparation time: 10 mins

Cooking time:  20 mins
Serves:  4

Ingredients:

• 500g John Penny beef mince
• 2-3tbsp olive oil
• 2 red onions, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2tsp both cumin & coriander seeds, toasted and ground
• 400g can tomatoes
• 2tsp sugar
• 30g fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 15g pack fresh mint, finely chopped
• 1 egg, lightly whisked
• 50g fresh breadcrumbs
• couscous, plain yogurt and pitta bread, to serve

Preparation:

1. First make the sauce.
2. Heat a dash of oil in a pan and soften the onions, garlic and spices for a few minutes. Put half of the mixture in a bowl to cool for the meatballs. Add the tomatoes and sugar to the remaining onions in the pan, season and simmer for about 15mins until reduced.
3. Add the herbs, egg, beef mince and the breadcrumbs to the cooled onions, then season and mix everything well with your hands. Shape into walnut-sized balls.
4. Heat the rest of the oil and fry the meatballs until golden. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer for a few minutes until they're cooked through.
5. Serve with couscous, a spoonful of yogurt and some warm pitta bread.
   

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Moroccan Chicken Recipe

 

Preparation: 20 min.
Cook: 6 hours
Yield: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

4 medium carrots, sliced
2 large onions, halved and sliced
1 broiler/fryer chicken (3 to 4 pounds), cut up, skin
removed
1/2 cup chopped dried cranraisins
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon pepper
Hot cooked couscous

Preparation:

Place carrots and onions in a greased 5-qt. slow cooker.
Sprinkle chicken with salt; add to slow cooker. Top with
apricots and raisins. In a small bowl, combine flour and
broth until smooth; whisk in the tomato paste, lemon juice,
garlic, ginger, cumin, cinnamon and pepper. Pour over
chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or until chicken is
tender. Serve with couscous. Yield: 4 servings.

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Moroccan Harira(soup)

   

The recipe below will serve 6 to 8 people, and follows the pressure cooker method, which speeds up the cooking. To adapt cooking times for traditional simmering in a stockpot, read the Tips at the bottom of the page.

• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

-½ lb. uncooked meat (lamb, beef or chicken), chopped into 1/2” pieces
-several soup bones (optional)
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
-1 bunch parsley, finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
-1 or 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
-1 large onion, grated
-1 handful of dry chick peas, soaked and then peeled
-1 tablespoon smen (optional)
-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
-1 tablespoon ground ginger
-1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
-1 tablespoon kosher salt
-1/2 teaspoon turmeric or ¼ teaspoon yellow colorant
-6 large tomatoes (about 2 lb. or 1 kg), peeled, seeded and pureed
-2 to 3 tbsp dry lentils, picked over and washed
-3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water
-2 to 3 tablespoons uncooked rice OR uncooked broken vermicelli
-1 cup flour

Preparation:

Step 1 - Ahead of Time

Make sure you have all the ingredients. Do the following before you begin cooking the soup.

Soak and skin the chickpeas. (You might want to soak them the night before you cook.)
Pick through the lentils and wash them.
Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Or, stew the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skin.
Pick the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems. Small pieces of stem are OK, but discard long, thick pieces with no leaves. Wash the herbs, drain well, and finely chop them by hand or with a food processor.
Assemble the remaining ingredients and follow the steps below.

Step 2 - Brown the Meat

Put the meat, soup bones and oil into a 6-qt. or larger pressure cooker. Over medium heat, cook the meat for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.

Step 3 - Make the Stock

Add the cilantro, parsley, celery, onion, chick peas, tomatoes, smen and spices. Stir in 3 cups of water.

Cover tightly, and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.

Step 4 – Make the Soup

Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and 2 quarts (or about 2 liters) of water to the stock.

Set aside (but don’t add yet), either the rice or vermicelli.

Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking.

If adding rice: Cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the rice. Cover, and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes.

If adding vermicelli: Cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for five to ten minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked.

Step 5 – Thicken the Soup

While the soup is cooking, mix together the 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water. Set the mixture aside, and stir or whisk it occasionally. The flour will eventually blend with the water. If the mixture is not smooth when you're ready to use it, pass it through a sieve to remove balls.

Once the rice (or vermicelli) has cooked, taste the soup for seasoning. Add salt or pepper if desired.

Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly — and in a thin stream — pour in the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom.

You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used approximately half the flour mixture. How thick to make harira is your own preference. I like to thicken the broth so that it achieves a cream-like consistency.

Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for five to ten minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat.

Serves 6 to 8.

Tips for Making Harira

If the meat had a lot of fat, expect to see some foaming as you simmer the thickened soup. Skim off the foam and discard it.
As harira cools in the pot, it’s common for a skin to form. Simply stir to blend the skin back into the soup.
A small wedge of lemon may be served as a garnish; its juice may be squeezed into the bowl of harira.
When reheating harira, don’t bring it to a boil. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently to avoid lentils sticking to the bottom.
Preparation Shortcut: Chop your cilantro, parsley and celery together in a food processor or blender. Add the peeled and seeded tomatoes, and blend until well-pureed. Add the onion and process until the onion is reduced to small pieces. Proceed with making the stock.
Thickening with Egg: In place of flour and water, two or three beaten eggs may be used to thicken harira. (If desired, beat the eggs with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.) Add the eggs in a thin stream to the simmering soup, stirring constantly. You will see some cooked strands of eggs in the soup as it thickens.
Prep and Freeze: If you plan to cook harira frequently, it’s helpful to prep large amounts of key ingredients in advance. Soak and peel chickpeas; drain well before freezing. Chop an ample supply of parsley, cilantro and celery; measure the mixed herbs by soup bowlfuls and freeze. Peel, seed and stew tomatoes; puree and freeze in 1 kg (about 2 lb.) batches.
Traditional Stockpot Method

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, use a 6- or 8-qt. stockpot. Follow the directions above, but adjust the cooking time as follows:

In Steps 3 and 4, partially cover the pot, bring to a simmer and cook for double the suggested pressure cooking times. Watch the level of the liquids, particularly in Step 3; you can add a little more water if you feel it's necessary.
Proceed with thickening the soup in Step 5 according to the recipe, or try the egg thickening method in the Tips above.

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