While in Morocco at Riad Alya, we took a cooking class, going in the morning to the market to buy the supplies and then later cooking in their kitchen. To read about the full experience, see this blog post.
The receipes and instructions are here.
Lamb Tagine for Two People
1 lb lamb shoulder
1 small red onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/3 c sunflower oil
1/3 c olive oil
3 medium artichokes
½ fresh lemon
2 lbs fresh peas in pods (or 1/2 lb frozen peas)
5 sprigs of parsley tied together
Preserved Lemon for garnish
Put lamb in pressure cooker. Grate onions into pot with lamb. Add spices and 1 cup water. Bring to boil and brown the meat a bit. Add another 4 cups of water. Put lid on pressure cooker and cook for 45 minutes. Check to see if lamb is falling apart, if not, keep cooking another 15 minutes and check again.
Meanwhile, shell the peas if using fresh.
Trim artichokes down to the heart and rub lemon all over to coat them in lemon juice.
When lamb is done, add artichokes, peas, and sprigs of parsley. Put pressure cooker back on for 15 minutes. Check to see that peas and artichokes are done, and if not cook a bit longer.
When near time to serve, heat up tagine, and put lamb in. Garnish with preserved lemon.
Fava Bean Salad
2 lbs fresh fava beans
3 garlic cloves
½ preserved lemon
½ c chopped cilantro
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp paprika
½ c olive oil
½ c sunflower oil
Take fava beans out of pods, remove the head with a small knife, and cut a slit through the bean at the head. Wash the beans.
Grate or finely chop the garlic. Put in pressure cooker with 4 cups water. Bring to boil. Add beans. Bring back to boil. Cut preserved lemon in half. Add to pot. Put lid on pressure cooker and cook 10 minutes till beans are tender. Add remaining ingredients to pot.
Put pot back on stove and cook till liquid evaporates. Serve on platter with preserved lemon chunks.
Split Pea Soup
1 lb split peas
1 small red onion
3 cloves garlic
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground ginger
1tsp sea salt
1 tsp fermented butter
2 Tablespoons good quality olive oil
Wash peas. Chop onion. Put everything except olive oil in a pressure cooker with 4 cups water. Cook for 30 minutes. Put mixture through a fine sieve or process in your Cuisinart till smooth. Add water to get desired consistency, and salt to taste.
Serve with olive oil drizzled over the soup.
NOTE: Fermented butter, known as Smen, is an essential ingredient to a lot of Moroccan cooking. You can buy it, but you can also make it. Take 2 lbs unsalted butter and mix in 2 Tablespoons salt. Let sit overnight and pour off all the water that the salt extracts. Then mix again, cover, and leave in a dark place for 1 month. Here is another recipe that adds a bit of oregano.
Zucchini Salad
1 lb zucchini
4 tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
½ cup sunflower oil
1 tsp sea salt
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp vinegar
Slice zucchini on an angle to get large slices about ½ inch thick. Put in pot. Cut tomatoes in half, and grate into pot, discarding the skins.
Finely chop or grate the garlic and add to pot. Add remaining ingredients except vinegar. Add water till covered. Cook till zucchini is very tender. Add vinegar. Continue to cook till all water is evaporated and you have a nice tomato sauce coating the zucchini.
Cauliflower Salad
2 heads cauliflower
4 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 heaping tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
Cut cauliflower into medium sized florets. Put in pot covered with water and bring to boil. Boil till very tender. Drain.
Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and grate them – discarding the skins. (See video in Zucchini Salad recipe.) Grate or finely chop the garlic. Put tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, salt, and olive oil into a large frying pan. Cook over medium high heat till all the water is gone and you have a thick tomato sauce.
Add cauliflower to pan and mix, smashing the cauliflower as you go. Add cilantro and mix in well.
Mint Tea
Put 1 tablespoon of green tea and 5 mint leaves in small tea pot. Add a lump of sugar if desired. Fill pot with hot water and put on stove and boil a few minutes. Serve!
Eggplant Salad
2 lbs Eggplant
½ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped cilantro
3 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon Paprika
½ tsp cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 ½ tsp black pepper
2 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Cut eggplant into 2-3 inch chunks. Put ½ inch oil in large frying pan. Add eggplant to pan (you may need to do this in two batches depending on the size of the pan.
Fry eggplant till deep brown in color. Scoop out of pan with a slotted spoon into a bowl. Don’t drain on paper towels as you want some oil.
Meanwhile, chop parsley and cilantro together. Finely chop garlic. Add all remaining ingredients to a bowl with the garlic and chopped herbs. Add eggplant to spices along with residual oil. Mix.
This can be served in a couple of hours, but is better left in the fridge for a day or two.
Smokey Eggplant Salad
2 lbs Eggplant
4 tomatoes
2 garlic cloves
1 heaping tsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
1 tsp sea salt
½ cup olive oil
½ cup chopped cilantro
Take whole eggplant and put on grill on low. Roast eggplant till soft and skins begin to split open. Scoop eggplant out of the skins.
Meanwhile, cut the tomatoes in half and grate them – discarding the skins. Grate or finely chop the garlic. Put tomatoes, garlic, paprika, cumin, pepper, salt, and olive oil into a large frying pan. Cook over medium high heat till all the water is gone and you have a thick tomato sauce.
Add eggplant to pan and mix. Add cilantro and mix.