Moroccan Night

APPETIZER: Grilled Lamb Kebab in a spicy Chermoula Sauce

Prepare the Chermoula: combine fresh chopped cilantro, flat-leafed parsley, minced garlic, ground cumin and coriander seeds, paprika, cayenne, rehydrated chopped chilies, preserved lemon slivers, olive oil and fresh lemon juice in a blender (I used a magic bullet) and blend.

Marinate the Lamb: I purchased lamb already cut up into chunks which made it easy to mix with the marinate and throw in the fridge. Marinate over night.

Prepare the Moroccan yogurt sauce: all best prepared the day before and left in the fridge to marinate overnight. Combine:
1 cup yogurt
1 cup cucumber, peeled and grated
1/4 cup mint, minced
3 tablespoons preserved lemon, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

I actually halved this recipe because there there only two of us. It produced more than plenty. 

Prepare Skewers: thread meat onto metal or wooden skewers. If using wood, soak the skewers in water for several hours before skewering so they don't catch fire on the BBQ. I never seem to soak my skewers for long enough - they always catch fire. I think I will abandon the wood skewers for good and stick to re-useable metal.

BBQ lamb and pita: I've never cooked lamb before so didn't know what 'cook to liking' might be. Jamie Oliver reccommended BBQing lamb kebab for a mere 5 minutes on high heat so the middle is nice and red. I cooked my kebabs for about 10 minutes on medium-high heat (resulting in well-done lamb). So BBQ to your liking.... While BBQing, brush pita bread with olive oil, place on the grill for 2-3 minutes until lightly crisped. Note: too crispy and they become pita chips!

SALAD: Traditional Carrot and Orange Blossom Salad

Again, I also halved this recipe producing more than plenty for 2 people. I was able to find Orange Blossom water at my local Loblaws in the international isle, although a middle eastern grocer is likely to carry it as well.

6 cups (1.5 L) carrot, cut into matchsticks
1 cup (250 mL) golden raisins
⅓ cup (75 mL) extra virgin olive oil

2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice

1½ tbsp (22 mL) orange blossom water

1 clove garlic, minced

½ cup (125 mL) coriander, chopped

½ tsp (2 mL) salt

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a non-reactive bowl, toss to evenly coat the raisins and carrots with the dressing, cover and refrigerate for several hours, or until the carrots have softened and the raisins have absorbed some of the liquid. When ready to serve, check seasoning and add more salt if necessary. 

Source: LCBO

MAIN: Spicy Chicken Tagine 

Ingredients:

1 kg of dark meat chicken chopped into chunks 

3 tsp cayenne pepper

3 tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp paprika

2 Tbsp ground ginger

2 Tbsp turmeric

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Olive and vegetable oil

4 cups finely chopped onions

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 litre tomato juice

2 fresh tomatoes chopped

1 cup dried apricots, halved

1/2 cup raisins or sultanas

1 large preserved lemon, chopped

2 tsp strands saffron, soaked in cold water

2 Tbsp clear honey

Place the cayenne pepper, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon in a small bowl and stir. Coat chicken pieces half of the prepared spice mix, set aside the remaining spices. Cover the chicken with plastic wrap, place in the fridge and let marinate overnight.

Heat a combination of olive and vegetable oil in a large cast iron pan (or dish that can be used on the stove top and oven). Add the onions and the remaining spice mix and cook over a low heat for 7 minutes until the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the garlic, and sautee for another 3 minutes or so. 

Heat the remaining oil in a a separate pan and brown chicken, turning over to cook the exterior. Remove from the pan and place in the cast iron pan with onions.

Pour 250ml tomato juice into the pan used for cooking the chicken and stir well, scraping up all the bits on the bottom, then pour the contents of the pan into the cast iron plan

Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, preserved lemon, raisins, saffron, and honey to the casserole dish. If  Bring to the boil, cover with a tightly fitting lid or tin foil and cook in the oven at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

SIDE: Moroccan Eggplant Salad with Preserved Lemon

1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

olive oil

Juice of half a lemon

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Dash of hot pepper flakes

1 tablespoon finely diced preserved lemon

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat eggplant in olive oil. Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until eggplant is tender–about 30 minutes. Place the eggplant in a serving bowl and toss it with the lemon juice, garlic, cumin, paprika, pepper flakes and preserved lemon. Refrigerate overnight to allow flavours to mix. Serve well-chilled.

SIDE: Couscous Marrakesh

3 cups chicken broth
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 pinch of saffron, crumbled and soaked in 1 Tbsp of cold water
1 pinch of salt
2 cups uncooked couscous
4 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped

1 tsp. ground coriander
1 Tbs. salt
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. turmeric

1 red pepper, diced

1 green pepper, diced

1/4 cup sugar snap peas, chopped

1/3 cup eggplant finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pour couscous into a medium sized baking dish. In a small saucepan bring chicken broth, butter, saffron infused water and salt to a boil. Add to baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 10-15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir couscous with a fork and stir in 1-3 Tbsp of olive oil to prevent clumping.
While couscous is cooking, heat remaining oil in a pan. Add spices and onion and cook until onions begin to soften (4-5 minutes). Add remaining veggies and pan fry until cooked. Top prepared couscous with veggies and top with freshly chopped cilantro or parsley. 

DESSERT: Almond Pastry 

1 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup flaked almonds
125 g icing sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
1-2 Tbsp orange blossom water
6 sheets phyllo pasty
1/2 cup butter, melted 

Combine almonds (ground and flaked) together with icing sugar and zest. Add orange blossom water to create a paste. Add more orange blossom water as needed to obtain sticky consistency. Prepare 2 sheets of phyllo together at a time. Coating one side with butter, and placing about 1/3 of the almond mixture at the far right side of the phyllo sheet. Wrap the almond mixture up pinching in the ends of the phyllo. Coat with butter to seal phyllo ends together and place on a baking sheet. Repeat until all the almond mixture is used up about 3 pastries. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until pastry is lightly browned. Serve warm, topped with icing sugar.

Each of the recipes in this post receive a one whisk rating as none involved the stand mixer. I was just excited to try out a little Moroccan food!