TM brought over some tomatoes and bell peppers when she came over for dinner the other night. I turned some of that into a bell pepper salad. But there was still a bit leftover (plus some tomatoes that I'd bought), so I decided to make this tomato and caper salad.

I love capers, so I was really looking forward to that element. Sadly, we seem to be all out of capers. We always have capers! It didn't even occur to me to check because we just always have them. But, since neither of us wanted to run out to the grocery store just for capers, we decided to go ahead with the salad and substitute chopped olives for the capers. It's not the same. But it's still a nice salad. Definitely make it with capers if you have them though!

Fresh Tomato and Caper Salad

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 900g very ripe tomatoes, diced¹
• 1/2 c. minced red onion
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced²
• 1/2 a preserved lemon, pulp removed, rinsed, and minced
• 2-3 Tbsp. capers, drained
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• juice of 1/2 a lemon

Directions

1. Combine the tomatoes, onion, celery, bell pepper, preserved lemon, and capers and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, cobine the salt, pepper, oil, and lemon juice and mix well.
3. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.
4. Cover and chill for 30-60 minutes before serving.

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¹ As usual, Wolfert specifies that the tomatoes should be peeled and seeded before dicing them. I didn't want to do that, so I just diced my tomatoes -- skin, seeds, and all! Presumably that's why my salad looks so juicy/watery. ^Back
2 Once again here, she calls for peeling, coring, and seeding the bell pepper. Obviously I cored/seeded it. But I didn't bother trying to peel it before dicing. She also specifically calls for a green bell pepper, but I only had a yellow on hand (and I prefer them anyway), so I just used that. ^Back

This is a very quick and simple spice mixture to put together. Wolfert notes that it works well with lamb, chicken, fish, and winter vegetables.

La Kama Spice Mixture

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 tsp. white peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cubeb pepper (or 1/4 tsp. black pepper + 1/4 tsp. allspice), ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground or grated nutmeg

Directions

1. Combine all the ingredients, mix well, and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

TM came over for dinner last night. She brought some tomatoes and bell peppers with her, so I added this simple salad to the dinner menu. It was relatively easy to do and made a nice addition to the spread.

Clockwise from left: beef and nectarine tagine; marak of cauliflower with tomatoes and olives; eggplant zaalouk; broth (from couscous); grilled red pepper salad; couscous with beef and leafy greens; beef bastilla with peppers, raisins, and olives.

Grilled Red Pepper Salad

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2 large red bell peppers, grilled or broiled¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 small roma tomato or 3 Tbsp. canned tomato², diced
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste³
• 1/8 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Lightly press the peppers between paper towels to remove excess moisture.
2. Sprinkle each pepper piece with salt and roll it up. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
3. Unroll the pepper pieces and press once more to remove excess moisture.
4. Warm 1 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-low heat.
5. Add the pepper pieces and cook for 2-3 minutes.
6. Add the tomato, garlic, cumin, and parsley and cook for 20-30 seconds more.
7. Discard any residual cooking oil.⁴
8. Toss the peppers and tomatoes with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil.
9. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

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¹ I broiled my peppers. I first quartered and seeded them. Then set them skin-side-up on a baking sheet and put them under the broiler, set on low⁵, until the skin was mostly black. Once blackened, they were removed from the oven and transferred to a plastic bag. Once cool enough to handle, the skin was removed. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for peeling, seeding, and dicing the tomato. I just diced mine without doing the peeling or seeding. I was still happy with my results. Although I'm sure the tomato would've melded with the rest of the salad better if I'd followed the full instructions. ^Back
3 The original recipe actually calls for 1 clove of garlic "crushed to a paste with 1/4 tsp salt". Which, if I hadn't been in such a hurry, I might've tried. But I had a bunch of other dishes cooking and I don't have much practice with the molcajete yet, so I figured I should probably play it safe and go with garlic paste. (Of course, then I remembered that that would require opening a new jar of garlic paste and finding room in the fridge for it so, in the end, I just minced a couple cloves of garlic and tossed them in. But, in the future, I'd probably use garlic paste, either purchased or homemade.) ^Back
4 Whoops! Only just now realized that I completely missed this step when making the salad last night. Oh well, it was still tasty! ^Back
5 I find that when I set my broiler to high, the skin blackens before the peppers have cooked through and it also doesn't blacken evenly. Putting them in on low for a longer time seems to work better. YMMV. ^Back

This was the original salad that I had planned for our Moroccan meal with TM. It was a big hit and definitely a recipe that I can see myself coming back to when a meal needs another vegetable side. I needs to be made a day ahead. But, on the bright side, that means you can make it in advance and not have an extra dish to go with dinner that doesn't have to be made at the same time as everything else! The author notes that giving it several days in the fridge before serving will improve it even more.

Eggplant Zaalouk

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2 medium black eggplants (~340g each)
• 5 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 450g fresh tomatoes, chopped¹ or 2 c. drained chopped canned tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp. sugar (if the tomatoes are particularly acidic)
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste
• 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne²
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Pierce each eggplant in a few places with a toothpick or fork.
2. Either slowly grill over coals until blackened and collapsed (20-30 minutes) or halve and cook, cut-side-down, on a baking sheet set under a broiler until blackened and tender (~20 minutes).
3. Transfer the cooked eggplant to a colander and peel while still hot. Allow to drain until cool.
4. Gently squeeze peeled eggplant to remove any bitter juices.
5. Heat 3 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-low heat.
6. Add the tomatoes, sugar (if using), garlic, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
7. Mash the eggplant with a fork and addit to the tomato mixture in the skillet.
8. Add the cilantro and cook, stirring often, for another 10-15 minutes.
9. Transfer to a container and mix in the lemon juice.
10. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste.
11. Let cool, then cover and chill overnight (or longer).
12. Just before serving, allow salad to come to room temperature and drizzle with the remaining 2 Tbsp. of olive oil.

¹As with many of Wolfert's recipes, this one calls for peeled and seeded tomatoes. I usually can't be bothered to do that, so I just cored and chopped some fresh tomatoes and used them. But if you would like an extra-nice salad, then peeling and seeding your tomatoes would probably give a better result. ^Back
2 I actually swapped out the cayenne for ground Kashmiri chilies as I really enjoy their flavour. I think hot paprika would also work well here. ^Back

Wolfert notes that Moroccan warqa pastry is often compared to several other thin, high-gluten pastries from other cooking traditions (fillo, strudel, brik, etc.), but warqa is distinct from all of them and, she notes, thinner.

Based on the description in the book, it sounds like the traditional way of making warqa leaves is to tap a large ball of dough multiple times onto a hot pan to deposit a thin layer pastry onto it. Wolfert has given an alternative method that involves painting batter onto a hot pan with a pastry brush. Aside from the fact that my batter was a little lumpy and my pastry brush may never be the same again, I think this worked reasonably well.

I think that using an actual food processor -- rather than trying to use a blender as a food processor -- might help with the lumpiness of the batter next time. (Not that I have a food processor, but I do think that would help.) As for the pastry brush... Despite the fact that she specifically calls for a natural bristle brush for painting the batter onto the pan (and a silicone brush for oiling them afterward), I'm thinking that I might want to try out a silicone brush for both tasks next time. I'm not sure if it'd work or not, but I'd like to at least give it a go so that I know for sure.

Warqa

From The Food of Morocco

Ingredients

• 225g hard (high grade/bread/strong) white flour
• 1/4 c. all-purpose or atta (extra-fine semolina) flour¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 3/4 c. water, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. canola (or other neutral) oil

Directions

1. Combine the flours and salt in a food processor and pulse a couple times to get everything mixed.
2. With the machine running, add 1 c. of the water along with the vinegar.
3. Process until the dough forms a smooth ball, then add the oil through the tube and process for another 30 seconds.
4. With the machine still running, pour in the remaining 3/4 c. water and process for another minute or so.
5. Pour into a container, cover, and chill overnight.
6. The next day, set a large pot of water on the stove and bring to a fast boil.
7. Set a non-stick skillet that fits snugly over the pot. Secure it with kitchen twine if necessary.
8. Use a silicone brush to lightly oil the skillet, then wipe it out with a paper towel.
9. Use a natural bristle brush to stir up the batter (or experiment with using silicone for this), then quickly brush the batter evenly over the hot skillet. If necessary, do another pass to fill in any empty spaces.²
10. Cook for ~2 minutes. Once the warqa turns completely white and the edges start to curl, it's ready.
11. Grab the curling edges of the warqa with your fingertips and lift it out of the pan.
12. Place it cooked-side-up on a paper towel, then use a silicone brush to lightly brush it with some of the oil.
13. Place another paper towel on top.
14. Stir up the batter again and repeat the process until all batter has been used. (I got ~24 warqa from this recipe.)
15. If not using right away, place the stack of warqa and paper towels into a plastic bag and store in the fridge. They will keep in the fridge for 3 or 4 days. For loger term storage, they may be frozen.

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¹ If the warqa will be used for bastilla, use the all-purpose flour. If it will be used for briwat, use the atta flour. ^Back
2 I found that one pass/brush-full was nowhere near enough to coat the whole bottom of the pan. I don't know if my brush was too small or my pan too big or my technique was not good or what, but it generally took me at least six passes to get full coverage. It still seemed to work out okay though. My warqa were tissue-thin, but quite strong and flexible. ^Back

I've been wanting to try my hand at making bastila ever since I was given this book. It looks fascinating and delicious. But I always found the recipes a bit intimidating. First you have to make your warqa, which already looked pretty challenging to me, and then you have to assemble that into a pie! A pie that needs to be baked and flipped over multiple times! It all sounded a bit too daunting to me. Especially since I kept eyeing up the fancy "bastila of Fes with chicken or quail". Somehow it felt like I should start with that one -- it being the famous classic version and all. But it's also quite intricate and complicated. And eventually I realized that maybe it would be better to start with one of the simpler bastilas.

This bastila uses ground beef (rather than chicken, quail, squab, or lamb like many of the others do) and the filling can be prepared in advance, so you don't have to do everything the day of. And, aside from feeling like I need to work on my warqa-making technique, I was very happy with the results. So now I have finally made a bastila!

Beef Bastila with Peppers, Raisins, and Olives

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 225g ground beef
• 2/3 c. chopped onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tsp. la kama spice mixture
• 1/2 tsp. ras el hanout
• 3 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 55g vermicelli pasta or rice vermicelli
• 1 large (or 2 small) bell peppers, grilled or broiled, peeled and diced
• 1 c. chopped tomato
• 1/2 tsp. harissa or biber salçasi (Turkish red pepper paste)
• 3 Tbsp. golden raisins
• 10-12 Picholine or green olives, pitted and sliced
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• black pepper, to taste
• 24 warqa leaves or 225g fillo leaves
• 1 Tbsp. oil
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp. water¹
• 2-3 Tbsp. melted ghee² (2 Tbsp. for warqa; 3 Tbsp. for fillo)
• lemon slices and/or parsley sprigs, for garnish

Directions

1. Combine the beef, onion, garlic, la kama spice mix, ras el hanout, parsley, cilantro, and salt and cook, covered, on low heat for ~20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, boil the vermicelli in salted water until al dente (probably 1-4 minutes depending on your pasta).
3. Drain the pasta/noodles, shock with cold water, and then cut into 5cm pieces and set aside.
4. Add the bell pepper, tomato, harissa, raisins, and olives to the pan with the meat and increase heat to medium.
5. Cook the meat mixture, uncovered, over medium heat for ~5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat and add the vermicelli to the pan along with the lemon juice. Toss to combine.
7. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Chill until ready to use. (Can be made a day in advance.)
9. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F) and brush the bottom and sides of a 25cm (10") tart tin or pizza pan with the oil.
10. Beat the egg yolk with the water and set aside.
11. If using warqa:
    • Arrange all but 5 or 6 of the leaves, shiny-side-down, overlapping, and overhanging the sides of the pan.
    • Spread the filling over the pastry leaves, lightly pressing down, then fold the edges of the pastry leaves up over the filling to enclose it.
    • Brush the folded leaves with some of the egg yolk mixture.³
    • Place the remaining leaves shiny-side-up and overlapping on top of the bastila. Tuck in the edges to create a fully-enclosed pie.
    • Brush the top of the pie with the melted ghee followed by a light coating of the egg yolk mixture.
    If using fillo:
    • Arrange half the fillo leaves, one on top of the other, so that they cover the bottom and overhang the edges of the pan. As you arrange the pastry, brush every second leaf/sheet with melted ghee.
    • Spread the filling over the pastry leaves, lightly pressing down, then fold the edges of the pastry up over the filling to enclose it (or nearly so).
    • Brush the folded leaves with some of the egg yolk mixture.
    • Cover with the remaining fillo leaves and tuck the edges under the pie.
    • Brush the top with a light coating of egg yolk.
12. Bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes.
13. Shake the pan a bit to loosen tthe pie.
14. If necessary, tilt the pan to pour off any excess fat.
15. Invert the pie onto a greased baking sheet.
16. Brush the pie with the remaining egg yolk.
17. Return to the oven and take at 200°C (400°F) for another 10 minutes.
18. Remove the pie from the oven and, if necessary, tilt to pour off any excess fat.
19. Put a serving platter or cutting board over the pie and invert the pie onto the platter/board.
20. Decorate the top with lemon slices and/or sprigs of parsley.
21. Cut into wedges and serve hot (with extra harissa)!

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¹ I forgot to add the water to my egg yolk, which made it a bit too thick to easily brush onto the pastry. ^Back
2 I got a little discombobulated and just ended up using melted butter for this instead of melted ghee. It still seemed to work out alright, but I think the ghee would've been even better. ^Back
3 I totally missed this step when building my bastila. It was buried in a long paragraph of instructions and I think my eyes just skipped a line and it didn't get done. This is why I tend to break the instructions down a bit more when I do recipe write-ups: less chance of missing a step. ^Back

Beef Tagine with Fresh Apricots

I was originally planning to make the apple and prune version of this tagine. But then I got to the grocery store and they had local nectarines on sale. And I momentarily forgot that the apricot version wanted apricots and not nectarines. So I got a bunch of nectarines and didn't get the prunes and figured I'd just make that version. Then I got home and realized my mistake. But I already had the nectarines, so I figured I'd just go for it anyway. Nectarines and apricots are basically the same fruit, right?

Beef Tagine with Fresh ApricotsNectarines

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• scant 1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
• 3/4 c. hot water¹, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 shallot, grated or finely minced
• 1kg beef short ribs (braising ribs), cut into individual ribs
• 500g stewing beef, cut into 4-5cm chunks
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 3 Tbsp. honey
• 4-5 fresh nectarines², quartered and pitted
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Set your tagine on a heat diffuser and melt the butter and oil over medium-low heat. (I tried out an induction cooker for this and set it to 600W.)
2. Pour 2 Tbsp. of the hot water over the crushed saffron.
3. Add the salt, pepper, ginger, and 1/4 tsp. of the cinnamon to the saffron water. Let stand for 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour the spice water into the tagine along with the shallot and mix well.
5. Once the spices have warmed through, begin adding the beef. Try to make sure each piece gets coated in the buttery spices.
6. Add the remaining water along with the cilantro, cover, and simmer for 2.5 hours. Check on it every half hour or so to turn the meat, remove any bones that have come loose, and make sure it's neither boiling over nor boiling dry.
7. After 2.5 hours the meat should be very tender and falling off the bone. At the point, add the onion, cover, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
8. Stir in the honey and remaining 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.
9. Cook, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.
10. If possible, transfer the meat to a serving dish leaving the sauce in the tagine. Add the apricots/nectarines to the sauce and continue simmering until just heated through. Then pour the sauce and nectarines over the beef. Otherwise, just place the nectarines on top of the beef in the tagine, cover, and simmer for another 10-20 minutes until heated through.
11. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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Variations

Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Apples

This version can also be made with beef if desired. Or the above version can be made with lamb. Mix and match as you see fit.

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• scant 1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed
• 2 3/4 c. hot water, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, divided
• 1 shallot, grated or finely minced
• 1.5kg bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into 4-5cm chunks
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 450g pitted prunes
• 1 onion, halved and sliced
• 4 Tbsp. honey, divided
• 4 tart apples (eg. Granny Smith)
• 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Directions

1. Start as above with 2 Tbsp. each of butter and oil in a tagine over medium-low heat.
2. Proceed through the next four steps as directed above.
3. Once the meat is in the tagine, pour 2 c. of the remaining hot water over the prunes and set them aside to soak.
4. Pour the remaining water over the meat and add the cilantro.
5. Cover and simmer for 2 hours, checking on it every 30 minutes or so to turn and remove loose bones as above.
6. After 2 hours, add the onions, then cover and simmer for another 30 minutes.
7. Drain the prunes and add them to the tagine along with 3 Tbsp. of the honey and 1/4 tsp. of cinnamon.
8. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, quarter and core the apples (leaving the skin on).
10. Melt the remaining Tbsp. of butter with the honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
11. Add the apples, cut-side-down, and sauté until soft and glazed (~3 minutes).
12. Transfer the meat to a serving dish, pour the sauce over, then decorate with apples. Or, alternatively, place the apples on top of the meat and serve directly out of the tagine.
13. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for adding hot water to "almost cover the meat". For me, this was the 2 Tbsp. used in the spice water mixture + 1 c. But I found the resulting tagine very soupy. Maybe that is as it should be. But I think I would prefer a less soupy result next time so I've reduced the water quantity somewhat here. ^Back
2The original recipe called for 900g of fresh apricots, "pitted and cored". I weighed out 900g of nectarines. This worked out to be 7 nectarines for me. I managed to fit four of them into the tagine before it was in imminent danger of overflowing. So I've written up this recipe to reflec that. If you want a fruitier final product (and have a larger tagine than I do), you may decide that you want to use more nectarines/apricots than this. ^Back

I used to be vehemently opposed to eggplant as a food. I hated it. Then I realized that babaganouj was generally okay. So that was the exception, but eggplant was still terrible in general. Then I discovered that eggplant parmesan was good. And so was fish-fragrant eggplant (as long as it was appropriately fried and garlic-y). And baingan bharta. So, I started thinking that maybe eggplant wasn't so bad after all.

I went through a similar process with chickpeas. And now I love them. Unfortunately eggplant hasn't followed quite the same path. While I no longer avoid it outright, I still find it very hit and miss. I still find it really gross a lot of the time. But then sometimes it's completely delicious!

I honestly wasn't holding out much hope for this particular recipe. Frying the eggplant gives it a leg up, sure. But it didn't seem to have much else going for it. Just fried eggplant with a bit of charmoula. And while charmoula is very good, I wasn't sure it'd be enough to make this dish tasty. But, I've been surprised by recipes before. So I figured it was worth a try. And I'm very glad that I did try it! It was wonderful! Easily my favourite dish of the meal (which also included chickpeas, carrot salad, and tagine bread.

Eggplant with Charmoula

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Charmoula

• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 3 Tbsp. lemon or orange juice
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Eggplant

• 2 eggplants (~680g)
• coarse sea salt
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Combine all the charmoula ingredients and set aside.
2. Slice the eggplant ~2cm thick and salt both sides.
3. Place in a colander -- make sure it's not aluminum! -- and place a paper towel and something heavy on top. Set aside for 30-60 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and grease a baking sheet.
5. Pat the eggplant dry and brush with olive oil on both sides.
6. Place on prepared baking sheet in a single layer.
7. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for ~30 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
8. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.
9. Add the eggplant slices (a couple at a time) to the hot oil and fry until both sides are brown (~1 minute/side).
10. Allow excess oil to drain from fried eggplant, then transfer to shallow serving dish.
11. Whisk the charmoula well, then drizzle it over the eggplant.
12. Sprinkle with parsley and cilantro.
13. Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.

This is a simple chickpea dish. Wolfert explains that this is a poverty dish; something you'd make if you can't afford to buy meat. The name is a humorous reference to that fact.

I rushed this dish a bit. I didn't soak the chickpeas for as long as I should have. And then I failed to add enough water to the pot. And I also failed to keep a close enough eye on it while it was cooking. So the pot boiled dry and I ended up with chickpeas that were too firm and a bit scortched on the bottom. It was still okay, but not one of my favourites. Even without the various self-inflicted problems I introduced, I just found the flavours a little too subtle. And that was after doubling all the spices called for. I'm glad I tried it. But I don't think I'll be revisiting this one.

The Bird that Flew Away

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 1/8 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/2 a large red onion, minced
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp. hot paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee

Directions

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water (they will expand as they soak).
2. The next day, drain and, if desired, peel the chickpeas.
3. Place the chickpeas in a pot with enough water to cover them. Be a little generous here. I didn't put enough water and my pot boiled dry.
4. Bring to a boil and add the onion, parsley, cilantro, paprika, turmeric, salt, pepper, and ghee.
5. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45-60 minutes. Check on them periodically and add more water as needed. You want them to just absorb all of the water by the time they're done. The finished chickpeas should be very, very tender but not completely broken down.
6. Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

I need to work on my steaming if I'm going to be doing more Moroccan cooking. I had both too much and too little water in the steamer for this. Too much, because once the water started boiling it boiled up through the bottom of the steamer and my carrots ended up partially boiled. Too little, because the pot boiled dry before the carrots had finished cooking. I think I need to elevate the steamer a bit more next time and then put more water in the pot. Hopefully that will get the balance right.

Crushed Spiced Carrot Salad

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 350g carrots, peeled and trimmed
• 3/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. garlic paste¹
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1-2 Tbsp. orange juice²
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Steam the carrots over boiling water until they are soft and easily crushed with a fork (~30 minutes). Transfer to bowl and set aside.
2. Combine the cumin, garlic paste, salt, cinnamon, paprika and oil and stir to mix.
3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the spice mixture. Cook until warmed through (~30 seconds).
4. Pour the warm spice mixture over the carrots and mash with a fork to break down the carrots and mix in the spices.
5. Add the juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Garnish with parsley and serve.

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¹ The original recipe called for two cloves of garlic. These were then halved and ground/mashed along with the whole cumin seeds and salt to form a spiced garlicy paste. I haven't gotten around to seasoning my molcajete yet, so I just used garlic paste as an easy shortcut for this recipe. ^Back
2 This was supposed to be "juice of 1/2 a lemon", but I was all out of lemons, so I used a bit of freshly squeezed orange juice instead. ^Back

I made a couple of mistakes with this bread, but I was still really happy with the result. I think I'll be making this one again.

I think the biggest problem was that I made the loaves a little too wide. I think my rounds were probably in the 28-20cm range rather than the 13-15cm the recipe called for. This made it difficult to fit them on the peel and meant that they sort of merged as they rose. So I ended up with tear-apart loaves rather than four separate ones. I also forgot to brush them with milk like I was supposed to. So they didn't have the shiny crusts that the recipe described. They were still plenty tasty with a wonderful, soft, springy crumb that had a slight bite to it from the semonlina. Like I said, definitely worth revisiting!

Marrakech Tagine Bread

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 400g fine semolina flour (pasta flour)
• 150g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. milk or unsalted butter

Directions

1. Combine the flours, yeast, salt, and sugar and mix well.
2. Add the water and mix until a soft dough forms.
3. Pour in the olive oil and work it in.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes. You may need to add a little more flour to the surface as you work, but do so very sparingly.
5. Shape into a ball, return to bowl, cover, and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
6. Knock the dough back and divide it into four equal portions.
7. Round each portion, cover, and rest for ~5 minutes.
8. Flatten each ball slightly to form a 13-15cm round (5-6").
9. Put a generous sprinkling of semolina flour on a pizza peel or similar surface and place the dough rounds on it to proof.
10. Cover the dough with plastic wrap¹ and a tea towel and proof at room temperature for ~45 minutes.
11. Place a pizza stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 200°C (400°F).
12. Press the centre of each round with the palm of your hand to deflate it.
13. Prick the centre of each loaf with a fork.
14. Brush each loaf with milk or melted butter.
15. Slide the loaves onto the preheated pizza stone and bake at 200°C (400°F) for 20 minutes.
16. Transfer to a tea towel or wire rack to cool.

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Variations

Vegan Version

Ingredients

• 400g fine semolina flour (pasta flour)
• 150g all-purpose flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant yeast
• 1/2 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 Tbsp. raw sugar
• 1 3/4 c. warm water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

No shiny crust this way. But I didn't do the milk/butter glaze on my breads and I was still very happy with the results, so I don't think it's a big problem to skip it.

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¹ I actually used a large Ziploc bag. I didn't put the breads inside the bag. I just place it on top of them to stop them from sticking to the tea towel. ^Back

The author notes that these salads are best made with feggous or "Armenian yard-long cucumbers". They are long and skinny, slightly curved, with thin wrinkled or furrowed skin, and very small seeds. She says that if you can get these cucumberes, they need not be peeled or seeded.

I didn't have any Armenian yard-long cucumbers. I just used one good-sized English cucumber. But I left its skin on and seeds in anyway. I prefer the aestherics of the dark green skin in the salad. And I prefer the lack of labour and waste of leaving the seeds in. Besides, I find that most English cucumbers seem to have fairly small seeds anyway.¹

This is a very simple salad. Quick and easy to make. The hardest part is wringing out the cucumber so that you don't end up with cucumber soup! I tried doing it with paper towels as suggested in the recipe this time. But I think I might want to experiment with using a fine mesh seive next time. Or maybe even my nut milk bag. I'll see what works best.

Grated Cucumber Salad with Orange Flower Water

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 450-500g cucumber, grated
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. orange flower water
• 1/8 tsp. coarse sea salt, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Grate the cucumber and then squeeze out the excess moisture. (I'm still experimenting with the best way to do this. Use whatever method you prefer.) Set the cucumber aside.
2. In a serving bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice, orange flower water, salt. Mix well.
3. Add the cucumber and toss to combine.
4. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
5. Sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.

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¹ It seems that through either selective breeding or hormonal treatment, a lot of produce has reduced or no seeds these days. I kind of miss the watermelon seeds... Yes, I know you can still get watermelons with seeds, but you have to look for them. They no longer seem to be the default. The seedless watermelons have taken over. ^Back

This is probably best done with lamb, but the recipe specified lamb or beef. And we have a lot of beef right now. So that's what I used. I liked the little meatballs. Although I wish the sauce was a bit thicker. I've been debating whether it would be nice to head it back up and add a little flour or cornstarch to turn it into a sort of gravy.

Kefta Tagine with Herbs, Spices, and Lemon

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Kefta

• 450g ground beef or lamb
• 3 Tbsp. crème fraîche or grated beef suet¹
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Sauce

• 3/4 c. hot water, divided
• 1/8 tsp. crushed saffron threads
• 1 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/8 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1 onion, minced
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter or ghee
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine all the kefta ingredients. If you have a food processor, combine them in the food processor and process until everything is well mixed and broken down. If not, just mix it with your hands as best you can.
2. Form mixture into olive-sized meatballs. (The original recipe says this should make ~24 meatballs, but I got twice that number. I guess they have really big olives in Morocco!) Cover and chill until ready to cook.
3. Meanwhile, combine the saffron, cumin, ginger, pepper, cayenne, and turmeric and add ~1/4 c. of the hot water. Stir and set aside to steep while you chop the onion.
4. Place a tagine on a heat diffuser and warm over medium-low heat.
5. Add the onion, butter, and spice-water.
6. Rinse the spice-water container out with the remaining half cup of hot water and add that as well.
7. Add the salt and 3/4 of the cilantro.
8. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Add meatballs to the sauce, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.
10. Turn the meatballs, cover, and simmer for 15 more minutes.
11. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice.
12. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with rice, couscous, and/or bread.

¹ I didn't have either, so I used 2 Tbsp. of tallow mixed with 1 Tbsp. of heavy cream. ^Back

Palak Pakodi Kadhi (Spinach Fritters in Yogurt Sauce)

I decided to flip through the appetizer section of the curry book to look for dinner inspiration this time. We don't tend to make as many of the recipes out of this chapter since a lot of them are fried, fiddly, insubstantial, or some combination of the above. I felt like I could handle a little fiddly frying this week though, so I planned to make one of the beef appetizers and then picked out these spinach fritters to serve with it. (Two fried dishes, I know! But I figured I might as well go for it while I had the hot oil going.)

Palak Pakodi Kadhi

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Fritters

• 2 c. chickpea flour, sifted
• 250g fresh spinach leaves, rinsed and chopped
• 2 tsp. bishop's weed/ajwain¹
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4-1/2 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 3/4 c. water²

Sauce

• 1 c. plain yogurt
• 1 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. chickpea flour
• 1 tsp. garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds

Directions

Fritters

1. Add enough oil to a wok (or other appropriate vessel) for deep frying and heat to 180°C (350°F).
2. Combine sifted four with chopped spinach, ajwain, salt, cayenne, and turmeric.
3. Pour in water and quickly mix to combine everything and form a thick batter.
4. Use ~1 tsp. of the batter for each fritter. Drop them into the hot oil and cook, turning occasionally, until golden-brown all over.
5. Remove from oil and place on rack or paper towels to drain.

Sauce

1. Meanwhile, combine the yogurt and water and whisk until smooth and homogeneous.
2. Beat in chickpea flour.
3. Fold in garlic paste, salt, turmeric, cilantro, and cilies.
4. Melt the ghee over medium-high heat.
5. Add the cumin seeds to the hot ghee and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
6. Reduce heat to medium and pour the yogurt mixture into the pot with the cumin and ghee.
7. Simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened (~15 minutes).

Assembly

1. Place a few fritters on a plate and pour ~1 Tbsp. of sauce over each fritter.
2. If desired, serve with a bit of rice or bread to mop up any extra sauce.
3. Do not pour the sauce over all the fritters at once! (Unless you plan to eat them all very quickly.) The fritters will get soggy if they sit in the sauce for too long, so they should be served immediately.

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¹ Substitute 1 tsp. dried thyme + 1/2 tsp. ground black peppercorns if ajwain is unavailable. ^Back
2 Iyer says to use 1/2 c. water, but I ended up with more of a dough than a batter when I did this. I added an extra 2 Tbsp. or so, but I think a bit more water probably would've been better. Use your judgement. ^Back

Malai Tikka Sarki (Tender Marinated Beef Cubes)

I wanted a beef curry recipe that I hadn't tried yet, so I took a look through the appetizer section of the curry cookbook to see what I could find. I really liked the sound of gosht kebab aur pudhinay ki chutney (beef kebabs and mint chutney), but Iyer describes that dish as "wickedly hot", so I figured it might not fly with the Kidlet. Instead, I went for the recipe on the page before: an interesting combination of hot, crispy fried beef cubes soused with a cold cucumber-pigeon pea sauce. Definitely something a bit different!

Malai Tikka Sarki

Slightly adapted from 660 Curries by Raghavan Iyer

Ingredients

Beef

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g boneless beef sirloin (or similar), cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated¹
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Beef

1. Combine the ginger paste, chilies, and salt.
2. Add the beef and stir to coat.
3. Cover and chill for at least 24-36 hours.
4. At some point while the beef is marinating, prepare the sauce up to the chilling stage.
5. When ready to cook the meat, pour enough oil into a wok (or other appropriate vessel) for deep frying and heat to 180°C (350°F).
6. Put the eggs in one bowl and the breadcrumbs in another.
7. Toss about half the beef with the eggs.
8. Roll the egg-coated beef cubes in the breadcrumbs until completely breaded.
9. Carefully add the cubes, a few at a time, to the hot oil.
10. Cook, turning occasionally, until brown and crisp all over.
11. Repeat with remaining beef.

Sauce

1. Thoroughly rinse the pigeon peas.
2. Drain the peas, then add to a small pot with the water.
3. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
4. Transfer peas and cooking water to a blender and purée until smooth.
5. Transfer pigeo pea purée to a bowl.
6. Stir in cucumber, chilies, scallions, and salt.
7. Melt ghee over medium-high heat.
8. Add cumin seeds and sizzle for 10-15 seconds.
9. Pour this ghee-cumin seed mixture into the cucumber sauce and stir to combine.
10. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
11. Just before serving, stir in the lime juice and cilantro.

Assembly

1. Place a few hot, crispy beef cubes in a bowl and top with a generous portion of cold cucumber sauce.²

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Variations

Vegetarian Version

Ingredients

Protein

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g paneer, cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. ghee or unsalted butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Vegan Version

Ingredients

Protein

• 1/4 c. ginger paste
• 2-3 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 450g extra-firm tofu, pressed and cut into 2-3cm cubes
• 1 tsp. dark soy sauce
• 1 tsp. oil (any kind)
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. unsweetened almond or oat milk
• 1 c. dry breadcrumbs

Sauce

• 1/4 c. skinned split yellow pigeon peas (toovar dal)
• 1 c. water
• 1 large English cucumber, grated
• 1-4 fresh green Thai or finger chilies, minced
• 2 scallions (green onions/spring onions), minced
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil or vegan butter
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Proceed with recipe as directed for beef version but, when breading the tofu, first toss it with the oil and soy sauce, then dredge it in the flour, then toss it in the milk, and finally roll it in the breadcrumbs before frying as directed above.

Gluten-Free Version

Either the original or vegetarian version can be made gluten-free by using gluten-free breadcrumbs.
The vegan version is a little trickier to make celiac-friendly as it contains flour and soy sauce. I believe coconut aminos and some forms of tamari are both gluten-free. And cornstarch, rice flour, or a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour should work fine for dredging the tofu.

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¹ Iyer says to peel, halve, and seed the cucumber before grating. I opted to leave the skin on and the seeds in. This made the sauce a little greener and a little wetter, but I was still happy with the results. And skipping the peeling and seeding makes both less work and less waste, so I'd be inclined to stick with this approach in the future. ^Back
2 Since I was having this as part of the main course rather than an appetizer, I served it on a bed of rice. The rice wasn't part of the original serving suggestion however. ^Back

Kuru Patlican ve Biber Dolmasi (Stuffed Dried Eggplant and Peppers)

I made a lot of impulse purchases at the halal grocery store a few months back. There were lots of interesting and tasty-looking things and I just kind of grabbed a bit of each without being entirely sure what I was going to do with it all. I think we've managed to use up almost all of the jams and preserves now. And all of the sweets. But I still had a bag each of dried eggplants and dried peppers that had yet to be used. As well as a jar of Turkish pepper flakes. (And a bunch of dried citrus as well, but that doesn't come into play in this recipe, so we'll just ignore it for now.)

Dolma Kuru Patlican Dolmasi

Slightly adapted from Ozlem's Turkish Table

Ingredients

• 12 dried eggplant shells
• 15 dried bell pepper shells
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. biber salcasi (Turkish hot pepper paste) or 1 tsp. Turkish pepper flakes
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 2 tsp. dried mint
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1 c. long-grain brown rice
• 450g ground beef
• 2 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses¹

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the dried shells. Boil for 3 minutes, then drain, reserving the water.
2. Shock the blanched shells in some very cold water, then drain again and set aside.
3. Combine onion, garlic, parsley, pepper paste (or flakes), tomato paste, 1 Tbsp. of the oil, cumin, mint, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Massage and squeeze the mixture with your hands for a minute or two.
5. Add the rice, beef, and pomegranate molasses and mix well.
6. Pour the remaining 2 Tbsp. of oil into the bottom of a large pot or Dutch oven.
7. Stuff the shells with the filling. Pack it down a little bit, but don't fill them right up to the top. The filling will expand as the rice cooks.
8. As each shell is filled, place it in the pan. Try to fit them all into just one layer if possible.
9. Pour ~2 1/2 c. of the reserved cooking water into the pot with the dolma.
10. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, cover, and cook for another 35 minutes.
11. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5-10 minutes before serving.
12. Serve with Turkish pepper flakes, plain yogurt, and/or tzatziki.

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¹ I only just realized that I forgot the pomegranate molasses! The ingredients were listed in a weird order and I had to keep jumping around the recipe. The dolma came out delicious anyway, but I did feel like they needed more tomato and/or more acid. The pomegranate molasses probably would've balanced everything out beautifully! Oh well, I guess I can drizzle some over the leftovers tomorrow. ^Back

I was up early this morning, so I decided to browse the egg book to look for tasty breakfast ideas. This ended up being one of the few recipes that I actually had all the components on hand for, so I rolled with it.

It does make rather a lot. I probably should've done a half batch. But I didn't want to worry about what to do with the other half tin of tomatoes, so I just went all-in and made a huge pan of eggs. It'll be breakfast for the next few days, I think.

Scrambled eggs with Olives, Onions, and Tomatoes

Slightly adapted from The Good Egg by Marie Simmons

Ingredients

• 20 green olives, pitted
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 800mL diced tomatoes¹
• 8 large eggs
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/8 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• buttered bread or toast²

Directions

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add the olives. Boil for 1 minute, then drain and set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium-low heat.
3. Add onion, olives, and sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook for another 3 minutes.
5. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes.
6. Beat the eggs with the cilantro, cumin, salt, and pepper.
7. Increase heat to medium and pour in the eggs.
8. Cook, stirring as necessary, until the eggs are set.
9. Serve with buttered toast or crusty bread.

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¹ The original recipe called for using whole tinned tomatoes, draining and reserving the juice, halving the tomatoes, scooping out the guts, draining the pulp and seeds, and then returning the tomato flesh to the reserved juice. You then add the tomatoes to the pan and break them up as they cook. I opted to use a tin of diced fire-roasted tomatoes in place of the whole ones. This meant that I could just open up the tin and add the contents without having to faff about with seives and knives and whatnot. Maybe not quite as authentic, but definitely a lot easier! ^Back
2 Make it gluten-free toast and this meal becomes celiac-friendly as well! Back

This was a cast-about-wildly-for-breakfast-ideas sort of morning. I just got back from a big camping trip and haven't had a chance to do groceries yet, so I needed to work with what we had on hand. I spent a while perusing the internet for ideas and eventually landed on a sweet potato hash recipe that looked promising. I mean, I didn't have the bell peppers... or the carnitas... or the avocado, but I figured it'd give me a jumping off point at the very least. If this meal were a movie it would be "inspired by" rather than "based on" is what I'm saying.

Sweet Potato Hash with Ground Beef

Adapted from The Modern Proper

Ingredients

Hash

• 1/4 c. bacon grease (or other fat of your choice)
• 4 sweet potatoes, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2-2/3 c. mixed dried veggies¹, reconstituted (to make ~2 c.)
• ~1/2 Tbsp. hot paprika
• salt and pepper, to taste

Beef

I didn't really measure anything for the beef. I just tossed spices in 'til it smelled about right. I've tried to guess at approximate measurements below, but it's not super precise.

• 450g ground beef
• 3/4 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• ~1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• ~1/2 tsp. hot paprika
• ~1 tsp. sweet paprika
• ~1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
• ~1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• ~1 tsp. dhania-jeera masala
• ~1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• ~1 tsp. dried chopped onion
• ~1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• ~1/2 c. chicken, beef, or vegetable stock
• ~1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 2-4 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Toppings

• eggs
• cilantro
• salsa and/or pico de gallo
• avocado and/or guacamole
• hot sauce (preferably Tabasco or similar)

Directions

Hash

1. Melt the bacon grease over medium-low heat.
2. Add the sweet potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Add the onion, garlic, and reconstituted veggies and cook for another 5 minutes or so.
5. Sprinkle in paprika, salt, and pepper and cook for another minute or so.

Beef

1. Heat a pan over medium-low heat and add the beef, breaking up any large chunks as you go.
2. Add salt, garlic, pepper, hot and sweet paprika, chili powder, oregano, dhania-jeera masala, garlic powder, onion, and Worcestershire sauce and cook until beef is no longer pink.
3. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, stock, and cornstarch. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
4. Stir in cilantro.

Assembly

1. Fry one or two eggs per person.
2. Scoop a portion of hash into a bowl.
3. Add a portion of beef on top of the hash.
4. Place one or two fried eggs on top of the beef.
5. If desired, top with salsa, guacamole, cilantro, and/or hot sauce.

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¹ I would normally use fresh (or leftover cooked) veggies for hash but, as noted, just returned from camping trip so I didn't have much in the way of fresh veggies on hand. I think the dried mix I used had a mix of onion, potato, carrot, celery, and red and green bell pepper in it. Whatever it was, it seemed to work well. ^Back

Basically a whole wheat sourdough French bread. I appreciate that this sourdough version doesn't require the aggressive kneading that the Laurel's Kitchen French bread recipe does. The long fermentation gives the gluten ample time to form on its own without too much intervention of the part of the baker.

Pain à l'Ancienne

From Sourdough Companion

Ingredients

• 210g ripe/active sourdough starter (100% hydration)
• 317g hard (strong/bread/high grade) whole wheat flour
• 158g soft (plain/pastry/standard) flour
• 388g water
• 11g coarse sea salt

Directions

1. Be sure your starter is very active before mixing the dough. Try to do at least two 1:2:2 feedings before proceeding.
2. Both types of flour, starter, and water and mix thoroughly.
3. Cover and rest for at least 30 minutes.
4. Add the salt and mix/knead for 2-4 minutes.
5. Cover and place in the fridge to ferment overnight.
6. Stretch and fold the dough a few times, then cover and return to fridge for another 6-8 hours.
7. Remove from fridge and allow to ferment at room temperature for ~4 hours, stretching every hour or so.
8. Shape into one or two loaves depending on your preference and place into floured bannetons to rise.
9. Cover and place in fridge overnight.
10. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F) and grease a baking sheet and dust it with cornmeal.
11. Turn loaves out onto prepared pan and slash as desired.
12. Bake at 250°C (475°F) with steam for 10-15 minutes.
13. Remove steaming pan and reduce heat to 200°C (400°F) and bake for another 10 minutes or so.
14. Turn off heat and leave loaves in hot oven for another 5-10 minutes.
15. Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool.

I wanted a vegetable side to go with our dolma for dinner and I had some tomatoes that I needed to use up, so this salad worked out perfectly.

The original recipe calls for "3 medium red-ripe tomatoes". I had three very nice roma tomatoes, so I figured this would be a good way to use them up. Once I had them chopped up though, it really didn't seem like enough tomato relative to everything else. So I ended up halving the rest of the recipe. If you're working with larger tomatoes, you may want to scale things back up again.

Late-Summer Salad

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 a large red onion, chopped
• 1/2 Tbsp. honey
• 1/2 Tbsp. cider vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Add all the ingredients to a bowl and toss to combine.
2. Chill until ready to serve.