I've been trying to work my way through all the khliî recipes in the book while I have a bit of khliî substitute on hand. This one made a very nice, if somewhat thick, soup.

Khliî, Chickpea, and Pasta Soup

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 3/4 c. dried chickpeas
• 1/4 c. split, peeled, dried fava beans¹
• 8 c. water, divided
• 1/3 c. brown lentils, rinsed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 2/3 c. khliî or 1 c. khliî substitute
• 2 Tbsp. fat from khliî or substitute
• 1/2 c. diced tomatoes²
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne or ground Kashmiri chilies
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric³
• 1/2 tsp. ras el hanout
• 1/8 tsp. saffron threads, crushed and mixed w/ 2 Tbsp. hot water
• 2 Tbsp. crumbled dried aged goat cheese⁴
• 280g mhamsa or small Italian pasta (acini di pepe, orzo, bird's tongue, etc.)⁵
• 150g chopped kale⁶ (optional)

Directions

1. Soak the chickpeas and fava beans in separate bowls. Allow to soak for ~12 hours.
2. Drain the fava beans and transfer them to a pot with 3 c. of the water.
3. Bring fava beans to a boil and cook for 30 minutes, skimming as needed.
4. While the fava beans are boiling, soak the lentils for 30 minutes.
5. Drain the chickpeas. (Wolfert recommends peeling them at this point, but I never bother.)
6. Toss the onion with the salt and fat from the khliî and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.⁷
7. Shred the meat and add it to the pot.
8. Add the tomatoes, parsley, chickpeas, drained lentils, pepper, paprika, cayenne, ginger, turmeric, ras el hanout, saffron water, and the remaining 5 c. of water.
9. Reserving the cooking water, drain the fava beans.
10. Add the cooked fava beans and 1 c. of their cooking water to the soup.
11. Add the cheese.
12. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 45 minutes.
13. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and set a steamer over it. Steam the pasta, partially covered, for 10 minutes.⁸
14. Add the kale (if using) and the steamed pasta to the soup and simmer for a few minutes.
15. Serve hot. Goes nicely with a bit of extra cheese on top and buttered toast on the side.

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¹ I didn't have any fava beans on hand and I didn't want to go out and get a bag just for the 1/4 c. that I needed for this recipe, so I just tossed in an extra 1/4 c. of chickpeas instead. ^Back
2 The original recipe calls for grated roma tomatoes, but I didn't feel like faffing around with a grater and I had some diced tomatoes in the fridge that needed used anyway, so I just tossed them in. ^Back
3 The original recipe calls for 1/3 of a tsp. of turmeric. Who uses thirds of teaspoons?! I just bumped it up to 1/2 tsp. and called it good. ^Back
4 Wolfert recommends Cypress Grove Midnight Moon. I've never seen that cheese for sale here and I doubt I could order it from the States, so I searched for alternatives. I ended up using a nice goat beemster. I think a high-quality, well-aged goat cheddar could also work. I recommend getting a bit more cheese than you need and sprinkling more onto each portion as you dish up the soup. It's very tasty that way. ^Back
5 I had ~250g of stellette pasta left over from an earlier recipe, so I just tossed that in. I think that was plenty of pasta for this amount of soup. But feel free to experiment with putting in the full amount if you like. ^Back
6 The original recipe doesn't call for any greens, but I really felt like a bit of kale would go nicely with the tomato and legumes. We actually ended up topping our soup with some leftover kale and beans and I think that wonderfully so, in the future, I think I'd be inclined to just add some kale directly to the soup. ^Back
7 Because my khliî substitute ended up shredded rather than sliced, I have found it fairly difficult to separate the fat from the meat. I ended up just using 1 c. + 2 Tbsp. of it for this recipe and putting it all in with the onion. I figured that since the next step was to add the meat anyway, it wouldn't make that much of a difference. ^Back
8 I steamed my pasta for nearly 30 minutes and it still didn't seem cooked yet. Also, it ended up clumping together in the steamer. I don't know if the issue was the style of steamer I had or the shape of the pasta or what, but it was definitely not done after 10 minutes. Or 30, for that matter. I ended up just dumping the partially cooked pasta into the soup and letting it finish cooking in there. Unfortunately doing this caused it to suck up most of the broth. I think it probably would've been better to drop it into the boiling water that I already had going below the steamer. Let it finish cooking in there, then drain it and transfer it to the soup. Oh well... ^Back

Shortcut Khliî Substitute

My understanding is that real khliî involves marinating and then sun-drying meat. This meat is then cooked in a mixture of fat and oil at which point it is dried again. Prepared this way, khli&icric; can be kept for up to two years without refrigeration.

Wolfert offers a faster alternative to making authentic khliî. It is still a somewhat lengthy process, but skips the drying steps which expedites things a great deal. Sadly, this means that it doesn't have the same impressive keeping qualities of genuine khli&icric;, but it's still very tasty and will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Shortcut Khli&icric; Substitute

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1.13kg bone-in lamb shoulder or 680g flank steak + 450g short ribs
• 1 head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 2 Tbsp. vinegar
• 3/4 c. olive oil, divided
• 200g chopped suet
• 2 c. hot water, divided

Finishing Spices

• 1/2 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 tsp. la kama spice mixture
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
• salt & pepper

Directions

1. Rinse off the meat and place it into a enameled cast iron Dutch oven or casserole.
2. Combine garli, salt, coriander, cumin, and cayenne in a blender and blend to a paste.
3. Add the vinegar and 1/3 c. of the olive oil and blend until smooth and well-combined.
4. Pour garlic mixture over the meat and let stand for 1-2 hours.
5. Add the suet and 1 c. of the hot water to the unwashed blender and blend until smooth.
6. Pour suet mixture into a pot.
7. Add remaining hot water and 1/4 c. of the olive oil to the pot with the suet mixture and set it aside.
8. Warm the meat (with its marinade) over low heat.
9. Meanwhile, bring the suet mixture to a boil.
10. Pour the boiling suet mixture over the meat.
11. If the meat is not entirely covered, add enough additional hot water to do so.
12. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, reduce heat to low, and cook for ~3 hours.
13. Lift out the meat and set the casserole aside.
14. Remove and discard any bones and gristle from the meat.
15. Slice the meat¹ and toss it with the finishing spices.
16. Pack the sliced -- or in my case, shredded -- meat into a clean, dry 750mL jar.
17. Boil down the cooking liquid until almost all the water has evaporated.
18. Strain the cooking liquid into a deep bowl and allow to sit, undisturbed, until the fat rises to the top.
19. Spoon the fat over the meat.
20. Use a thin skewer to allow the fat to penetrate to the bottom of the jar.
21. Top off the jar with a layer of fresh olive oil.
22. Cool completely, then cover and transfer to the fridge to store.
23. To use, remove from fridge and allow to warm up slightly. (It will be very hard and difficult to extract otherwise.) Carefully remove the desired portion with clean tongs or chopsticks and then top off with more olive oil to keep the meat completely covered.
24. Meat should keep for 3-4 weeks in the fridge.

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¹ I wasn't able to slice my meat. It was so tender that any attempt to slice it or manipulate it in any way resulted in it shredding itself. This seems to be fine for most applications, but it means that I ended up with a jar of shredded beef rather than beef slices. ^Back

Khboz Bchehmar with Khliî (Beshmar Bread with Khliî)

My original dinner plans for tonight fell through, so I decided to try making these flatbreads instead. The filling was extremely tasty, but I think I would have just as soon had it on top of a plain flatbread as made into a stuffed one.

If you don't have any khli&icric; (or khliî substitute) on hand, then this can also be made with a mixture of finely diced beef or lamb and grated suet. I opted for the preserved meat version because I had some on hand that needed using up.

The shaping instructions for these stuffed breads were somewhat ambiguous. I took my best guess based on what made sense to me, but feel free to try something different if you'd like.

Khboz Bchehmar

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

Filling

• 1/3 c. khliî or 1/2 c. khliî substitute
• 60g fat from khliî (or khliî substitute)
• 1/2 onion, minced
• 3-4 Tbsp. fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. harissa
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon (preferably Ceylon/true cinnamon)

Dough

• 1 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 c. extra-fine semolina flour
• 1/2 Tbsp. instant (rapid-rise) yeast
• 1/2 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3/4 c. warm water, divided

Directions

Filling

1. Combine the meat and fat in a bowl.
2. Rinse the onion and squeeze it to expell any excess water.
3. Combine the parsley, onion, cumin, coriander, and salt in a molcajete or large mortar and pound it into a paste.
4. Mix in the harissa, tomato paste, paprika, pepper, and cinnamon.
5. Add the paste to the meat mixture, cover, and set aside.

Dough

1. Combine the flours, yeast, and salt and mix to blend.
2. Gradually add 1/2 c. of warm water and mix to form a stiff dough. (You may need to add an extra Tbsp. or two of water to get the dough to come together.)
3. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Turn out the dough and gradually work in the rest of the water while kneading. You may need a Tbsp. or two more or less than called for. Work the dough until it is smooth and supple with just a hint of tackiness to it.

Assembly

1. Divide dough into four equal portions.
2. Shape each portion into a ball.
3. Working with one portion at a time, stretch and roll the dough to form a rectangle (or oval) ~20cm by 30cm.
4. Spread 1/4 of the filling in the centre of the dough.
5. Fold the dough in thirds crosswise (letterfold).
6. Press the dough flat. (Wolfert says to press and stretch it back to its original size, but I couldn't see any way to do this without the whole thing falling apart.)
7. Sprinkle with a little extra semolina flour and perform a second letter fold perpendicular to the first.
8. Press and seal the dough again.
9. Prick several times with a fork, then flip over and prick the other side with a fork as well.
10. Cover and set aside to rise for 45-60 minutes.
11. Heat a pan or griddle over medium heat.
12. Add one or two breads to the hot pan. As the bread heats up, the fat/suet will melt and run out the holes in the dough, allowing the bread to fry in its own fat.
13. Cook for ~7 minutes on each side.
14. Serve with butter and/or harissa.

I never would have thought of radish in a fruit salad, but it works really well with the orange! This salad is sweet and refreshing. The recipe calls for a pinch of cinnamon; I went fairly light on it, but after trying it symbol thinks it would benefit from a heavier touch with the cinnamon next time.

Orange and Grated Radish Salad with Orange Flower Water

From The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert (p.64)

Ingredients

• 225g (~8 oz) red radishes, trimmed and coarsely grated
• 1½ tbsp sugar
• 2 navel or temple oranges
• 2 tbsp juice (from the oranges)
• 2-3 tsp orange flower water
• 1½ tbsp lemon juice
• salt to taste
• a pinch of cinnamon
• 3-4 mint leaves, shredded

Directions

1. Toss the grated radishes with the sugar. Let stand 15 minutes, then cover and store in the fridge. (The recipe calls for draining them; we forgot to and the resulting salad was still tasty, but very soupy!)
2. Peel the oranges. Cut away all the pith, leaving bare flesh. Cut the flesh into discs; squeeze the pith bits to get 2tbsp of juice for the dressing. Store in the fridge.
3. Whisk together the orange juice, orange flower water, lemon juice, and salt in a serving bowl.
4. Unwrap the radishes and toss them with the dressing. Add more lemon juice to sharpen the flavour if needed.
5. Top with orange slices, cinnamon, and mint.

Wolfert describes this dish as "soupy". And Wikipedia describes it as either a soup or a dip. My byssara did not come out soupy. The instructions say to cook it down to a "nice thick consistency" and I think I may have overshot a bit. Don't go for "stand a spoon in it" thick when you're making this because it will thicken up even more as it cools. My byssara ended up sliceable!

Byssara

Slightly adapted from the Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2 c. split dried fava beans¹
• 6 c. water
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 lemon (optional)
• 1/2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1/4 tsp. ground cayenne or Kashmiri chilies
• extra olive oil, to serve

Directions

1. Soak the fava beans overnight in 6 or 7 c. of water. Discard any beans that float.
2. Wash and drain the beans.
3. Bring the water to a boil.
4. When the water is boiling, add the beans and reduce heat to medium-low.
5. Cook, uncovered, for 1 hour, skimming as needed.
6. Add the garlic and 2 Tbsp. of the oil and cook for another hour or two. (Aim for thick soup, rather than hummus consistency.)
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
8. Combine the cumin seeds and salt and grind to a powder.
9. Add half of the cumin-salt mixture to the beans and reserve the other half for garnish.
10. Press the beans through a fine sieve and beat in the remaining 1/4 c. of olive oil.
11. Add salt and lemon juice to taste.
12. Garnish with the cumin-salt blend and a bit of paprika and cayenne.
13. Serve with olive oil and toasted bread.

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¹ In other recipes, Wolfert calls for "split dried peeled fava beans". Here she simply calls for "split dried fava beans", no mention of peeling. I couldn't find split fava beans, so I got a bag of whole (unpeeled) fava beans. Since this recipe refers readers to a note explaining that unpeeled favas require longer to soften, I figured that whole, unpeeled beans would be fine. But once the beans had soaked, I realized how thick and tough the skins were and ended up peeling them anyway. Next time I'd just seek out skinned split fava beans. Zehr's didn't have them, but it turns out that Ethnic does! ^Back

Lamb is a popular meat in Morocco and mechoui is one of the most famous lamb preparations. It involves spit-roasting a whole lamb over hot coals and basting it liberally with butter. This is an approximation of that dish. Since spit-roasting a whole lamb is not exactly accessible for the average home cook, Wolfert presents this recipe that involves roasting a lamb quarter in the oven.

I'm really happy with how this came out overall. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. And I think the leftovers actually tasted even better the next day! I'd love to try the real thing done with a whole lamb sometime. Although that's definitely not something I could do at home.

I served this as the centrepiece of my Thanksgiving dinner this year. It ended up being a pretty nice spread. I cooked lamb, purslane salad, couscous, harissa, red pepper sauce, eggplant zaalouk, byssara, tagine bread, and poached pears. My brother brought a great cucumber-tomato salad with tahini and pitas. And my mom did some lovely Moroccan-spiced squash and made a delicious orange cake for dessert.

Getting the lamb ended up being a bit of an adventure, but I managed to get it sorted out eventually!

Roast Forequarter of Lamb

From The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 lamb forequarter (4.5-5.5kg)
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp. coriander seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• coarse sea salt and ground cumin, for serving

Directions

1. Make a deep incision under the foreleg and along the breastplate of the lamb.
2. Combine the garlic and sea salt in a mortar or molcajete and grind to a paste.
3. Combine the garlic paste, olive oil, butter, coriander, cumin, and paprika and mix well.
4. Rub the buttery spice mix into the meat and let stand for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 250°C (475°F).
6. Place the lamb (fatty side up) on a large roasting pan or rimmed baking sheet.
7. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and roast at 250°C (475°F) for 15 minutes.
8. Reduce heat to 150°C (300°F) and continue to roast for 4-5 hours, basting thoroughly with the pan juices every 15 minutes. You should be able to easily pull the meat from the bones with your fingers when the lamb is done. It will be very tender with a crispy outer layer.
9. Serve with bowls of salt and cumin.

Wolfert talks up purslane a lot. She describes it as a "great-tasting weed" and advises seeking it out if at all possible.

Well, I had access to it, so I decided to give this recipe a try. I was pretty good. But I doubt I'll make it again, even so. It's not that I was unhappy with the results. It's just too much effort for too little reward.

The purslane I got was mostly stem. And this recipe only uses the leaves. Combine that with how much volume you use after cooking and how long it takes to pick all the leaves from the stems and... I don't feel like it's a winning combination even for a fairly tasty dish. It wasn't bad. But it would've had to have been phenomenal to make it worthwhile for me.

I'm still glad I tried it though. It meant I got to try a new vegetable and see what it was like. And it lets me check off another recipe in the book.

Purslane Salad

Slighlty adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 4 c. stemmed purslane leaves, rinsed well
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 3/4 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/8 tsp. ground cayenne
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 preserved lemon
• 12 midway olives, rinsed and pitted

Directions

1. Set up a steamer and steam the purslane leaves, covered, for 12 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, uncover, and allow to cool.
3. Once cool enough to handle, squeeze out the excess moisture and set aside.
4. With a mortar and pestle, molcajete, or similar, pound the garlic and salt to a paste.
5. Add the chopped herbs to the garlic paste and pound them to a paste as well.
6. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium-low heat.
7. Add the herb paste and cook for 1-2 minutes.
8. Add the purslane and sauté slowly until most of the moisture is gone (~5 minutes).
9. Empty the pan onto a chopping board and finely chop the salad.
10. Mix in the paprika, cumin, and cayenne.
11. Place in a serving dish and allow to cool.
12. Remove and discard the pulp from the preserved lemon.
13. Thoroughly rinse the rind and cut it into thin slivers.
14. Mix the lemon juice and the remaining 1 Tbsp. of olive oil into the salad just before serving.
15. Adjust salt and lemon juice to taste.
16. Garnish with olives and preserved lemon rind.

symbol just made a batch of "express" Moroccan khliî, a preserved meat made by simmering beef for a long time in lamb fat (or vice versa). It's not intended to be eaten on its own (or used as a condiment), but instead functions as an ingredient in a lot of Moroccan recipes. The express recipe doesn't keep for as long as proper khliî, so we plan to make a bunch of those recipes in the near future and use it all up quickly; this is the first.

It was delicious, although it makes a fairly large batch; the recipe says it serves three, but I think with a side of toast you could add a fourth egg and serve four easily. Alex declared it a favourite, but couldn't actually find room to finish her portion, and I found mine fairly substantial too.

Fried eggs with khliî and tomato-onion "pancake"

The Food of Morocco, p. 156

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced (~3 C)
• 15mL (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 340g tomatoes, finely diced (~1½ C)
• 120mL (½ C) khliî substitute, or 30mL (2 tbsp) of khliî + 15mL (1 tbsp) of the fat
• 3 large eggs
• black pepper
• 15mL chopped parsley, for garnishing

Directions

1. Toss the onions with the oil a ~10" nonstick pan.
2. Cook over medium heat, covered, for ~10 minutes.
3. Uncover and continue cooking until the onions are lightly caramelized.
4. Add the tomatoes, khlii, and fat, and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.
5. Uncover again and cook until some of the moisture has cooked off and the dish has thickened. (You can cook it up to this point and save it in the fridge for finishing the following day, if you like.)
6. Crack the eggs onto it, cover again, and cook until the whites are set but the yolks are still slightly runny. Top with black pepper and parsley.

Couscous with Seven Vegetables

Wolfert gives a lot of variations for this seven-vegetable couscous. The "default" is the Fes version, but she also offers a Marrakech rendition as well as "mountain-style" and "with lamb's head". I haven't had a chance to try the mountain-style couscous with seven vegetables yet and I'm not planning on making the lamb's head version¹ at all, but I've now tried the other two, so I figured it was time for a write-up!

I am not completely confident that I managed to do the Marrakech version as I was supposed to. The Fes version involves separately cooking pumpkin with raisins and then adding them to the couscous afterward. Since I wasn't using pumpkin in the Marrakech version, I omitted the raisins as well, but I now wonder if I should have included them. (The couscous was still delicious either way. I'm just not sure if what I made was what the author intended.)

It's been a while since I made the Fes version, so I'm mostly going to be transcribing the recipe out of the book for that one without much in the way of additional notes or personal commentary. The Marrakech version is fresh in my mind though, so that one should be a little more fleshed out. As for the mountain-style and lamb's head variants, those I can't offer any insights on at all. But I'll include them anyway in case there is any interest. I can always come back and update this post if and when I get around to making the mountain-style recipe.

Couscous with Seven Vegetables in the Fes Manner

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried chickpeas
• 2-3 cracked lamb shanks
• 4 chicken wings + 2 backs
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. saffron water²
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
• small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
• 4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3.5L water
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
• 200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
• 450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 450g instant couscous³
• 200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
• ~1/4 c. dark raisins
• 200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
• 1 small cabbage, halved
• 1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
• red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add enough water to cover them by several cm. Soak overnight.
2. The next day, drain the chickpeas. Peel if desired⁴.
3. Place the drained chickpeas in a pot and add enough water to cover them by several cm. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
4. Place the lamb, chicken, salt, pepper, saffron water, turmeric, onions, cinnamon sticks, herbs, tomatoes, and half the butter in a very large pot and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes.
5. Add the water⁵ and bring to a boil.
6. Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, for 3 hours. Remove the chicken wings and backs after ~90 minutes of cooking.
7. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
8. Skim and discard fat from the surface of the broth.
9. Cut the meat into chunks. Discard any fat, gristle, or bones. Return the meat to the broth.
10. Bring broth to a boil and add the carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas. Cook for 30 minutes.
11. Prepare the couscous through to the end of the second steaming (third steaming if using hand-rolled/non-instant couscous).⁶
12. Soak the raisins in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
13. Label a bit of the lamb broth into a separate pan and add the pumpkin and raisins to it. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook until the pumpkin is tender. Drain and set aside.
14. Steam the couscous once more (just 10 minutes this time).
15. Add the zucchini and cabbage to the broth and bring back to a boil. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
16. Strain the broth, reserving the meat and vegetables.
17. Correct the seasoning of the strained broth and return to a boil. Cook down to a volume of ~8 cups.
18. Dump the couscous into a serving platter and toss with the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter.
19. Toss with the ghee (if using).
20. Use a fork and/or a whisk to break up any clumps and ensure the grains are all light and separate.
21. Gradually add up to 1 1/3 c. of the lamb broth to the couscous. (Hand-rolled couscous may be able to take up to 1 2/3 c. of broth.) You may find that you do not need all the broth.
22. Toss the grains again, making sure to break up any lumps. Let stand for 10 minutes.
23. Make a well in the centre of the couscous.
24. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and vegetables to the well.
25. Add the drained raisins and pumpkin on top.
26. Serve with red pepper sauce and any remaining broth.

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Variations

Couscous with Seven Vegetables in the Marrakech Manner

Ingredients

• 1 c. skinned split fava beans⁷
• 2-3 cracked lamb shanks⁸
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. saffron water
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
• small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
• 4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3.5L water
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
• 450g sweet potatoes⁹, peeled and cut into chunks
• 450g instant couscous
• 1/4 c. raisins (optional)
• 2 bell peppers, cored and sliced
• 200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
• 1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
• red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

You may also optionally include pumpkin, turnips, hot peppers, and/or cabbage.

Mountain-Style Couscous with Meat Confit and Seven Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried chickpeas
• 450g lamb neck
• 450g shredded "express" meat confit
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. saffron water²
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
• small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
• 4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter + 4 Tbsp. meat confit drippings, divided
• 3.5L water
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
• 200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
• 450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 450g instant couscous³
• 200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
• ~1/4 c. dark raisins
• 200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
• 1 small cabbage, halved
• 1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
• red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

Couscous with Lamb's Head and Seven Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 c. dried chickpeas
• 2 lambs' heads
• 1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 2 Tbsp. saffron water²
• 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
• 2 onions, quartered
• 2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
• small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
• 4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
• 8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
• 3.5L water
• 200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
• 200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
• 450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 450g instant couscous³
• 200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
• ~1/4 c. dark raisins
• 200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
• 1 small cabbage, halved
• 1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
• red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

The lambs' heads will need to be soaked in water, halved, cleaned, and tied together before cooking. Wolfert does not specify how long they need to be soaked for or how to cut or clean them. Perhaps this is something that is normally done by the butcher?
Once the heads have been sorted out, you may proceed with the recipe as outlined above.

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¹ I'm not put off by the lamb's head itself, but I worry about prions... I'd honestly really love to try brains at some point, but I don't think I ever will because it's just not worth the risk. ^Back
2 I don't use saffron water in large enough quantities often enough for it to be worth it for me to keep it on hand in the fridge. I usually just mix it up as I need it. In this case I crushed a scant 1/8 tsp. of saffron threads and poured over 2 Tbsp. of boiling water. ^Back
3 The original recipe was for 680g of couscous, but I got mixed up and only did 450g. That said, I don't think I would've been able to handle more than ~500g in one go anyway, so it was just as well. Even with just 450g, this produced A LOT of couscous. I'd advise against making more than that in one go unless you a) have a very large steamer/couscousiere, b) have a very large platter and c) have a huge number of people to feed! Seriously, we fed 7 people out of this, sent leftovers to two different households, and still have a huge container of couscous sitting in the fridge the next day. Proceed with caution! ^Back
4 I never bother peeling my chickpeas. I don't mind the skins and I find peeling them annoying (despite Wolfert's clever tips). ^Back
5 I could only fit 3L of water into my pot. Given the reduced amount of liquid, I opted to cook my broth fully covered rather than partially covered. This seems to have worked out fine. ^Back
6 Wolfert notes that the dish can be prepared in advance up to this point. Warm everything back up 30-60 minutes before serving and continue with the recipe as directed. ^Back
7 The instructions for this variation said to omit the chickpeas and chicken, but to optionally include fava beans. It was unclear whether fresh or dried fava beans were intended. Looking at the recipe again, I think it was probably meant to be made with fresh fava beans, but I made it with dried, so that's what I've written instructions for here. That said, feel free to leave out the fava beans entirely and substitute some other vegetable instead. ^Back
8 Although the recipe calls for lamb shanks, we were already having a lot of lamb for dinner and we have a lot of beef in the freezer right now, so I opted to use two beef shank steaks in place of the lamb shanks to make the broth. ^Back
9 I was intending to use sweet potatoes for my couscous, but I was unsure of the quality of my remaining sweet potatoes and I had some lovely fresh potatoes out of my parents' garden, so I just used those instead. Different flavour, for sure, but still very nice. ^Back

Personally, I think this is more of a red pepper broth than a red pepper sauce, but I guess it's used more as a topping or garnish for coucous so that makes it more of a sauce? I'm not really sure.

I think, having tried this a couple times now -- once with store-bought harissa and once with homemade harissa -- I'm more inclined to just enjoy the broth and harissa separately. I do like extra broth with my couscous. And I like harissa on everything, but I don't think you really gain anything by cooking them together and adding lemon and oil and whatnot. I know that's not exactly a glowing endorsement of this recipe. I'm mostly just providing it for completeness. But, in my opinion, you'd be served just as well by serving your dish with broth and harissa on the side and not bothering with the pepper sauce.

Red Pepper Sauce

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1 c. lamb or chicken broth
• 2 tsp. harissa
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
3. Remove from heat and pour into a serving bowl.

Steamed Couscous

Learning how to steam couscous was a revelation. I'd only ever had it prepared according to package directions. It's fine this way. I still make instant couscous a lot of the time. It's quick, easy, and convenient and the results are pretty good. That said, if you want really nice couscous, you can't beat steaming!

These instructions are written for 450g of instant couscous. If you manage to find hand-rolled/non-instant couscous somewhere, it will need slighlty different handling. The instructions for hand-rolled couscous can be found below the instant instructions. I've also given instructions for several other types of couscous.

Wolfert advises that if you're dealing with more than 450g of couscous, you can scale up the water by 50% and add 5 minutes to each round of steaming. I would be seriously inclined to say that if you're planning on cooking more than half a kilo of couscous in one go... don't. Unless you're making dinner for a group of a dozen or more and/or couscous will be the only dish on offer, you probably don't actually need that much couscous.

Steamed Instant Couscous

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 450g instant couscous
• 4 c. water or 3 1/2 c. water + 1/2 c. milk, divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• butter and/or ghee (varies by recipe)
• up to 1 c. broth (varies by recipe)

Directions

1. Fill a deep pot (or the bottom of a couscousier) with water and bring to a boil.
2. Place couscous in a large wide and shallow pan or very large plate, cover with 2 c. of water and allow to sit for 1 minute.
3. After 1 minute, stir and pour off any remaining water.
4. Toss the grains gently to break up any lumps. Rake the grains with your fingers (or a whisk) to allow them to swell.
5. Line a steamer (or the top of a couscousier) with cheesecloth.
6. Set the lined steamer over the pot of boiling water, being sure that no steam is leaking out the sides.
7. Transfer the couscous to the lined steamer and steam, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8. Use the cheesecloth to transfer the couscous to the pan/plate.
9. Spread the grains with a whisk and sprinkle with 1 c. of cold water (or 1/2 c. cold water + 1/2 c. milk).
10. Toss with salt and oil.
11. Stir and rake the grains to gently break up any lumps.
12. Allow to dry for 10 minutes.
13. Place the cheesecloth back in the steamer and transfer the couscous back to the lined steamer.
14. Steam, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.
15. Transfer back into the pan/plate and repeat the whisking and raking process, sprinkling in the last 1 c. of water.
16. Toss and stir to break up any lumps.
17. If necessary, at this point the couscous can be covered with a damp cloth and held for several hours before the final steaming.
18. Whisk the grains again, breaking up any lumps with whisk and/or wet fingers.
19. Bring the water in the bottom of the steamer/couscousier to a boil.
20. Line the top of the steamer with cheesecloth and transfer the couscous back into the lined steamer.
21. Steam, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
22. Transfer the couscous to a wide serving dish and toss with butter and ghee (amounts will vary depending on the exact recipe you are making).
23. Gradually add up to 1 c. of broth to the couscous.
24. Toss one more time, again breaking up any lumps.
25. Let stand for 10 minutes, then add any desired toppings and garnishes.

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Variations

Steamed Hand-Rolled Couscous

Ingredients

• 450g hand-rolled couscous
• 3 1/2 c. water (or 3 c. water + 1/2 c. milk), divided
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• butter and/or ghee
• up to 1 1/2 c. broth

Directions

1. Place the couscous in a fine mesh strainer and quickly moisten under running water.
2. Dump into a wide and shallow pan/plate, spread/smooth out the grains, and allow to rest/swell for 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in 1/2 c. of the water and allow to sit for 5 more minutes.
4. Meanwhile, fill a deep pot (or the bottom of a couscousier) with water and bring to a boil.
5. Line a steamer (or the top of a couscousier) with cheesecloth.
6. Set the lined steamer over the pot of boiling water, being sure that no steam is leaking out the sides.
7. Transfer the couscous to the lined steamer and steam, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
8. Use the cheesecloth to transfer the couscous to the pan/plate.
9. Spread the grains with a whisk and sprinkle with 1 c. of cold water (or 1/2 c. cold water + 1/2 c. milk).
10. Toss with salt and oil.
11. Stir and rake the grains to gently break up any lumps.
12. Allow to dry for 10 minutes.
13. Place the cheesecloth back in the steamer and transfer the couscous back to the lined steamer.
14. Steam, uncovered, for another 20 minutes.
15. Transfer back into the pan/plate and repeat the whisking and raking process, sprinkling in the last 1 c. of water.
16. Toss and stir to break up any lumps.
17. Repeat the steaming process once more: steaming for 20 minutes, tossing with 1 c. of water, and then resting for 10 minutes.
18. If necessary, at this point the couscous can be covered with a damp cloth and held for several hours before the final steaming.
19. Whisk the grains again, breaking up any lumps with whisk and/or wet fingers.
20. Bring the water in the bottom of the steamer/couscousier to a boil.
21. Line the top of the steamer with cheesecloth and transfer the couscous back into the lined steamer.
22. Steam, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
23. Transfer the couscous to a wide serving dish and toss with butter and ghee (amounts will vary depending on the exact recipe you are making).
24. Gradually add up to 1 1/2 c. of broth to the couscous.
25. Toss one more time, again breaking up any lumps.
26. Let stand for 10 minutes, then add any desired toppings and garnishes.

Steamed Cracked Barley

These instructions are for coarse cracked barley or scotch barley.

Ingredients

• 4 c. (680g) cracked/scotch barley
• 8 c. water, divided
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 2-3 Tbsp. ghee

Directions

1. Pour 6 c. of water over the cracked parley, stir, then drain off the excess water. Let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Fill a deep pot (or the bottom of a couscousier) with water and bring to a boil.
3. Butter the inside of a steamer (or the top of a couscousier).
4. Squeeze the barley to extract all excess water.
5. Add the barley to the top of the steamer slowly, rubbing the grains between your palms as you transfer it.
6. Steam, covered, for 20 minutes.
7. Dump the barley out into a wide pan/plate and break up any lumps with a fork or whisk.
8. Toss with the butter.
9. Very slowly add 2 c. of water. It should take 3-4 minutes to add all the water and you will need to toss and rake the grains the entire time to help keep them separate and allow them to swell.
10. Toss again, then allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.
11. Steam, covered, for 20 more minutes.
12. Dump the grains back into the pan/plate and break up any lumps with a fork or whisk.
13. Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes. Rake and toss occasionally during this time to stop them from becoming lumpy. Do not add any water this time.
14. Transfer the barley back into the steamer and steam, covered, for 10 more minutes.
15. Dump the barley into a serving dish and toss with ghee.

Steamed Barley Grits

These instructions are for fine cracked barley, barley grits, or barley couscous.

Ingredients

• 450g barley grits¹
• 1 c. water
• 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter or olive oil
• 3/4 c. salted water²
• ghee (varies by recipe)

Directions

1. Dampen the barley grits with ~1 c. of water. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
2. Fill a deep pot (or the bottom of a couscousier) with water and bring to a boil.
3. Line a steamer (or the top of a couscousier) with cheesecloth.
4. Transfer the barley grits to the lined steamer and steam, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
5. Dump the grains into a wide and shallow pan and break up any lumps with a fork or whisk.
6. Toss with the butter or olive oil.
7. Very slowly add the salted water. It should take 2-3 minutes to add it and you will need to rake and toss the grains constantly.
8. Allow to dry for 5-10 minutes.
9. Place the cheesecloth back in the steamer and transfer the grits back into the lined steamer. Steam, uncovered, for 10 more minutes.
10. Transfer the grits back to the pan/plate and break up any lumps.
11. Allow to sit for 15 minutes, raking and tossing occasionally to prevent lumps. Do not add any more water.
12. If necessary, the grits may be covered with a damp cloth and held for several hours before the final steaming.
13. About 30 minutes before serving, transfer the grits back into the lined steamer and steam, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
14. Dump the grits into a serving dish and toss with ghee.
15. Add any toppings or garnish and pour over sauce or broth and allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Steamed Corn Grits

These instructions are for corn couscous or coarse stone-ground corn grits.

Ingredients

• 680g corn grits
• 7 1/2 c. water, divided
• 3 Tbsp. argan oil or unsalted butter or olive oil, divided
• salt
• black pepper or white pepper
• up to 2 c. broth

Directions

1. Fill a deep pot (or the bottom of a couscousier) with water and bring to a boil.
2. Lightly grease the inside of a steamer (or the top of a couscousier) with a neutral oil.
3. Moisten the grits with 1/2 c. of the water and toss until fully absorbed.
4. Add another 1/2 c. of water an allow to sit for 10 minutes.
5. Slowly add another 1/2 c. of water, spread the grits out, and allow to sit for ~5 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp. of the argan oil (or melted butter or olive oil) and toss and rub the grains to coat evenly.
7. Transfer grits to steamer and steam, covered, for 45 minutes.
8. Dump the grits into a wide and shallow pan and whisk to break up any lumps.
9. While tossing with the whisk, add 1 c. of lukewarm water.
10. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.
11. Toss with 1 more c. of water.
12. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
13. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
14. Toss with another 1 c. of water.
15. Transfer grits back into steamer and steam, covered, for another 45 minutes.
16. Dump grits back into the pan/plate and repeat whisking and moistening procedure³ and toss with 1 more Tbsp. of the butter or oil.
17. Grits can be covered with a damp cloth and held this way for several hours if necessary.
18. Before serving, bring the water back to a boil and transfer the grits back into the steamer. Cover and steam for 20 minutes.
19. Dump the grits into a serving dish and toss with the remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil or butter.
20. Break up any lumps and toss with the broth.
21. Top and garnish as directed by recipe.

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¹ Wolfert doesn't specify how much barley this recipe is for. I'm guessing that it's written for 450g of barley based on the fact that her master couscous recipe was also written for 1 lb. of grains. But that is just a guess as I haven't actually tried any of the barley recipes yet. ^Back
2 Wolfert also doesn't specify how much salt goes into the "salt water". I'd probably start with 1 tsp. and go from there. ^Back
3 Wolfert says to "repeat step 3" which, in her version of the recipe covers all three additions of water after the first steaming. Given that, I assume that you would add another 3 c. of water here. That seems like an awful lot of water. But I guess corn is pretty absorbent (cf. polenta). ^Back

I'll lead by saying, I'm not sure why these are called semolina almond cookies as there doesn't appear to be any semolina in the recipe. I can only conclude that the "semolina" must refer to the almond flour/meal. But in that case, I'd expect them to be called "almond semonlina cookies" since "almond" modifies "semolina". In the end, I suppose it doesn't really matter. I just found the name a bit peculiar.

These cookies are delicious. But with a caveat: the recipe says that you need to make them two or three days ahead... she is not kidding about that! I figured it'd be one of those things where the product might improve over time (like fruitcake), but that it'd still be tasty straight out of the oven, just not optimally so.

No.

Wrong. So, so wrong.

These cookies do not taste good straight out of the oven. They taste like floral ghee. After tasting the first one, I was not convinced that any amount of sitting in a biscuit tin could improve them. I figured that maybe it was just an acquired taste that I had not acquired. Maybe these cookies taste good to other people, but they are definitely not my jam!

Then I tried another one on day three. And it was delicious! In fact, they went from "I don't think I can eat this" to "I'm worried I won't be able to stop eating this" in just a few days. And they do make a lovely complement to the poached pears that show up elsewhere in the dessert chapter.

So, if you'd like to try an interesting variation on a whipped shortbread, these cookies are a good choice. Just don't try to eat them straight out of the oven. They really do need that three-day¹ resting period.

Semolina Almond Cookies

Slihgtly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 20 Tbsp. unsalted butter or 15 Tbsp. ghee
• 1 3/4 c. soft (standard/plain/pastry) flour
• 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 12 Tbsp. icing (powdered/confectioners') sugar, divided
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 Tbsp. orange flower water
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract
• 3/4 c. almond flour (almond meal/finely ground almonds)

Directions

1. If using butter: Melt it over low heat without stirring, discard any foam that forms on top, pour the clarified butter into a container and chill for 2-3 hours.
   If using ghee: Chill until solidified (1-3 hours depending on how solid/cool it was to begin with).
2. Sift the pastry flour and baking powder together and set aside.
3. Beat the chilled ghee until very light and fluffy (at least 5 minutes)!
4. Gradually beat in 7 Tbsp. of the icing sugar.
5. Beat for 2 minutes.
6. Add the egg yolk and beat for 2 more minutes.
7. Add the orange flower water, vanilla, and almond extract and beat for 1 more minute.
8. Fold in the flour mixture.
9. Fold in the almond meal.
10. Cover or wrap in waxed paper and/or cling film and chill for 30-60 minutes.
11. Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F).
12. Shape dough into balls, pressing each one flat to form a disc.
13. Place ~2cm apart on ungreased baking sheets.
14. Bake at 180°C (350°F) for 12-15 minutes. (The cookies shouldn't brown at all.)
15. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack and immediately sift 2 Tbsp. of the remaining sugar over the hot cookies.
16. Cool for 5 minutes.
17. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and roll in remaining 3 Tbsp. of icing sugar to coat.
18. Transfer to biscuit tin or airtight container and allow to rest/mellow for at least three days before serving.
19. Cookies may be stored like this for several weeks and should improve with age.

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¹ Wolfert says two to three days but, having tried one a day for several days, I would say three days is the minimum. ^Back

This dish was supposed to be made with barley grits/couscous, but I didn't have any and I didn't have time to grind my own, so I just used whole wheat couscous instead. The preferred method is, of course, to cook the couscous by steaming it three times and only adding the broth at the end of cooking. This really does make a big difference to the final result and makes the couscous much nicer. But I already had a lot of other things going on in the kitchen, so I skipped the steaming and just cooked the couscous by the instant way. I will write up and link to the steaming instructions (which don't seem to be on the blog yet) in a separate post.

Couscous with Beef and Leafy Greens

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas¹
• 450g cracked lean beef shanks or short ribs (braising ribs), cut into 2-3cm cubes²
• 1-2 bunches Russian kale, broccoli rabe, or broccolini; rinsed, trimmed, and chopped
• 225g carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 225g parsnip, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g tomatoes, diced, divided
• 6 c. water
• 450g barley grits or barley couscous³
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 c. milk⁴
• 2 tsp. ghee or oudi

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl or pot and pour in enough water to cover them by at least 5cm. Soak overnight.
2. Drain the chickpeas and transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven.
3. Add the beef, carrots, parsnips, and 1/3 of the greens, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.⁵
4. Add the salt, 2 Tbsp. of the oil, onion, spices, and 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the meat is tender (2-3 hours).
7. Meanwhile, steam your barley grits/couscous.⁶
8. While the barley is cooking, brush the remaining Tbsp. of oil onto the bottom of a large skillet.
9. Spread 1/2 the remaining greens in the skillet.
10. Place the cilantro and parsley on top of the greens, then place the remaining greens on top of the herbs.
11. Cover with a paper towel and a heavy plate followed by a tightly fitting lid.
12. Cook the greens over low heat for 30 minutes.⁷
13. Uncover the greens and add the remaining tomatoes to the pan.
14. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for ~10 minutes. Set aside.
15. Check on the broth and skim any foam or fat off the surface. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
16. Strain the broth and set the meat and vegetables aside.
17. Add the milk to the broth and boil it down to reduce by about half.
18. Stir in the ghee.
19. Moisten the thrice-steamed barley with ~1 1/2 c. of the broth. Use a whisk to smoothout any lumps.
20. Arrange the meat, vegetables, and greens on top of the couscous.
21. Let stand for 10 minutes.
22. Serve with a bowl of the remaining broth on the side.⁸

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¹ I swapped in 1 c. of canned chickpeas for the dried and skipped the soaking step. ^Back
2 I completely missed the part where it said to cut up the beef. This would've made it a lot easier to serve! Oh well, it was still delicious. If you do use beef shanks and cut them up before putting them in, make sure you still include the bones. They add great flavour! ^Back
3 As noted above, I didn't end up making barley grits, so I just used 2 c. of whole wheat couscous instead. (2 c. may or may not be equivalent to 450g of barley. I didn't worry so much about having the same amount, I just cooked what seemed reasonable for the meal.) ^Back
4 Goat's milk would be preferable, but cow or sheep can be substituted if necessary. ^Back
5 The recipe calls for adding the vegetables at this stage, but I would be tempted to experiment with adding them later. They were quite soft by the time the broth was done and I feel that it might've been better to cook the meat and chickpeas alone first and add the veggies part-way through. ^Back
6 As noted above, I skipped all the steaming and just made a batch of instant couscous using the broth at the end. It would certainly be better with properly steamed starches, but sometimes convenience trumps quality. Instant couscous does make this dish more accessible. Especially when you have other things cooking at the same time. ^Back
7 This seemed like way too much cooking to me. The greens were dry and beginning to brown after the half hour. Even though I'd had the pan on the lowest possible setting. Next time I think I'd probably try cooking them for only 15 minutes. ^Back
8 Pouring a little bit of extra broth over the couscous just before you eat it really makes a big difference. I highly recommend both broth and harissa as extra "condiments" with this dish. ^Back

I made this as a vegetable side to go with the beef and nectarine tagine. I'm not a big fan of cauliflower most of the time, but this was pretty good.

Marak of Cauliflower with Tomatoes and Olives

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 1 medium cauliflower¹, cut into florets (~4 c.)
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 2 tsp. sweet paprika
• 1/2 Tbsp. cumin seeds
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c. hot water
• 2 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 a preserved lemon², pulp removed, rind rinsed and julienned
• 12 pitted green, midway, or red olives

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Add the cauliflower and sugar and cover with a crumpled sheet of parchemnt paper followed by a tight-fitting lid.
3. Cook for 10 minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium and continue cooking, uncovered, until the moisture has evaporated and cauliflower begins to brown.
5. Add the tomatoes and paprika and cook, uncovered, for another 5 minutes.
6. Combine the garlic, cumin, and salt and crush to a paste³.
7. Add the garlic-cumin paste to the pan along with the water.
8. Cook, uncovered, until the moisture has evaporated (~20 minutes).
9. Add the parsley and lemon juice and toss to coat.
10. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
11. Garnish with preserved lemon and olives and serve.

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¹ My cauliflower was huge so I only ended up using half of it for this recipe. ^Back
2 I didn't feel like getting out a preserved lemon for this, so I just omitted it. I'm sure the lemon would've added a nice extra element, but it was still fine without it. ^Back
3 I just used garlic paste and ground the salt with the cumin separately for this. Next time I'd like to trying mashing them all together with my molcajete though. I think the garlic flavour would be a little more concentrated that way since garlic paste normally has water added. ^Back

This was a fun recipe to do. I'd never poached pears before. They were still a little firm at the end of the poaching time. I think I probably should've cooked them for a bit longer. But they were still very tasty. And the syrup that went with them was amazing!

Poached Pears with Prunes

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 2L water
• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 navel orange¹, sliced 5-6mm thick
• 1 (7-8cm) cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 1 bay leaf²
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 4-6 Bartlett or Bosc pears³
• 12 pitted prunes
• semolina almond cookies, to serve

Directions

1. Combine the water, sugar, orange slices, cinnamon stick, clove, bay leaf, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.
2. Remove from heat and set aside.
3. Remove the core from the bottom end of one of the pears.⁴
4. Peel the pear, but leave the stem on.
5. Add the pear to the pot with the sugar-water/syrup and repeat the process with the remaining pears.
6. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.
7. Add the prunes and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
8. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
9. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the pears, prunes, and orange slices to a bowl.
10. Boil the poaching liquid over medium-high heat for 15-20 minutes.
11. Pour the syrup over the pears.
12. Pears may be covered and refrigerated for up to four days.
13. When ready to eat, return to room temperature and serve with semolina almond cookies on the side.

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¹ The original recipe calls for only 1/2 an orange, but I really liked the orange in it, so I've upped it to a whole orange. I ended up using a blood orange rather than a navel orange for mine, but it doesn't seem to have suffered any from the swap. ^Back
2 I opted to swap in an "Indian bay leaf" here. I believe they are actually cassia leaves, so they are a bit like a cross between bay laurel and cinnamon. I figured that, given there was already cinnamon in the recipe, the cinnamon notes of the Indian bay leaf would go nicely. I think either one works fine, so just use whichever you have/prefer. ^Back
3 I used four large Bartlett pears for my rendition of this dish. Given that they were quite large, I think I probably should've added 5 or 10 minutes to the poaching time. They were still pretty firm and a bit tricky to eat. ^Back
4 Wolfert says to do this with an apple corer or a long knife. I tried it with a knife and didn't have much luck. TF looked up instructions online and found a lot of advice saying to use a melon baller or a spoon. I had much better luck once I switched to a spoon. (I think I melon baller would've been even better, but I don't have one of those.) ^Back

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