Kitty Morse Moroccan Cuisine

Questions about Moroccan Cuisine?

Should you be sitting in front of your computer at these designated times, you can chat with me about Moroccan cuisine.

Friday, October 14 at 3PM 

The show airs live online, on Friday, Oct. 14 from 3PM-6PM PACIFIC TIME

on  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/big-blend-radio/2011/10/14/world-radio-party

and

Saturday, October 29, from 5PM EASTERN on

www.authorchat.info 

or 

www.blogtalkradio.com/lyndabrown

I’ll look forward to chatting with you!

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April 2011

A Biblical Feast called "an excellent book" in The Montreal Gazette!

I love the fact that the book is attracting a bilingual audience! Bon appétit tout le monde!

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Passover+dishes+biblical+feast/4602683/story.html

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Joyeuses Fêtes and Happy Holidays!

(to paraphrase a Moroccan proverb)

To each of you, I send a box filled with sesame seeds.

Each seed representing one hundred wishes for peace, health, and happiness in 2012

Bonne Année, Bon Appétit and Bismillah!

A l'année prochaine!

 To counter grey days and world-shattering news events, I usually retreat to the

kitchen to ferret out the contents of my vegetable bin. Do I have what it takes

to make soup? Last week, while the rain pelted our skylights, I uncovered the

ingredients necessary for couscous soup. A true balm for the spirit! 

From my book, Couscous: Fresh and Flavorful Contemporary Recipes, a heart warming soup spiked with not-too-fiery harissa.

Spicy Tunisian Couscous Soup 

Serves 6

This soup is packed with flavor even if you omit the chicken. In fact, I often make a vegetarian version, adding other root vegetables such as turnips and rutabagas to the pot.

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons ground cumin

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon Harissa hot sauce, plus extra for serving

6 chicken legs or thighs

3 small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 large carrot, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 medium potato, peeled and cubed

6 ounces pumpkin or winter squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

8 cups chicken broth

1 medium zucchini, diced

One 14 1/4-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained

1/3 cup couscous

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

 In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, garlic, and harissa. Stir to blend. Add the chicken. Stir to coat. Reduce heat to medium. Add the tomatoes, carrot, potato, pumpkin, and broth. Cover and cook until the vegetables are tender, 35 to 40 minutes. 

 With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a plate. When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones. Return the boned chicken to the pot.

Add the zucchini, garbanzo beans, and couscous. Continue cooking until the couscous is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with extra harissa on the side.

STAY WARM!

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In time for Thanksgiving

My great-grandmother’s Cassolita

Winter Squash with Caramelized Onions 

Serves 4 

This baked squash dish traditionally complements the couscous of Tétouan, a city in Northern Morocco. In our family, cassolita or cazuelita  (little pot) always accompanies a platter of couscous. Some of you may already have tried it out, using the recipe in one of my books. Cassolita has become indispensable as a side dish for a Thanksgiving.

2 pounds winter squash, peeled and seeded (Butternut is best)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup (about 1 ounce) sliced almonds, plus 2 tablespoons for garnish

3 large onions, thinly sliced or 2 dozen cooked and peeled pearl onions

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Cut squash into 2-inch pieces. Place in an ovenproof dish. Bake until tender, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a skillet heat the oil over medium high heat. Fry the almonds until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Set aside.

To the same skillet, add the onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until they turn soft, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the sugar and cinnamon, and continue cooking until the onions turn brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Add the raisins, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until heated through. Spread the onions mixture evenly over the cooked squash. Sprinkle with almonds, and serve. 

from Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen

Speaking of turkey: Want to give your bird a Moroccan flair? Baste it inside and out with the pulp of YOUR OWN preserved lemons.

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October 2011

Nothing surprised me more two or three years ago, than to learn from one of my “foodie” cousins in Paris, that “Alloween” (with silent "h", sic) had taken root in France. Dozens of sites initiated novices to la soirée d’Halloween, from cooking sites featuring cupcakes called “les caries de la sorcière” (the witch’s cavities) to other web pages giving step by step directions on how to carve your “citrouille” (pumpkin). Go to [1]http://www.2travelandeat.com/France) if curiosity gets the better of you!

Meanwhile: In the Moroccan kitchen!

IN SEASON: QUINCE!

Purchasing a quince is a great way to start up a conversation at the farmer’s market. Questions range from “What is this funny looking fruit?" to "What do you make with it?”

"Membrillo (quince paste), or quince jelly!" might be the input of Hispanic and Italian cooks. In Morocco, the seasonal appearance of “sfergel” (as quince is called in local darija dialect) is cause for rejoicing. Bouchaib, the cook/caretaker at our family riad, Dar Zitoun, couldn’t wait to head for the souk to purchase the first sfergel. Our dear friend passed away a few years ago, and in his memory, I offer you the dish he used to prepare. This tagine is an adaptation from the one featured in my first cookbook, Come with me to the Kasbah: A Cook’s Tour of Morocco.

Tagine of Rabbit with Quince

Tagine de Lapin aux Coings

Serves 4

Sweet “pineapple” quince is the variety most commonly available in the United States. You can substitute chicken legs and thighs for the rabbit.

2 quinces

½ cup honey

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons turmeric

3 pounds rabbit, cut up

2 onions diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup broth or reserved quince cooking liquid

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Core (do not peel), remove seeds, and cut quinces into fairly thick wedges. Place in a bowl of acidulated water to prevent darkening. Drain.

Transfer quince to a saucepan over medium heat, and barely cover fruit with water. Add honey and cinnamon. Cook until quinces are tender. Drain, reserving liquid.

Meanwhile, in a tagine dish placed over a heat diffuser, or in a medium casserole, heat olive oil and turmeric over medium-high heat. Cook,

stirring, until spices begin to foam. Add rabbit pieces and stir to coat, 4 to 5 minutes. Add onions and garlic. Cook, stirring 2 to 3 minutes. Add broth (or quince cooking liquid) and salt. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Cook until rabbit is tender, 50 to 55 minutes.

With a slotted spoon transfer rabbit to a serving dish and keep warm. Transfer cooked quince to pan, and bring sauce to a simmer on top of the stove. It

should be quite sweet. Add honey, if desired. Season with pepper. Cook until sauce thickens, 6 to 8 minutes.

To serve, mound rabbit on a platter, and top with the sauce and wedges of quince (the photo above shows how carefully Bouchaib used to “carve” the

fruit!) Serve with crusty bread.

Reminder:

Join me for the webchats (see my previous post), if you can!

JOYEUSE FETE D'(H)alloween!

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