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In the San Diego Union Tribune
Dec. 16, 2015
Lavender Shortbread cookies
View the recipe and a mouth watering photo here:
Shortbread blossoms with lavender
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/15/shortbread-blossoms-with-lavender/
This link to San Diego’s Channel 6, the CW, San Diego Living should be accessible until December 2015, I hope.
It was great fun on sandiego6.com
Monday, November 9, 2015
San Diego Living, 9AM
Mint Tea and Minarets
http://www.sandiego6.com/san-diego-living
Please insert the link in your browser if you can’t access it here.
It is worth it! Heather, from Channel 6, was a most gracious host. We had fun!
November 9, 2015
From Mint Tea and Minarets: a Banquet of Moroccan Memories
(La Caravane, 2013)
Egg Tagine with Olives
Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, very finely diced
1 (14¼-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
½ teaspoon sugar
10 green or purple olives, rinsed, pitted, and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
8 eggs
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon mashed preserved lemon pulp (optional)
Freshly ground pepper
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
BAGUETTE slices, for serving
In a tagine or medium skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Cook onions, stirring occasionally, until light brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, olives, garlic, and bay leaf. Mash lightly with a fork. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes thicken somewhat, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Set aside half of this mixture for garnish.
In a bowl, beat eggs, cilantro, cumin, preserved lemon pulp, and pepper. Add to tomato mixture. Cook, stirring gently, until eggs are not quite set. Garnish with the reserved tomato mixture and cilantro. Serve immediately with crusty bread.
From Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen (Chronicle Books, 1999)
now in its tenth printing
Cassolita
Moroccan Squash with Caramelized Onions
(serves 4)
1 lb Mediterranean pumpkin or butternut squash
2 large onions, thinly sliced
1/4 C olive oil
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 T sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
1/4 C slivered almonds, toasted
Place unpeeled squash in baking dish and bake at 350 degrees F until soft, about 1 hour. Let cool. Peel and cut into serving pieces and place in baking dish.
Cook the onions in the oil, with the cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper, until very soft, about 15 minutes. Add the raisins and cook 5 minutes longer. Spread the mixture over the squash, cover with foil, and return to the oven to heat for 20 minutes.
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!
Serves 4
I love eggplant’s versatility. It is one of the most widely used vegetables in the Mediterranean. It is often a substitute for meat. You can fry it, grill it (I often broil eggplant slices and freeze them. They don’t loose their consistency when thawed) or make this mouth-watering Moroccan tagine for couscous . Serve it cold, and it becomes a salad!
2 medium eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, finely diced
2 large tomatoes, peeled and cubed
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt to taste
Peel the eggplants and cut lengthwise into 1-inch thick wedges . Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat, and cook onions until soft. Stir in half of the cubed tomatoes, paprika, pepper, cinnamon, and turmeric. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, covered, until mixture thickens somewhat. Add eggplant, remaining tomato and 1/2 cup water. Simmer until eggplant is quite soft, 12 to 15 minutes. Season with salt. To serve, sprinkle with cilantro. Serve over rice or couscous.
From The Vegetable Table: North Africa. Copyright 1996. Chronicle Books