AMLOU

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2½  cups

·         250 gr roasted unpeeled almonds

·         100   ml argan oil

·        100  ml honey

·          

How to make it

• Grind the roasted almonds in a food processor until finely ground and transfer in a medium sized bowl. 

• Gradually add the oil to the ground almonds and stir until smooth. Then gradually add the honey and combine all the ingredients until smooth.

• Serve as a spread on top of anything you fancy; on baghrir , and mllaoui , or bread .

You can replace the argan oil with olive oil ( it tastes good too) 

moroccan maakouda

Ingredients

• 1 kilogram potatoes
•  
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
•  
• 1 to 2 tablespoons butter
•  
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, pressed
•  
• 1 tablespoons cumin
•  
• 2 teaspoons salt
•  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper, or more to taste
•  
• 1 teaspoon turmeric (optional)
•  
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
•  
• 2 eggs, beaten
•  
• olive oil, for frying
•  

How to Make It

1.      Select same-sized potatoes. Peel the potatoes and place in a pot. Cover with salted water and boil just until a sharp knife can be inserted halfway through the potatoes.

2.      Drain the potatoes and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain again, and allow to cool a bit. Chill the potatoes, covered, in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.

Make the maakouda

1.      Melt the butter in a small skillet. Add the onions and saute them gently over medium-low heat for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until translucent. Add the garlic and saute just a minute more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.

1.      Grate the chilled potatoes into a mixing bowl. Gently toss in the spices, onions, garlic and cilantro. Stir in enough of the eggs to bind the potatoes, but not so much that there is excess egg in the bottom of the bowl.

2.      Shape the potato mixture into cakes about 3" in diameter. Wet hands will make the mixture easier to handle.

3.      Heat enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of a skillet or griddle. Add the potato cakes and cook slowly over medium heat, about 5 to 10 minutes per side, until deep golden brown.

4.      Alternatively, press all of the potato mixture into hot oil in a large skillet, and cook as a single large maakouda. To turn, gently loosen the maakouda all around with a spatula. Place a large plate over the frying pan, and turn both the plate and frying pan upside down. Add a little more oil to the fyring pan and carefully slide the potato cake back into the pan to cook the bottom half.

Moroccan Rfissa

Ingredients of broth

• Large chicken, cut into pieces cleaned and soaked in salty water with some vinegar
• 4 onions cut into slices
• 1tsp salt
• 1tsp ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1teaspoon of the Ras lhanout: Typically Moroccan mixture of more than 40 spices (you can make your own mix, using at least: cinnamon + cloves + nutmeg + cardamom + white pepper+ fenugreek + ginger)
• 1tsp ginger
• 4-6 cloves garlic, peeled
• ½ cup olive oil
• 1tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup fenugreek
• 1 cups of lentils
• ½ cup of dried beans,
• 2tbsp minced parsley and coriander
• 1.5 liters of water
• Ingredients for flour tortillas:
• 2 cups white flour.
• 1 .5 cups warm water.
• 2 tsp yeast.
• ½ tsp salt

Instructions

1. Place the chicken with all these spices and oil in the pot, mix them well and let it soak for 15 minutes before cooking.
2. Put the pot on the stove and add onions and cook them for a while (try to give an estimate of how long to cook them, maybe until they are soft? or until they begin to turn brown or…?).
3. Add all the other ingredients and water and let cook for 35 minutes
4. At that time prepare the Trid (it’s like flour tortillas)
5. pull off pieces of dough to form small balls
6. – Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
7. – Next add warm water a little at a time until your dough is soft and not sticky. You do not need very hot water.
8. – Knead the dough for a few minutes.
9. – Now you will pull off pieces of dough to form small balls and let them rest for at least 10 minutes, longer if you like.
10. Lay your tortilla on the hot comal
11. This is a good time to heat up the comal or a skillet. Set it at medium to high heat.
12. Dust your work surface with flour. Working one at a time, remove each piece of dough and pat till it becomes thin.
13. Lay your tortilla on the hot comal or skillet. It takes just a few seconds to cook. Flip to the other side.
14. When they are done, they should have lots of nice brown speckles. Place them in a towel to keep them warm longer.
15. tortillas cut in small pieces

Moroccan spring roll

INGREDIENTS

1 large spoon  of Vegetable oil  + as needed
 500 g Minced meat
2 clove of Garlic mashed
Minced onions finely chopped - half a cup
Grated carrots - half a cup
Green onion finely chopped - half a cup
cabbage finely chopped - half a cup
Black pepper - a teaspoon
Salt - teaspoon
Soy sauce - teaspoon
Spring Rolls dough

1. Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil.

2 - Fry the meat until it changes color and then put it in a bowl aside.

3. In the pan itself, fry onions and garlic for about 2 minutes.

4 - Add the meat, carrots, green onions and cabbage and leave the mixture on the fire for about 10 minutes.

5 - Fry the filling with salt and pepper and soy sauce, then lift the pan from the fire and leave it aside until thetemperature of  ingredients becomes the room temperature.

6 - Put on a piece of dough about 3 tablespoons of filling and then to tenderly with the closure of the parties.

7. Pour the tip with a little water and put it in a tray.

8. Repeat the ball until the end of the quantity.

Heat plenty of oil in a skillet and stirring with the springing rolls for about two minutes until the color changes.

10. Pour the pieces into a dish and enjoy it .

tanjia of meat

we will do it on a modern way beacause its hard to find the old traditional tools like in morroco such tanjia and safe place for cooking under hot coals.
so let's begin .

• The ingredients:

- 2 Kg / 2.2 lb Beef or Lamb.

- 1 Tablespoon Ghee (cow ghee).
- 65 ml / 2.2 fl oz Olive oil.
- Half a preserved Lemon.
- 1 Tablespoon Cumin powder.
- 1 Teaspoon Ginger.
- Half teaspoon Rass el hanout.
- A little bit of Saffron.
- 8 peeled cloves of Garlic.
- A little bit of salt.
- 1.5 Liter / 50.7 fl oz Water.
For garnish:
- 100 g / 0.2 lb Peanut.
- 2 Eggs.

• How to prepare:

  In a pressure cooker, we put Meat and we add all Spices, Oil and Ghee, and we pour Water. We leave the pressure cooker on low heat for an hour and we observe between-whiles the broth's level until the Meat will be cooked. We can add Water as needed.  
  We open the pressure cooker, we remove cover and leave the pressure cooker on low heat until the broth will be coagulated.
  We boil Peanut in a saucepan until its peels become easy to remove, we peel it and fry it for use it as a garnish.  
  On a dish, we put Meat and a little of broth, and we garnish the dish with Eggs halves and fried Peanut.

Fish tajine

YIELD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

1. • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
   • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
   • 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
   • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
   • 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
   • 2 teaspoons ground turmeric
   • 1/8 teaspoon crushed saffron threads
   • 4 6-ounce white fish fillets (such as halibut or orange roughy)
2. • 1 pound carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
   • 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, thinly sliced
   • 1 large onion, thinly sliced
   • 1 lemon, thinly sliced
   • 1 teaspoon salt
   • 3/4 teaspoon ground pepper
   • 1 medium-size red bell pepper, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
   • 24 brine-cured olives (such as Kalamata)
3. • Additional Chopped fresh Italian parsley

PREPARATION

1. 1. Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Add fish and turn to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning fish occasionally.
   2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange carrot slices over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Layer half of tomatoes, half of onion and half of lemon over. Season with half of salt and pepper.
   3. Drain marinade from fish; reserve marinade. Arrange fish atop lemon slices. Top fish with remaining tomato, onion and lemon slices. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Top decoratively with red pepper strips and olives. Pour reserved marinade over. Cover dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes.
   4. Increase oven temperature to 400°F. and bake until fish flakes easily and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Garnish with additionally parsley.

Seffa Medfouna

1 chicken cut into pieces.

2 chopped onions.

1 tbsp chopped cilantro.

¼ cup oil.

1 tsp salt.

1 tsp ginger.

½ tsp black pepper.

½ tsp cinnamon.

 saffron stamens.

½ tsp turmeric.

For Seffa:

1 kg vermicelli noodles.

200g raisins soaked in water.

3 tbsp oil.

2 tbsp butter.

2 litter water.

for decoration

100g almonds, grilled and crushed

Some ground cinnamon.

Some icing sugar.

 how to preparate :

In a couscous pot, put 2 litter of water and place it on the stove then heat in a medium fire.

In a large plate bowl, place the vermicelli noodles and sprinkle oil on them then put in the steamer.

 Place the steamer on the couscous pot; and once you see steam rise from the vermicelli, steam for 15 minutes.

Remove the steamer and put the vermicelli in the plate.

Add 1 cup of salty water and rub with hands to remove any knots.

Put the vermicelli back into the steamer and steam again.

Steam the vermicelli for 4 or 5 times, each time it should steam for 15 to 20minutes.

In the fourth time, add soaked raisins to steam with vermicelli.

Preparing chicken:

Clean the chicken and place it in a pot with onion and oil then simmer on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

Add cilantro, spices and enough water.

Cover the pot and cook for 40 minutes.

When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot and let sauce simmer for additional time until it is thick.

Remove bones from chicken and return it into the pot.

To serve Seffa:

Put seffa in a large bowl, add butter and some sugar and mix until butter is melted.

In a serving plate, put half of Seffa, add the chicken with sauce on the top.

Add the second half over the chicken sauce.

Decorate it with crushed almonds, cinnamon and icing sugar.

Serve hot!

Moroccan Harira .Soup

​Harrira is an authentic Moroccan soup made of tomato, lentils, and chickpeas, but also includes meat, making it a filling and satisfying dish.

What You'll Need

• 1/2 pound uncooked meat (lamb, beef or chicken), chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• Several soup bones (optional)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bunch cilantro (coriander), finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
• 1 bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped to yield about 1/4 cup
• 1 or 2 celery stalks with leaves, finely chopped
• 1 large onion, grated
• 1 handful of dried chickpeas, soaked and then peeled
• 1 tablespoon smen (optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric or ¼ teaspoon yellow colorant
• 6 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and pureed
• 3 cups water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons dried lentils, picked over and washed
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste, mixed evenly into 1 or 2 cups of water
• 2 to 3 tablespoons uncooked rice or uncooked broken vermicelli
• 1 cup flour mixed with 2 cups water

How to Make It

Ahead of Time

Make sure you have all the ingredients. Before you begin cooking the soup:

1. Pick the parsley and cilantro leaves from their stems. Small pieces of stem are all right, but discard long, thick pieces with no leaves. Wash the herbs, drain well, and finely chop them by hand or with a food processor.
2. Soak and skin the chickpeas. (You might want to soak them the night before you cook.)
3. Peel, seed and puree the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. Or, stew the tomatoes and pass them through a food mill to remove the seeds and skin.

1. Pick through the lentils and wash them.

Assemble the remaining ingredients and follow the steps below.

Brown the Meat

1. Put the meat, soup bones and oil into a 6-quart or larger pressure cooker.
2. Over medium heat, cook the meat for a few minutes, stirring to brown all sides.

Make the Stock

1. Add the cilantro, parsley, celery, onion, chickpeas, smen (if using), spices and tomatoes. Stir in 3 cups of water.
2. Cover tightly, and heat over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and release the pressure.

Make the Soup

1. Add the lentils, tomato paste mixture, and 2 quarts of water to the stock.
2. Set aside (but don’t add yet) either the rice or vermicelli.
3. Cover the pot and heat the soup over high heat until pressure is achieved. Reduce the heat to medium and continue cooking.

If adding rice: Cook the soup on pressure for 30 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the rice. Cover, and cook with pressure for an additional 15 minutes.

If adding vermicelli: Cook the soup on pressure for 45 minutes. Release the pressure, and add the vermicelli. Simmer the soup, uncovered, for 5 to 10 minutes or until the vermicelli is plump and cooked.

Thicken the Soup

1. While the soup is cooking, make a (soup thickener) by mixing together the 1 cup of flour with 2 cups of water. Set the mixture aside, and stir or whisk it occasionally. The flour will eventually blend with the water. If the mixture is not smooth when you're ready to use it, pass it through a sieve to remove lumps.
2. Once the rice (or vermicelli) has cooked, taste the soup for seasoning. Add salt or pepper if desired.
3. Bring the soup to a full simmer. Slowly — and in a thin stream — pour in the flour mixture. Stir constantly and keep the soup simmering so the flour doesn’t stick to the bottom. You will notice the soup beginning to thicken when you've used approximately half the flour mixture. The thickness of harira is up to you. Some like to thicken the broth so that it achieves a cream-like consistency.
4. Simmer the thickened soup, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 10 minutes to cook off the taste of the flour. Remove the soup from the heat.

Tips for Making Harira

• If the meat had a lot of fat, expect to see some foaming as you simmer the thickened soup. Skim off the foam and discard it.
• As harira cools in the pot, it’s common for a skin to form. Simply stir to blend the skin back into the soup.
• A small wedge of lemon may be served as a garnish; its juice may be squeezed into the bowl of harira.
• When reheating harira, don’t bring it to a boil. Heat over medium heat and stir frequently to avoid lentils sticking to the bottom.
• Preparation Shortcut: Chop your cilantro, parsley, and celery together in a food processor or blender. Add the peeled and seeded tomatoes, and blend until well-pureed. Add the onion and process until the onion is reduced to small pieces. Proceed with making the stock.
• Thickening with Egg: In place of flour and water, 2 or 3 beaten eggs may be used to thicken harira. (If desired, beat the eggs with 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.) Add the eggs in a thin stream to the simmering soup, stirring constantly. You will see some cooked strands of eggs in the soup as it thickens.
• Prep and Freeze: If you plan to cook harira frequently, it’s helpful to prep large amounts of key ingredients in advance. Soak and peel chickpeas and drain well before freezing. Chop an ample supply of parsley, cilantro, and celery; measure the mixed herbs by soup bowlfuls and freeze. Peel, seed, and stew tomatoes; puree and freeze in about 2-pound batches.

Traditional Stockpot Method

If you don’t have a pressure cooker, use a 6- or 8-quart stockpot. Follow the directions above, but adjust the cooking time as follows:

• In Steps 3 and 4, partially cover the pot, bring to a simmer and cook for double the suggested pressure cooker times. Watch the level of the liquids, particularly in Step 3; you can add a little more water if you feel it's necessary.
• Proceed with thickening the soup in Step 5 according to the recipe, or try the egg thickening method in the Tips above.

Chicken Pastilla

Pastilla - Moroccan Chicken Pie

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

50 mins

Total Time

1 hrs 10 mins

This sweet and sour Moroccan Chicken Pie is filled with cinnamon flavored chicken & almonds and encased in flaky and crispy pastry!

Cuisine: Moroccan

Servings: 6 people

Calories Per Serving: 374 kcal

Author: CookingTheGlobe

Ingredients

For the filling:

• 1 lb (450g) onions , sliced
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup blanched almonds
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 10 oz (300g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut in bite-size pieces
• salt and pepper , to taste
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

For the pie:

• 7 large filo sheets
• 6 tablespoons butter , melted
• 1 egg yolk
• confectioner's sugar , for garnish
• cinnamon , for garnish

Instructions

1. The filling. Heat 2 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan and cook onions over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and just begin to color.
2. Meanwhile, in a skillet, fry the almonds, using the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, until lightly golden. Drain on paper towels and chop coarsely.
3. When the onions are cooked, add the ginger, cinnamon and the chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are pale gold, for about 15-20 minutes. Add the cilantro and mix everything together.
4. The pie. Grease a round baking pan (I used 9-inch) and place a first sheet of filo in it. Brush it entirely with the melted butter pushing the filo into the corners. Let the longer edges hang over the sides. Do the same with 4 more filo sheets, placing every sheet slightly further round so that you have pastry draping over the sides all around the tin. Brush all the sheets with butter, including the ends that overhang.
5. Spread the chicken and onion mixture evenly and cover it with the overlapping filo. Sprinkle with the chopped almonds.
6. Lay another filo sheet over the top, brush it with butter, and lay one more filo sheet on top of that. Don't brush the last sheet with the melted butter. Tuck the overhanging edges into the sides of the pan around the pie.
7. Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C). Brush the top of the pie with egg yolk mixed with a drop of water. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until it is puffed up and golden.
8. Dust the top with confectioner's sugar and cinnamon, making a geometric pattern. Enjoy!