Donna and Betty Cucumber Zaatar Salad... 2 Moroccan Stuffed Dates... 2 Zaalouk - Moroccan eggplant salad... 3 Farmer's Market Moroccan Carrot Salad... 3 Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken... 4 Moroccan meatloaf with olives, apricots and pistachios... 6 Moroccan rice pilaf... 7 Moroccan Orange Cake... 8
CUCUMBER ZAATAR SALAD This Moroccan food recipe pairs cucumbers with zaatar spice for a cool salad. 2 cucumbers 1 tbs sugar 1 tsp vinegar 1 tbs olive oil ¼ tsp salt ⅛ tsp zaatar black olives Peel, seed and grate the cucumbers or slice in thin strips. Drain off excess liquid from cucumbers and mix with sugar, vinegar, oil & salt. Sprinkle the zaatar over the cucumbers. Mix well then chill. Decorate with olives before serving. MOROCCAN STUFFED DATES 12 pitted dates 2 oz. softened cream cheese 1 tablespoon honey 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon 1/8 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon sugar (optional) 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts + more for garnish, if desired Slice 12 dates down one side longwise. Set aside. Stir cream cheese together with honey, cinnamon, almond extract, sugar and chopped walnuts. Fill each date with about 1 teaspoon of filling. Top with more walnuts if desired. Serve. 2
ZAALOUK - MOROCCAN EGGPLANT SALAD Serves 4-6 2 medium eggplants 1 red pepper 2 tbs olive oil salt & pepper 4 tomatoes 2 tbs olive oil 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped) 1 tsp cumin (grounded) ½ tsp turmeric (grounded) 1 tsp red pepper (grounded) 1 tsp harissa juice of half a lemon salt & pepper flat leaf parsley Preheat oven to 225 Celsius / 400 Fahrenheit degrees. Wash the eggplants and peel off about half of the skin (I make stripes). Cut lengthwise into slices. Deseed the red pepper and cut into four slices. Place vegetables on an oven tray that is covered with parchment paper. Drizzle 2 tbs of olive oil and some salt and pepper over the vegetables. Roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes. While the eggplant and red pepper are roasting, bring a pot of water to the boil. Cut a cross on the tomatoes. Place the tomatoes in the boiling water for about 30-45 seconds. Let them cool for a while and then gently peel the skins off and chop the tomatoes. When the vegetables are roasted, let them cool for a while and then gently peel the skins off from the red pepper. Chop the red pepper and eggplants. Add 2 tbs of olive oil in a pan, then sauté the chopped garlic and all spices for about 5 min. Add lemon juice and all chopped vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and let the mixture simmer for about 15 minutes. Add chopped flat leaf parsley on top and enjoy the salad warm or cold. FARMER'S MARKET MOROCCAN CARROT SALAD Salad 4 cups grated carrots 1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans* 8 dates pitted 3
4 green onions 1/2 cup toasted pistachios 1/2 cup chopped cilantro Dressing 3 Tbs olive oil 2 limes zest and juice 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp sea salt 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper 1 pinch red pepper flakes in the morning Soak the chickpeas overnight or in the morning. 1/2 cup of dried garbanzo beans= 1 1/2 cup soaked/cooked. Prep Shred the carrots (a food processor makes fast work of this). Chop the dates into large chunks. Slice the white and light green parts of the green onion. Chop nuts. make the dressing Whisk together olive oil and lime juice. Add in spices & whisk again. combine & serve Combine the carrots, onions, dates and beans, toss with dressing. Top with cilantro and pistachios. Serve. recipe notes *1/2 cup dried garbanzo beans = 1 1/2 cup cooked or canned. For this salad the dried ones do taste better and have a slightly crunchier texture. SLOW COOKER MOROCCAN CHICKEN We are using boneless (and skinless) chicken thighs for this recipe only because they're easier to deal with. Feel free to use bone-in thighs (you'll need 2 1/2 pounds) if you prefer. You can substitute dates or prunes for the raisins. 4
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat (don't trim all the fat, just large pieces) 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 1 red onion, roughly chopped, about 2 cups 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 Tbs) 1 cup pitted green olives 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 fresh lemon, thinly sliced Fresh cilantro or parsley for garnish Salt the chicken thighs Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of salt over the chicken thighs. Let sit while you prep the other ingredients. Whisk the spices together Whisk together the spices in a small bowl the paprika, ground ginger, ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, cinnamon, allspice, crushed fennel seeds, and nutmeg. Layer onions, chicken, spices, garlic, olives, raisins, lemon slices in slow cooker Place chopped onions at the bottom of a slow cooker bowl. Layer the chicken thighs on top of the onions. As you layer the chicken thighs, sprinkle them all over with the spice mix. (Use all of the spice mix.) Add the garlic, green olives, raisins, and lemon slices. Cook in slow cooker Cook on the high setting of the slow cooker for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or 4 to 5 hours on the low setting (depending on your slow cooker brand). Towards the end of cooking, stir so that the lemons olives and raisins get mixed into the liquid. The chicken is done when it is fall apart tender. Serve with couscous or rice (use rice if cooking gluten-free). Garnish with fresh cilantro and/or parsley. 5
MOROCCAN MEATLOAF WITH OLIVES, APRICOTS AND PISTACHIOS 400g lamb minced 400g turkey minced 50g breadcrumbs 1 onion, finely chopped 2 eggs, beaten 6 tsp ground cumin 6 tsp ground coriander 3 tsp ground cinnamon 2 lemons, both zested and 1 juiced 3 tbs honey 100g pitted green olives 75g, diced dried apricots 75g, chopped pistachios olive oil 1 tbs ginger grated tomatoes 2 x 400g cans chopped to serve couscous mixed leaves Step 1 Tip the lamb and turkey mince into a large bowl and break it up a bit with a fork. Add the breadcrumbs, onion, eggs, 4 tsp each of the cumin and coriander, 1 tsp of cinnamon, the lemon zest and 1 tbs of honey, with 1 tsp salt and some pepper. Mix everything really well. Step 2 Set aside a few of the olives, chopped apricots and pistachios, and mix the rest with the mince. Oil a 900g loaf tin, then press in the mince, rounding the top gently. Slice the olives and press these into the top with the leftover apricots and pistachios to decorate. Wrap thoroughly in cling film and freeze now, or freeze after cooking (see below)*. Step 3 To make the sauce, add a drizzle more oil to a pan and add the remaining cumin, coriander, cinnamon and ginger. Fry gently for a minute until the spices become fragrant, then add the chopped tomatoes, lemon juice and the remaining honey. Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes until it reduces, thickens and smells fragrant. Season. If freezing, let it cool. Step 4 6
Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Drizzle the top of the meatloaf with a little olive oil. Bake for 1 hour 10 minutes on a middle shelf until piping hot in the middle test with a skewer. Leave to settle for 15 minutes while you re-heat the sauce, then lift out the meatloaf and slice thickly. Serve with couscous and a leafy green salad. serves 8 Step 5 *Freezing notes To freeze, spoon the sauce into a bag or box, or freeze it in portions. Freeze the meatloaf whole, uncooked in the tin. Two nights before you bake it, take the meatloaf out of the freezer and transfer to the fridge to defrost slowly. Or, after baking, slices can be frozen stack them between baking parchment so you can easily take as many as you want to defrost at a time. Cold, they make a great lunchtime roll-filler with lettuce and a dollop of hummus or tzatziki, or wrap them in foil and warm in a medium oven, until piping hot, for dinners. Just two of you? Divide the mince between 4 mini loaf tins and bake for 25 minutes, to cook, once defrosted MOROCCAN RICE PILAF A fragrant and exotic side dish recipe. Basmati rice gets cooked with dried fruit and spices for an unforgettable experience! 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped ½ teaspoon cumin ¼ teaspoon allspice ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves ¼ teaspoon cardamom 1 stick cinnamon 2 bay leaves Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups basmati rice (or jasmine) 3 cups chicken stock (if vegan use vegetable stock or just water) ¼ teaspoon saffron 3 dates, finely chopped 3 dried apricots, finely chopped ¼ cup raisins, chopped ¼ cup roasted almonds, crashed Place onion and olive oil in a large pot and sauté under medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add cumin, allspice, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, pepper and rice and stir until rice gets a white color, about 2-3 minutes. 7
Add stock (or water), salt and saffron, cover the pot and wait until it starts to boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook covered until almost all of the water is absorbed, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the dried fruits and almonds and stir/fluff up gently with a fork. Cover the pot and let the pilaf rest for 15-20 minutes. Eat! Notes If not available, you can replace chicken stock with water and a chicken bouillon. MOROCCAN ORANGE CAKE 1/2 cup slightly stale white breadcrumbs 1 cup superfine sugar 1 cup ground almonds 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 cup sunflower oil 4 eggs finely grated zest of 1 large unwaxed orange finely grated zest of 1 unwaxed lemon whipped cream or Greek yogurt, to serve (optional) For the citrus syrup juice of 1 orange juice of 1 lemon 1/3 cup superfine sugar 1 cinnamon stick 2 cloves Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the base, grease, and flour an 8 2-in round cake pan. Mix together the breadcrumbs, sugar, almonds, and baking powder. Whisk the oil with the eggs, then pour the egg mixture into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the orange and lemon zests. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and cook in the oven for 45 60 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Check that the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the center; if it s ready the skewer should come out clean. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the citrus syrup. Put all the ingredients into a saucepan and bring gently to a boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved completely. Simmer for 3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and cloves from the syrup. 8
While the cake is still warm, pierce it several times with a skewer, then spoon the hot syrup over the cake, allowing it to run into the holes. Leave to cool. Spoon any excess syrup back over the cake every now and then until it is all soaked up. Serve with whipped cream or a dollop of thick Greek yogurt, if you like. 9