At Work in the Moroccan Kitchen

June 28, 2016 - Radio Kitchen - At Work in the Moroccan Kitchen

As the weather begins to heat up here in Baltimore, it might make sense to see how cooks in some other hot climates handle their chores.  One of my favorite cuisines is Moroccan cooking, and Chef Jerry Pellegrino of Schola Cooking School, is very interested in this tasty approach to dealing with hot weather.

The key to doing authentic Moroccan cooking is to use the "tagine" and the "couscousiere.”  The tagine is a ceramic cooking vessel that comes in two parts: a broad shallow base and a tall conical top. 

The tapered open-ended top collects steam and causes flavorful droplets to fall back into the dish to gently braise the food.  To protect the less than robust tagine, Americans are encouraged to put a metal heat diffuser underneath the vessel and over the burner.

The couscousiere is a double boiler affair that prepares that essential Moroccan side dish, couscous.  The couscous (a fine-grained semolina pasta) is present in many Moroccan dishes, usually appearing as a bed for a savory stew.

You put the raw couscous in the upper chamber of the couscousiere, and either plain boiling water in the lower, or far more practically, you cook your stew in the bottomand let the vapor cook the pasta.

A six quart couscousiere can be had for about $55 on Amazon.  You can spend between $35-$200 for a lovely tagine, either a simple clay model, a painted version or a Le Creuset top of the line version.

There are several staples of Moroccan cooking.  The first would be the all-purpose seasoning called Ras el Hanout.  Here is Jerry's recipe for making it yourself.

                        From the Kitchens of Schola Cooking School

                           Chefs Amy von Lange & Jerry Pellegrino

All of these recipes have been adapted from either Mourad Lahlou’s book ‘Mourad, New Moroccan’, Ghillie Basan’s book ‘Tagines & Couscous’

Ras el Hanout

Ingredients

Dried Spices to toast:

• 3 tablespoons coriander seeds
• 1 ½ tablespoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried orange peel
• 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon grains of paradise
• 15 allspice berries
• ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
• One 1 ½ inch piece of cinnamon stick, crumbled
• 10 green cardamom pods, shelled and seeds reserved
• 2 black cardamom pods, shelled and seeds reserved
• 2 teaspoons Kubeben peppercorns
• 1 chile de árbol
• 8 cloves
• 1 star anise

Dried Spices you will not toast:

• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried rosebuds or rose petals

Ground Spices:

• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ nutmeg, grated
• ½ teaspoon citric acid

In a cast iron skillet set over medium heat, toast the spices until fragrant but not smoking. Immediately put them into a bowl with the mustard seeds and rose buds. Mix until cool. Grind the spices on the medium setting of a burr grinder. Mix in the ground spices with a fork and store in an airtight container for up to three months.
Preserved lemons show up in many Moroccan recipes.  Here's one way of using them.

                        Roasted Peppers, Preserved Lemons, Garlic Confit

Ingredients

• 1 lbs. assorted fresh peppers
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 quarter preserved lemon rind, cut into thin threads
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
• 24 cloves of garlic confit

Blister the peppers either with a torch or under the broiler. Peel the skins, remove the seeds and roughly chop them. Roughly chop the confit garlic. Mix everything together in a large bowl and allow to marinate for one hour in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature with warm flatbread.
If you go out and get a tagine, here is a great recipe that will put it to use.

                        Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon

                                    Green Olives and Thyme

Ingredients

• 8-10 Chicken Thighs
• 2 tablespoons clarified butter or olive oil
• 2 preserved lemons, cut into strips
• ½ lb. cracked green olives
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme

For the Marinade

• 1 small yellow onion, grated
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
• 1 pinch saffron threads
• 1 lemon, zest & juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

1. Mix all of the ingredients together for the marinade in a large bowl and pour it into a large ziploc bag. Add the chicken and allow it to marinate for 1 to 2 hours.
2. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the butter in the tagine until just smoking.
3. Brown the skin side of each piece of chicken a few pieces at a time removing them when they are down onto a large plate.
4. Once all the chicken has been browned, add the garlic and ginger and cook for two minutes.
5. Add the chicken pieces back to the tagine, pour in the marinade from the bag and add the preserved lemon.
6. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the tagine and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the lid, add the olives and fresh thyme and carefully stir to combine. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
8. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by carefully slicing open one of the thighs.
9. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it from the tagine and place it on a large platter. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and serve with couscous or flatbread.