Every time I walk by Woolsey Farm's stand at the farmers market, I can't help fixing on the lamb and all the things I can do with it. The lamb cubes in particular summon up images of steamy Moroccan stews filled with succulent meat, copious spices and morsels of dried fruit. Chef Jerry Pellegrino agrees with me: although many people may not try cooking Moroccan, once they try it they love it.
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. Ususally, the tagine is placed directly on a burner, but to protect the less than robust tagine, Americans are encouraged to put a metal heat diffuser underneath the vessel and over the burner. The standard use is to make a thick, complex stew.
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 bottom
and 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.
In addition to couscous there are several staples of Moroccan cooking. The first would be the all-purpose seasoning called Ras el Hanout. It is usually a blend of cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg and cloves. It's a strongly flavored mélange, woodsy and bitter, but with a touch of sweetness. It is not at all hot.
And it seems that Moroccan cooks use just about every spice in the world. So if you are going to try out some Moroccan dishes, you'll need a fully stocked spice shelf.
Preserved lemons feature in many recipes. The are easily purchased on the internet, but they are very easy to make on your own.
Fruits, both fresh and dried, appear in many Moroccan dishes. Raisins, dates, and apricots are common. Honey is used as a basic sweetener, and nuts such as almonds and pistachios add crunch and texture.
In reading up on Moroccan cooking, I learned that it is deeply traditional. Recipes emphasize not only ingredients and technique but the expected color of the final dish. If a red dish isn't red, it's a failure. In Morocco itself, recipes are passed down within families and are prepared with the solemnity of a ritual.
For me a quintessential Moroccan dish would be a lamb tagine. (Recipe below) I don't have a tagine, but a good Dutch oven with a lid works just fine. Like nearly all Moroccan recipes, this one is meant for slow cooking. This recipe uses dried apricots for the fruit and turmeric, coriander, cardamom, nutmeg and cloves for the spices. Give it at least two hours cooking time.
For me, Moroccan cooking really recalls Indian cuisine. It may not use curries per se, but the complexity achieved by blending basic ingredients with spices, fruits and nuts certainly makes me think of India. That, and the fact that once you try it you end up loving it.
Traditional Lamb Tagine
(Inspired by Delish Magazine)
Ingredients
- 4 lb. boneless lamb roast, cut into 1" pieces
- Kosher salt
- 3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 3 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 2 tbs tomato paste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Small pinch of saffron
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 1/2 cup toasted almond slivers
- Torn mint leaves, for serving
- Cooked couscous, for serving
Directions
1. In a large bowl, toss lamb with about 2 teaspoons salt. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring chicken broth to a boil. Remove from heat and add dried apricots. Let sit at least 15 minutes.
3. In a tagine or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add lamb and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Work in batches as necessary. Remove lamb from pot and place on a plate.
4. Reduce heat to medium and add onion to the pot. Cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more, then add tomato paste and stir until coated. Add cinnamon stick, saffron, and spices and cook until toasted, 1 minute more.
5. Add lamb, apricots, and broth to pot and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer, covered, until lamb is tender and liquid is reduced, about 1½ hours.
6. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Garnish with toasted almonds, mint, and more cilantro. Serve over warm couscous.
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
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. Remove the chicken from the bag and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the butter in the tagine until just smoking. 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. Once all the chicken has been browned, add the garlic and ginger and cook for two minutes. Add the chicken pieces back to the tagine, pour in the marinade from the bag and add the preserved lemon. Bring the liquid to a boil, cover the tagine and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the chicken for 30 minutes. Remove the lid, add the olives and fresh thyme and carefully stir to combine. Replace the lid and cook for an additional 15 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through by carefully slicing open one of the thighs. 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.
