THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 5, 1995 TAG: 9503020044
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEREMIAH CRONIN, SPECIAL TO SUNDAY FLAVOR
LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
HERE ARE some typical Moroccan and Northwest African dishes:
Soup - A major soup in the Moroccan diet is harira, a hearty meal eaten mainly in winter and for the breaking of fast on the evening of Ramadan. It can be prepared in various ways, but follows certain basic guidelines: It is made in three parts that are then mixed.
First, prepare a soup of chicken, mutton, chickpeas, parsley, ginger, onion and saffron. When boiling add a large piece of butter. Second, prepare a platter of rice with a mixture of spices to suit your taste. Third, mix coriander, tomatoes and bread yeast. When all three portions are done, mix. Some preparations add eggs.
B'stila - A pigeon or chicken pie, described by various writers as the sum total of Moroccan gastronomy or a crown jewel in Moroccan cuisine. Historic descriptions of its preparation describe all-day affairs with an army of cooks under the guidance of a master chef.
Ingredients differ but may include butter, eggs, pigeons, flour, sugar, almonds, cinnamon, ginger pimientos, onions, saffron and coriander. These are baked into a pastry and decorated with a mosaic of cinnamon and confectioners' sugar.
Tajin - A slow-simmered stew. In the high cuisine of Fez, it is made with fruits. Audacity is the watchword, and the interesting combinations of sweetness and spices are sure to raise eyebrows for those at your table. It is amazing how well tomatoes, peppers and garlic match with prunes, raisins and fruit. I have used apples, pears and mixed dry fruits, such as prunes and apricots.
Lemon chicken - Chicken that has been simmered over a bed of aromatic spices and stuffed with such niceties as almonds, couscous, raisins, honey and rice.
Lamb - Lamb, or mutton, has figured prominently as the meat in the North African diet. The Mechoui style of preparation is roast lamb prepared over a spit and basted with oil, or roasted within a conical clay oven with an overnight fire under the base.
Couscous - the traditional starch found at the Moroccan table. It consists of ground semolina that is cooked in a steamer called a couscousier. More traditional styles of preparation call for various broths to be used for the steaming liquid. Even in Morocco, however, people are using the precooked version that you add to boiling water and let stand 5 minutes; try using chicken or vegetable broth instead of water. If you are serving couscous with the B'stila, make up a quick stock by simmering the onion trimmings and the skin and bones you remove from the cooked chicken.
Seven Vegetable Couscous is a common recipe and a good way to use the vegetables in your refrigerator. Make a sauce using carrots, onions, turnips, leeks, pumpkin, potato and any vegetable you care to try. Add typical Moroccan spices such as cinnamon, ginger, cumin, pepper, salt, honey or caraway seed and serve the reduced mixture over the cooked grain.
Couscous is commonly served with two sauces, one to moisten the semolina so that it may be easily manipulated with the hand and the other to add spice heat. The Algerian Hot Sauce works well for providing heat. Couscous may also be sweetened with honey, cinnamon and almonds for serving as a dessert. by CNB