Archive for the ‘ Moroccan Dishes ’ Category

Matbucha – Morrocan salad ~ מטבוחה מרוקאית

So this is a cooked tomato and hot pepper salad and is very popular in middle eastern countries, it’s the equivalent of what we know in America as “salsa” – it’s so easy to make. virtually foolproof. and really delicious.

I know I know, if you read my “about me” section, you are probably wondering why I’m  posting a Salad recipe. I hate salad. But my husband loves this salad and it is a tradition in my house – dating all the way back to my great great grandparents houses.  So once a week, on Shabbat, I put a salad on my table. Matbucha means “cooked” in Moroccan Arabic because it is cooked in a pot, and then chilled in the refrigerator before serving. People usually eat matbucha spread on challah bread or as a dip for bread. I eat it when it’s still hot – with tortilla chips, but that’s just me 🙂

Ingredients

1 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes (we use the Hunts brand)

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped (with the seeds)

2 long green peppers (the thin, light green ones), finely chopped (with the seeds)

6 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/3 cup oil

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (for that strong red color, as well as great flavor)

salt, to taste Continue reading →

2011
06/21
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
Side Dishes
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Moroccan lamb tagine with dates and prunes – طاجين خروف مع تمر وخوخ טאג’ין צלעות טלה

a delicious taste of the middle east

So my husband went meat shopping in Brooklyn at Pic n Pay on Avenue M, which he told me has the best meat.  He even spoke to the butcher personally, and he helped him pick the freshest cuts of meat. He got us lamb, and this was the first time I made lamb for us. To me Lamb is a festive meat. My mom makes it only on holidays so it was a treat to make it for a Shabbat meal. Of course I had to make it Moroccan style in the way of my heritage. The way I remember my mom making it. 😉 So I added dates in mine, she only makes hers with prunes.  It is my dream to one day travel to morocco and explore. And of course buy a couple of authentic tagines to bring back home. Well, this was a very delicious dish and easy to make.  Lamb doesnt need too much attention, so once you get it in the pot with all the ingredients, you can sit back and let it make itself. I hope you will try to make it too. With love, Tal 🙂

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Dates and Prunes (Tajeen kharoof ma3 timer wa khok)
2 lamb chops
4 tbsp margarine or oil
1 big onion, chopped
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger (i used finely chopped fresh ginger)
A few small pinches of allspice and of cinnamon
1 tsp chicken soup mix
salt and about 1 tsp black pepper
1-2 tbsp honey (put in 1 tbsp, taste, then add another if needed)
1/4 cups dates, pitted (about 3)
1/2 cup prunes, pitted (about 7)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
To garnish: 1/4 cup blanched almonds and/or tbsp sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1. Trim any excess fat from the lamb. Heat 3 tbsp margarine or oil in a large pan, put in the meat and brown it lightly on both sides. Put in a small pinch of allspice and cinnamon over the meat. Take out the meat, put in the onions and prunes and cook, stirring, until they turn soft and begin to color. Stir in the cinnamon, chicken soup mix and ginger and return the meat to the pan. Season with pepper. Cover with water and simmer in a pot, covered, for 70-90 minutes, or until the meat is very tender, moving the pieces around occasionally. (The more you let it cook the softer the meat will be. At 90 minutes, the meat will be ‘fall off the bone’ goodness.)
2. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, stir in honey, another pinch of cinnamon and pepper.  (The honey is a necessary component of this recipe) Move the meat around so the honey and cinnamon is spread around. Add the dates. Cook uncovered until the sauce is reduced, turning the meat over as you wait.
3. Fry the almonds in a tablespoon of margarine, or toast in a non-stick pan, until lightly golden. Add as a garnish when plating the tagine.
Enjoy 🙂
2011
05/24
CATEGORY
main courses
Moroccan Dishes
Passover Recipes
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Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Moroccan style green beans

This is a side dish I grew up with. Its delicious and saucy. Also, very easy to prepare.

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Serves 2

1 handful of fresh green beans – about 10
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
a small fresh or dried hot pepper (I used 1 small roughly chopped Dried red pepper for heat)
big pinch of cayenne or black pepper
2 cloves garlic rough chopped
1 cup water
a pinch of sugar
salt – to taste

Directions

Trim both ends off the green beans.
Saute green beans in oil for 5 minutes on low heat, In a small saucepot.
Add water and tomato paste, garlic, cayenne, salt and sugar. mix well
Boil and then let cook on medium heat for 30 minutes. Add the hot pepper.
Continue cooking for another 10 or 15 minutes. Check flavor and adjust if needed.
Green beans should be tender.
The sauce is not spicy at all so don’t be afraid to add the hot peppers they cook off in the sauce.
This recipe is easy and low maintenance, you just throw in everything and let it cook by itself.
2011
05/13
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
Side Dishes
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Fazuelos – Moroccan Holiday Cookies ~ פזואלוס

fazuelos

 

Ingredients

1 kilo flour

8 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 -3/4 cup water

Oil for deep frying

Powdered sugar for dusting

 

Directions

Mix flour eggs and oil in a food processor for about a minute

Add the water in slowly. Then knead the dough until it becomes smooth.

With a rolling pin roll out the dough on a floured surface to about 1/2 cm thick. (very thin)

Cut the dough into strips with a knife of about 5-7 cm Wide and 30 cm in length.

Heat up the oil in a big, wide pot and get ready to deep fry each cookie individually by the following method.

Using a fork, put one edge of a strip of dough in between two of the forks teeth. Then carefully, slowly, holding the other edge of the strip in the air, with your other hand and above the pot, dunk the edge with the fork –  into the oil – until it starts to bubble up and form what look like “blisters” (pockets of water you get on your skin) The dough bubbles as it fries let it fry slowly so that it gets an even fry in every layer as you move the fork.

Once it has fried for at least 20 to 30 seconds lower more of the dough into the oil and slowly with the help of the fork twirl the part that has been fried and continue lowering, frying and twirling. Twirl the last part around and take the fork out – you may have to push it down at te end so that it wont open up, until it fries into a solid shape. You will get a shape of a roll.

Place fried rolls on a baking sheet lined with paper towels. Continue frying each cookie individually.

Before serving, dust with powdered sugar 🙂

fyi – This was hard to make but really good and I intend to perfect it!! Also I scaled down the recipe in half.

my first time making them by myself

 

 

2011
03/31
CATEGORY
Dessert
Moroccan Dishes
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Majadra – Rice and Lentils ~ מג’דרה ~ مجدره

middle eastern comfort food


Ingredients

  1. 3/4 cup green or brown lentils
  2. 1 cup rice
  3. 1 medium onion, minced
  4. 1 1/2 tsp cumin
    About 1 tsp Salt
  5. Black pepper (1/2 tsp – 3/4 tsp) to taste
  6. Water
  7. Canola oil

Directions

  • Soak the lentils in water overnight (you can add 1/4 teaspoon or so of cumin to the water to boost flavor), before cooking them, rinse lentils in cold water. (shortcut: microwave lentils in water for 2 minutes stirring every minute. then rinse, and let sit in new water for an hour or two until they fluff up.)

  • Put the rice in a strainer and run water over it until the water comes out clear. (cleaning out the starch) Let rice sit for 10 minutes in strainer to dry up.

  • Meanwhile, mince onion (tiny, tiny pieces or to preference) sautee onion in a bit of oil (i use canola) on low/medium heat, until it becomes soft and turns a golden color (you can reserve some of the fried onion 1/4 cup to put over the rice when serving)

  • Add rinsed and drained lentils to the onion ; fry together for two minutes. Add the cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper.

  • Add rice, and continue sauteeing until grains become transparent.

  • Add water (not so much just enough to cover the rice and about up to the first line “knuckle” on your finger. (about a cup and a half to at the most a cup and 3/4s)

  • Add the salt and a bit more pepper and bring to a boil, turn heat down to low, cover with a lid. cook for about 20minutes. you can check on it at 15minutes with a fork to see if there is still liquid at the bottom. Cook for just a few minutes longer if needed

  • Let rice sit covered for 10-20 minutes with the lid on.

  • Before serving gently fluff rice with a fork – this will mix the rice and lentils together, and adjust for salt.

  • If rice appears to need an extra kick you can add a small tab of margarine when you fluff it. (which is usually the secret to making rice tasting better when needed) With this type of rice I doubt you will need to do that because it involves frying the rice in oil.)
  • Serves 4!  or 2 with yummy leftovers. great with roasted chicken 🙂

2011
03/28
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
Side Dishes
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Chickpea Sambusak

Sambusak is a traditional middle eastern food. It is fried dough with mashed spicy chickpeas inside. very good! addictive actually.
I make my sambusak always with yeast but here there is a version of the dough without yeast as well. You can make them and freeze them. When they cool off place them in a big ziplock bag. Every time you want one just take it out and put it in the toaster oven or oven. never the microwave! soo good!

filled with spicy goodness!!!!

Moroccan Sambusak
yield: about 20 pastries
.

Ingredients for Yeasted Dough

1/4 oz. dry yeast, or 1 cube fresh yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup water
3 cups all-purpose flour
.
Method:
In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water.
2. Add the salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir.
3. Add the flour a cup at a time. Mix, then knead till the dough is firm.
4. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 2 hours.
.
Ingredients for Simple, Unleavened Dough
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
8 ounces unsalted margarine or butter at room temperature
1/2 cup cold water
1 egg, beaten for glazing baked sambusak
sesame seeds for baked sambusak
.
Method:
1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the salt.
2. In a large bowl, beat the margarine or butter till its creamy. Add the flour, mixing well as you go.
3. Add the water and mix well.
4. Knead the dough till a smooth ball forms. Cover the bowl and put it aside. The dough will ferment slightly while you’re busy making the filling.
.

Ingredients for the Chickpea Filling

1 can of chickpeas
2 tablespoons oil
1 medium onion, Finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon white pepper or cayenne powder
oil for shallow frying
.

Method

1. Put the chickpeas in a strainer. Drain and rinse them.
2. Put them through a food processor till they’re a Chunky paste, or blend them.
3. Fry the onion in the oil till translucent.
4. Add the dry spices to the onions; stir and cook about 3 minutes.
5. Add the spiced onions to the chickpeas and mix everything up well.
.

Form the pastries

1. Take pieces out of the dough till you have 20 equal-sized pieces. Pat each piece into a rough circle in the palm of your hand as you work.
2. Flour your work surface and roll each patty into a circle about 2 inches in diameter. Don’t be afraid to roll them out thin, especially with the yeasted dough.
3. Place a tablespoon of stuffing in the middle of each circle. Fold the dough over to make a half circle, hiding the stuffing.
4. Using a fork seal the edges all around. Set to the side until all the rest have been made before frying.
.
*Recipe taken and adapted a bit from israelikitchen.com. Made this a few times and loved it!!
***Note: I make my sambusak small. I trim off extra dough around the sides after i fill the dough and fold it in half.  This way it doesn’t look like a huge doughy submarine after u fry it. It looks more aesthetic and proportional.
2011
03/25
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
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Cous Cous with Grated Carrots ~ קוסקוס עם גזר מגורד

…

  • 1 Medium carrot, peeled and grated (about 1/4-inch thick) (1/2 cup)
  • 1 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or margarine
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or minced fresh ginger
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 1/2 cups couscous
  • 1/2 – 2/3 cup golden raisins (Optional)

    Cous Cous with grated carrots

Directions

Put the carrots, oil, butter, salt, cinnamon, ginger, in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Also, if you are adding raisins, add them now when adding the water. After it boils, stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is plump and tender, about 10 minutes.
When ready to serve, fluff the couscous with a fork. (it’s not necessary but you can also add a small pat of margarine while fluffing the couscous and then another small dab when serving for a pretty presentation)
*4 servings 🙂
2011
03/24
CATEGORY
Moroccan Dishes
Side Dishes
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