Warming Summer Food

Warming Summer Food...

Yes I know this sound strange, “Warming Summer Food” however that is exactly what we need during this little dip in our summer weather. Food to keep toasty with the spicy & aromatic flavours of warm countries!

We don’t need to go back to wintry food but we still need warmth and what better kind of food than the food of the Middle East, this week we are going to look at some delicious dishes from Morocco.

These dishes are so easy to make they will enliven your taste buds and many of them can easily be used in our upcoming warm summer weather too!!

Spices & Herbs used in Moroccan & Middle Eastern Cooking

Coriander, Flat leaf parsley and Mint are the traditional herbs used and combined with spices, coriander, cayenne pepper, turmeric, saffron, star anise, cinnamon, caraway seeds, cumin, lots of garlic, fresh & dried chillies,

Honey, Chickpeas, lemon juice, preserved lemons & tomatoes, lentils, prunes, apricots...

Couscous is also very important and eaten with the midday meal most days....


Grilled Mushrooms w Couscous

Serves 4 – Brilliant easy starter or lite lunch

8 Large Field Mushrooms
½ cup Couscous
½ red pepper finely chopped
1 tbls ex virgin olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ cayenne pepper
2 tbls coriander
2 tbls fresh mint
3 tbls lemon juice
½ cup veggie stock

Remove the stalks of the mushrooms, pop them under the grill top side up for about 3 mins.
Place the Couscous, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, & lemon juice into a bowl.
Pour the veggie stock over the Couscous, cover with a clean cloth for 5 mins then fluff with a fork.
Pop the red pepper, coriander, mint into the couscous mixture and fluff again with a fork.
Fill each mushroom with the couscous mixture and pop under the grill until nice & golden.


These are very simple but tasty morsels, which take very little time to prepare ….

Serve them with some mixed leaves drizzled with chilli oil for a spicy kick!!



Chermoula

Coriander, Flat leaf parsley and mint are the traditional herbs used in Moroccan cooking and combined with spices, coriander, garlic and chillies they can be used to form the basis of chermoula.

Chermoula, can be a marinade or a sauce and probably was used in ancient times as a method of preserving the food for longer as no refrigeration was available. There are many different varieties of chermoula and in Morocco each cook has their own way of preparing it and adding their own flavours. .

Here’s Our Donellis Recipe

3 Garlic Cloves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons paprika
Pinch of dried chilli flakes
Medium handful of coriander chopped
Small handful of mint chopped
Enough olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Place all the ingredients in a food processor and slowly pour in the olive oil and juice of lemon to make a smooth or coarse paste, whichever your preference.



Prawn Kebabs with Chermoula & mixed leaf salad

5 Tiger Prawns per person
Lemon Wedges (garnish)
Chermoula - recipe above
1 generous handful of mixed leaves per person
Drizzle of olive oil per person.
Fresh lemon juice

Marinade the Prawns in the chermoula mixture for about half and hour.

Thread prawns onto skewers and grill for about 3 minutes on each side

Toss the salad in a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

Transfer to each plate and top with the Chermoula Prawn Skewers.


Tagines

A Tagine is basically an earthenware pot, it has a conical shaped lid, which fits very snugly to prevent the food from drying out when cooking. A casserole dish with a tight fitting lid will work just perfectly..

A Tagine is also a Moroccan stew, they are usually cooked slowly which tenderises the meat and also allows the flavours to mature.



Moroccan Lamb Tagine

2 kilos – shoulder of lamb trimmed of any fat cut into cubes
6 garlic cloves
1tablespoon clear honey
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
4 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teasp of chilli
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
300ml chicken stock
1 cinnamon stick
250g can of chickpeas
250g raisins
250g carrots

Marinade the lamb in a casserole dish with, the garlic, honey, olive oil, coriander, paprika, cumin & tomato paste, combine. Season with salt and pepper and marinade overnight or for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Remove from fridge one hour prior to cooking (to allow it to come to room temperature) add the carrots, cinnamon & stock.

Combine all ingredients and cook covered in a preheated oven to 200 C for 1.5 hours. Stir in the chick peas and raisins and cook for 20 minutes.

Garnish with coriander sprigs and serve with Harissa and couscous..



Harissa

Harissa originated in Tunisia and is now used extensively in Morocco and Algeria. You can make this vv hot or just with a little heat, its basically blend of red chillies, onions, garlic and spices and adds wonderful life to dishes. Moroccans use it when preparing food to add spice and it also sits as a condiment in small bowls on the table at meal times. Why not try it with some grilled chicken to add flavour and contrast.


Donellis Harissa Recipe

2 red peppers, roasted and skinned
1 or 2 fresh red chillies, chopped with seeds (to your taste)
2 Garlic cloves crushed
½ teaspoon coriander seeds toasted*
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
Olive oil
Salt

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, adding enough oil to make a thick paste. This will keep in a clean jar topped with olive oil and covered for weeks in the fridge.


****To toast coriander seeds, pop onto a non stick pan over a low heat for about 2 Mins…




Moroccan Chicken

This is a fantastic summer recipe, which can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge… it also freezes very well and is a great crowd pleaser!! to Measure the Turmeric exactly or you will end up with a yellowy coloured dish instead of a rich red colour.

Serves 6-8

6 chicken breasts cut into cubes
1 tbls coriander seeds
1 tbls cumin seeds
½ teasp ground turmeric
1 teasp cayenne pepper
2 teasp salt
1 teasp sugar
1 white onion roughly chopped
1 thumb size piece of fresh ginger root, sliced
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1 generous handful of blanched almonds
2 red peppers seeded and coarsely chopped
2 tbls olive oil
4 bls of water
2tbls fresh squeezed lemon juice


Grind coriander & cumin in food processor, mix with turmeric, cayenne, salt, sugar, onions, ginger, garlic, almonds and peppers. Whizz up in food processor until smooth.
Heat oil in wide sauté pan or wide saucepan and cook the paste for about 10 mins on a low heat until reduced and infused.

Then pop in the water, lemon juice and chicken. Cover and cook gently for 15 mins or until chicken is tender.

Serve with Fruity, Herby Couscous and a spicy green salad for a complete meal !!
Spicy Green Salad – lotsa leaves, balsamic vinegar mixed with a little chilli and olive oil…