A taste not to forget

MOROCCAN food has always fascinated me.

I adore the hot bubbling lamb dishes and aromatic couscous, which are staple parts of the Moroccan diet. I had the good fortune of paying a visit to Morocco last year and ate very well for the whole week I was there.

I adored wandering through the souks taking in the smells of the spices that were piled high all about us in precarious colourful piles and admiring the strings of dried figs and dates hanging from every nook and cranny.

I should start with mint tea as very little happens in Morocco without a glass of mint tea in your hand. It is poured from a height into pretty, painted glasses through the spout of an ornate silver tea pot. Fresh mint is mixed with green tea leaves and a lot of sugar; you are offered it in shops, restaurants and even leather stalls on the street. Moroccan tea glasses are available in many Middle Eastern shops or Mosques around Ireland.

I use them to serve small glasses of wine as well as for tea. In Morocco you often see them used as vases, filled with bunches of fresh smelling roses.

We started our Moroccan adventure in the walled city of Teroudant, an hour’s drive from where our plane landed. There was a large, bustling market taking place over the few days we were there.

Farmers had travelled long distances from the surrounding villages, mountains and deserts to sell their livestock. We wandered around looking at the bleating lambs, braying goats and noisy chickens. The food stalls were selling piping hot bowls of steamed couscous and lamb was cooked over open fires and of course there was mint tea.

At the market the couscous was steamed in an unusual contraption called a couscoussier, which is very traditional to Morocco. It allows the cook make a type of stew in the bottom half as the couscous steams above, infusing it with the flavours from below. Each grain of couscous swells up due to the steam without getting heavy and wet.

When leaving Taroudant we decided to take a shared taxi across the Atlas Mountains to Marrakesh. Packed tightly into a very old and rickety Mercedes we left the orange groves of Taroudant behind us and climbed into the foothills of the mountains which were dotted with olive trees and pumpkin patches.

As we climbed further the wispy white clouds burnt off and the blue azure sky shone down on the mountain tops revealing all their rugged glory.

There were short scrubby herb bushes growing everywhere and now and then our amiable driver would pull over to the side of the windy road and pick a bunch for us.

The thyme here smelt like none other I have ever smelt, it was strong and pungent. We climbed higher and higher around hair-raising bends. My heart was in my mouth many times, I kept telling myself that our driver wants to get home to his family so he will get us there safe and sound.

Next week I will include some of the recipes that I collected on arrival in the lively city of Marrakesh.

Moroccan Couscous

Serves two

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground turmeric

A small bunch of thyme, very finely chopped

1 litre of good stock

2 carrots cut into sticks

¼ of a pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes

1 small courgette, cut into thick slices

1/8 cup of olive oil

500g couscous coriander, chopped to dress the final dish

Place the onions, tomatoes, oil and the spices in the base of your bottom saucepan. Cook them for about 10 minutes until they have softened and then add your stock and leave it to bubble.

Put the couscous in a bowl and pour the olive oil over it. Mix it well with your hands. Place the couscous in the steamer and put it on top of your saucepan so it fits snugly. Steam it for 15 minutes.

Now empty it back into your bowl and stir it to break up any lumps. Add the remaining vegetables to the bottom pot. Place the couscous back into the steamer and cook for a further 15 minutes.

Moroccan chefs all told me that you need to steam couscous three times.

Pour it back into your bowl and break it apart again, taste it and season it and then place it back in the steamer for a final steam until it is light and fluffy.

Spoon your couscous into bowls and pour a ladleful of the vegetable stew over it. Sprinkle with the chopped coriander and it is ready to serve.

Lamb Brochettes

1 tbsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

Small bunch of fresh coriander

1 tbs of olive oil

400g of lamb, cubed

6 skewers

Push your pieces of lamb onto skewers.

Place all the other ingredients in a flat bowl and mix them together. Place your skewered lamb into the bowl. Cover the lamb in the sauce completely and leave it to sit in the fridge for at least an hour.

Heat a griddle pan or a dry frying pan. Rub with a little oil. Place your skewers on to the pan and cook them evenly on all sides.

Tomato and Cucumber Salad

2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

1 cucumber, deseeded and diced

½ red onion, very finely chopped olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

Parsley, finely chopped

Place your diced tomato, cucumber and onion into a bowl.

Mix the olive oil with the cumin and parsley and season it to taste.

Pour it over the other ingredients. Toss them gently and serve.

Moroccan Mint Tea

Ingredients per person

A small bunch of mint leaves

1 tsp of green tea

2 tsp of sugar or honey

Put all the ingredients into a small tea pot and fill it with boiling water.

Leave it to brew for a few minutes and then serve in small glasses or tea cups.

Can’t live without

Mossfield Organic Mature Cheese: This Gouda type cheese is hand produced near Birr County Offaly at the foot of the Sleive Bloom Mountains. It has a lovely rich nutty flavour.

You can find out more information about this and their other cheeses on www.mossfield.ie