The rich flavour of a city
We arrived in the city of Marrakesh, with its thriving restaurants, cafes and street stalls. I had envisaged bazaars filled with heavy smells and precarious mountains of colourful spices, hot bubbling tajines, and jars full of preserved lemons staked high in the shops.
It lived up to all I had imagined; it is bustling, hot, noisy and fun.
Watch out for mopeds that tear through the souks and back allies at terrifying speeds adding a constant buzz to the city. All of the meat we were served in Morocco was cooked on the bone and each tajine had its own mix of spices.
Some were filled to the brim with fat, juicy dates, others with figs, prunes or almonds with sesame seeds sprinkled over the top.
A tajine is a terracotta cylindrical dish. Its shape keeps the steam and juices inside, creating soft, flavoursome, slow-cooked meats. You can make all of the tajine recipes below in a heavy saucepan with a lid. If you buy a tajine, you have to soak it in water for at least 24 hours before you use it, or it will crack.
On the grand square, Djemaa el Fna, the noise from the masses of people was almost deafening. As I followed the rising smoke towards the food stalls, waiters tried their best to convince you their stall was the best for dinner.
We resisted and made our way to stall number one, as the gentleman in our Riad, or guest house, had recommended it. There, a matronly lady was holding court.
She was perched high above the stove, cooking the food and ordering the male waiters around. We were given plates of freshly-baked bread and two spicy dips to munch on as we surveyed the menu.
The selection we ordered did not disappoint, our tajines were both amazing.
One was lamb with the sweetness of quince, the other a mixture of fish in a bubbling tomato sauce. Our meal was not only the freshest, but some of the cheapest in the city.
We ate very well for €10 between us.
YOU can freeze ginger and grate it directly from your freezer.
This will keep it fresh and preserve its health giving properties.
A slice of fresh ginger in warm water is good for a queasy tummy.
Two tsp paprika, not the smoked type
cayenne pepper would do if you do not have paprika
2 tsp ground cumin
½ small cup of olive oil
A small bunch of coriander, roughly-chopped, keeping the stalks separate
2 tbsp of tomato puree
Juice of ½ lemon
1 tbsp water
2 tbsp of finely-chopped garlic
A small bunch of parsley, chopped
White fish, topped and tailed and cut into large chunks
1 carrot, sliced
½ red pepper, sliced
1 potato, sliced
1 tomato, thickly-sliced
Mix all of the ingredients except the fish, vegetables and tomato in a bowl. Stir them until they are well-mixed. Add your fish and leave it to marinade for about 40 minutes in the fridge, or a bit longer if you have time.
Place your coriander stalks in the bottom of your tajine or pot, and lay the fish on top, this is to prevent the fish from sticking. Scoop the rest of the sauce on top. Cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes.
Place your chopped vegetables on top of the fish and replace the lid. Leave to cook for a further 10 minutes and place the tomatoes on top, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Serves two
4 chicken pieces on the bone
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp turmeric
½ tsp cinnamon
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ small cup water
1 preserved lemon, rinsed and sliced
A small handful of green olives
Place the base of your tajine or pot on the hob to heat. Melt the butter and brown the chicken pieces. Add your spices, onion and garlic, and half the water, and leave to simmer over a medium heat for 15 minutes.
Move the chicken around and add the remaining water, lemons and olives.
Leave to cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.
These preserved lemons will last for months in a sealed jar. The longer you leave them, the more intense the flavour becomes.
They work very well with chicken, and also with fish. In Morocco, many restaurants served a dipping sauce for bread made with the juice from the lemons added to tomatoes and chilli. It was delicious.
Un-waxed lemons
1 tbsp salt per lemon Water
Cut the lemons as if you were going to cut them in half, lengthwise, starting from the tip, but do not cut all the way to the base. Squeeze it open slightly and add a table spoon of salt to the centre of each one, rub the salt in, then push the lemon back together.
Press the lemons very firmly into the jar, squash them down so that the juice is starting to coming out.
Top up your jar with a little water, so that the lemons are completely covered with the juice and water.
Place the jar in a cupboard and forget about it for at least three months, when they will finally be ready for use. They get stronger as the months go on and can last up to a year.
Serves two
½ lamb shoulder, chopped into four and left on the bone
½ onion, finely diced
1 heaped tsp of ground cinnamon
1 heaped tsp of ground ginger
1 heaped tsp of ground cumin
Seasoning for the quince: 1 quince, de-seeded and thickly-sliced
½ onion, very finely chopped
2 tbsp of honey
1 tbsp of butter
1 tsp of ground ginger
1 tsp of ground cinnamon
Sesame seeds to dress your dish
Boil your quince for about 10 minutes to soften it, remove it from the water and set aside.
Meanwhile, seal your lamb in the tajine. When it has evenly-browned, add half of your diced onion and your spices.
Add water after a few minutes, until it has filled the tajine, or until your meat is two thirds submerged, and leave to bubble away on a medium heat with the lid on.
Keep an eye on the meat and add more water, if it gets too dry.
In another pot, fry your onion in the butter and then add your honey, spices and parboiled quince. Let it bubble away gently for 10 minutes. Add some of the juice from your meat dish and leave this aside.
Leave your meat to cook gently for about 30 minutes, and keep topping up the water, as previously mentioned, add your quince and all its sauce to the top, and replace the lid and cook for a further 20 minutes. Add your sesame seeds at the end, as a garnish.
Moroccan orange salad: We were served this simple and refreshing desert at the end of our meals in Morocco.
Thinly slice an orange and lay the slices on a plate, sprinkle them with orange water, sugar and cinnamon.
Sliced almonds are also nice sprinkled over the dish.
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