Moroccan Cuisine Marocaine

"Morocco Version" of French Beignets (Moroccan Sweet Doughnuts or Donuts)/Version Marocaine du Beignets Sucrés!

2012-06-18T05:30:00.000+01:00

It is raining sugar!

A few weeks ago, I had a hankering for French Beignets, pronounced as (BAI-NYEE), a sugary pastry, very popular in Morocco as well. Like North-American version doughnuts (donuts), beignets are a French puffy deep-fried pastry, circle-shaped, and without a hole, served hot, garnished with caster or icing sugar. However, unlike North-American doughnuts, beignets tend to be very light and airy with a hollow centre cavity that is usually filled with jam, crème patissière, melted chocolate etc......

When the French and Spanish occupied Morocco, they introduced a wide variety of baked foods into the Kingdom. Khringo, beignets, dairy products, elegant cakes etc... these are only a few of the examples of French and Spanish influences on Moroccan food. However; the most influential is the Frensh cuisine, and with its sophisticated cooking techniques, it has contributed significantly to elaborate Moroccan style of cooking. There is no doubt that the French cuisine, along with the Moroccan ingredients, all together, makes an excellent gastronomic marriage, though Moroccan culinary culture holds its roots firmly from its first inhabitants, who are Shlooh (Chleuh)/Imazighen, Moroccan Jews, and the Arabs who conquered Morocco in the seventh century.

Today I'm posting the "Moroccan version of beignet", borrowed from French Cuisine. Please notice that I put the words "Moroccan version of beignet", in quotations, since this is not the true "French style beignet recipe", which might require one to two days to make, enriched with high amount of butter and eggs (Some prefer to whip the egg white to a light foam), including a 12 hour or more poolish, with two to three risings of the dough, and an extra cool rise technique which undoubtedly leads to a deep flavour and superior texture of beignets. But this recipe is a simplified version, very popular in Morocco, and so easy to make; requiring a few hours of rising and proofing time. The dough is not supposed to be wet or too sticky to handle, and some popular Moroccan flavours pastries are usually added to the dough such as lemon/orange zest, ground cinnamon, orange blossom water, anise seeds, etc....

Having grown up in a house right on the coast; as a matter of fact, it is only about a 20 to 30 minutes drive from our home to the blue sea, I really miss the dark golden sand, the sound of waves crashing against the shore, and I also miss those special French beignets, sold by several vendors, carrying plastic or wood trays packed with freshly made hot beignets, in Summer days of Boulevard de la Corniche, the beautiful beach Ain Diab or Ain Dyab (AYN-DYAB) in Casablanca, along the Atlantic Ocean. Surrounded by chic/private clubs, swimming pools, restaurants, hotels and snack shops, Corniche Ain Diab is one of the most visited beaches in Morocco (after of course Agadir's beach), and is attended by so many tourists, and locals alike. Maybe time to go back home (me thinking now with a nostalgic smile)! I remember when I was a child, my parents would take me, my brother and my older sister down to this beautiful Ain Diab beach, to spend the whole day in this pleasantly inviting place. We would swim, jump, build sand castles, bury our bodies up to our heads, and we were all covered in sand, looking like little drown rats. Swimming was so much fun for me when I was a kid, but sometimes when the sea was rough, I was scared to death to go through those huge big waves, but still, I would swim, hiding my fear from my brother's merciless teasing, who was an avid swimmer! Now that picture makes me laugh out loud!

After playing and swimming, the most fun part of the day came next! FOOD. If there was one thing that was not missing in Ain Diab Corniche, it was Food. There were several snack stalls and kind of fast food Moroccan style within a five-minute walk from the beach : All kind of brochettes, kefta, fish sandwithces, beignets, all sort of ice creams, and even snails, served in their shells with a very spicy lemon sauce, called Babouch in Moroccan Darija (BA-BOO-SH), etc.... You can smell the meat or fish, nicely cooked over charcoal brazier, called Majmar or Kanoon. Everything was so fresh, and all that stuff was heavenly! I still remember those beignets were unique and yummy, with an exceptional texture, that come together to form an Ah-maze-ing treat, that I often imitated, trying and hoping to duplicate them, but I can never beat the real thing, as sold in Cornche Ain Diab.

I'm submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread. Please check it out!
Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal

In Ain Diab Corniche, those lovely beignets are served hot in a white paper bag or pochette!

C'est ainsi que les beignets de la page Ain Diab sont servis tout chauds, dans des pochettes en papier!

Here is the recipe / Voici la recette:

Yields: 18 to 20 beignets / Environ pour 18 à 20 beignets
Preparation Time: 0 h 25 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 25 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 2 ½ to 3 h / Repos : 2 ½ à 3 h
Cook Time: 0 h 25 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 25 minutes
Ingredients:

-500 gr flour (I used strong white flour) / 500 gr de farine (J'ai mis la farine blanche)

Known in Morocco as /Connue au Maroc sous le nom

FORCE

-80 gr soft unsalted butter / 80 gr de beurre mou non-salé

-7 gr yeast / 7 gr de levure boulangère

N.B. : I used instant dry yeast, but you might use fresh or active dry yeast as well. For all my baking, personally, I prefer using a little block of fresh yeast instead of dry yeast, but it is hard to find it where I live. If you go here to a store or a shop and ask for fresh yeast, they will look at you like you were from another planet and 'how dare you ask for fresh yeast!'. Having given no choice, I just go for instant or active dry yeast and the vendors usually tell you how to use this "thing" on the package. I often use instant yeast where the package says it doesn't need to be dissolved in water, you simply mix it in with the dry ingredients and knead your dough. However, if you use other types of yeast, make sure to read the package, you may have to dilute the yeast with some warm water and sometimes sugar as well until it puffs up before using it. I also find these beignets a little temperamental depending on the weather shifts. Based on temperature, these beignets can rise most rapidly and expand, but sometimes they take longer than most to develop. / J'ai mis la levure instantanée mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser d'autres types de levure soit fraîche ou sèche active. Personnellement, je préfère utiliser la levrure fraîche, mais il m'est parfois difficile de trouver ce petit trésor de levure fraîche ici, alors je dois me contenter d'utiliser la version sèche. Que ça soit levure sèche instantanée ou active que vous avez choisi, il faut tout simplement suivre les directives du fabricant. J'utilise souvent la levure sèche instantanée et d'après les fabricants, ce type de levure ne doit pas être diluée, et elle doit se mélanger directement à la farine, sel, etc..... Par contre, si vous utilisez la levure fraîche ou la levure sèche active, assurez-vous qu'elle soit émiettée dans un peu d'eau tiède (et une pincée de sucre qui aide la levure à bien lever) avant d'être utilisée, et lorsqu'elle est diluée, il est recommandé de la couvrir et la laisser reposer quelques minutes avant de l'incorporer à la farine. J'ai remarqué aussi que selon la température, ces beignets gonflent si bien et si vite, ainsi le temps de levée peut être considérablement raccourci, mais parfois, ils ne lèvent pas assez!

-2 tablespoons caster sugar / 2 c à soupe de sucre semoule

Known in Morocco as /Connue au Maroc sous le nom

SANIDA

-100 ml warm milk (I used whole milk) / 100 ml de lait tiède (J'ai mis du lait entier)

-Orange zest (from 1 medium Navel Orange) / Zeste d'orange (d'1 orange Navel, de taille moyenne)

-30 ml orange juice / 30 ml de jus d'orange

-½ teaspoon salt / Sel ½ c à café ou à thé

-2 medium eggs, lightly beaten / 2 oeufs de taille moyenne, légèrement battus

-Pinch ground cinnamon / Pincée de cannelle moulue

-30 ml honey / 30 ml de miel

-2 drops orange blossom water / 2 gouttes d'eau de fleur d'oranger

Other/Autres Ingredients:

-Vegetable oil for deep frying, about 500 ml or more / Huile végétale à friture, eviron 500 ml ou plus

-Caster sugar for dusting / Du sucre semoule pour saupoudrer

Method / Préparation:

1-Sift the flour. Add in the milk, orange blossom water and mix the ingredients together. / Tamiser la farine. Mélanger le lait avec de l'eau de fleur d'oranger.

2-In a Kassriya or a large bowl, place salt, zest, cinnamon, eggs, juice, butter, honey, flour, sugar and yeast, then mix well with your hands, adding gradually milk. Mix well to a soft dough and knead with hands for about 15 to 20 minutes. Keep in mind you might need to add more or, less milk, depending on quality flour./ Dans une Kassriya ou un grand bol, mélanger le sel, zeste, cannelle, oeufs, le jus, miel, farine, sucre et levure, puis bien mélanger avec les mains en ajoutant graduellement du lait pour former une pâte. Bien pétrir environ 15 à 20 minutes. Il se peut que vous aurez besoin d'ajouter plus de lait ou mettre encore moins, car ceci dépend de la farine choisie, si elle absorbe plus ou moins de liquide.

3-Cover the dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes. / Couvrir la pâte et laisser reposer pendant 30 minutes.

4-Divide it into small equal balls. Cover and leave them to rest for another 30 minutes./ Diviser la pâte en petites boules de dimension égales. Couvrir et laisser reposer environ 30 minutes.

5-Flatten each ball into thin beignet circle, till they become about 0.2 cm thick. / Etaler progressivement les boules en cercles de beignets sur une épaisseur de 0.2 cm environ.

B.N. I like to roll my beignets very thin because when I fry them, I know they will balloon up a lot and get a hollow effect. Use a rolling pin to go faster. / Plus les beignets sont minces, plus ils gonfleront bien aisément pendant la cuisson, ayant cette texture bien aérée. Utiliser un rouleau à pâtisserie pour aller plus vite.

6-Set the rolled out dough on a clean, DRY towel and cover with another DRY towel. Don't worry, they won't stick, but if you're not sure, set them, then in a well-oiled pan, not touching and cover. Leave to rise for about 1½ hour to 2 hours. / Déposez-les sur un torchon propre et pas besoin de fariner le torchon, les beignets ne colleront pas. Sinon, placer-les sur une plaque bien huilée, en laissant un peu d'espace entre eux, puis couvrir et laisser reposer entre 1½ heure to 2 heures.

7-In a deep fryer or large pot, heat vegetable oil over moderate heat. / Sur un feu moyen, faire chauffer l'huile dans une poêle à frire ou autres.

N.B . Before starting to fry the beignets, test the temperature by dropping a small piece of carrot into the oil; if it floats and quickly starts to brown, then you can start frying. It is very important to make sure the oil is hot enough before frying because if the temperature is too low, the resulting product is very greasy and unappealing.To keep the oil temperature constant while frying, fry only a few beignets at a time. / Avant de commencer à faire frire les beignets, vérifier la température de l’huile de friture, en jetant dans l'huile un morceau de carotte, et s’il dore et remonte à la surface, alors vous avez le feu vert pour commencer. Surtout n'essayez pas d'aller plus vite en mettant trop de beignets en même temps dans la poêle à frire car si il y en a trop, ils vont abaisser la température de friture, ainsi vos beignets absorberont beaucoup de gras et goûteront l'huile.

8-When the oil is hot, then reduce a little bit the heat, and add the beignets, only a few at a time, and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, on both sides or until brown. The beignet will rise. Add more cold oil, if necessary, and allow a couple of minutes to return to perfect frying temperature, then continue cooking the beignets. / Dés que l'huile est bien chaude, baisser immédiatement un peu la température. Faire frire seulement quelques beignets à la fois pour 3 à 4 minutes de chaque côté ou jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient bien dorés et gonflés. Ajouter plus d'huile froide si nécessaire et attendre quelques minutes jusqu'à que l'huile se réchauffe et continuer à cuire le reste des beignets de la même façon.

9-Remove from oil and drain on paper towels. While the beignets are still warm, sprinkle heavily with sugar. Serve while still warm. Enjoy! / Retirer les beignets et laisser égoutter complètement sur un papier éponge. Encore chauds, saupoudrer avec du sucre et servir bien chauds. Bssaha w Raha!

Mamatkamal

All Recipes

My Tamazirt-Morocco

Ramadan Dishes

Moroccan Cookies

Fekkas/Fakas

Moroccan Ghoriba-Ghriba

Moroccan Tagine

Couscous From Scratch

Moroccan Massaman

Moroccan Meloui-Malwi

Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout

Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style

Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style

Atay/Fresh Mint Tea

Other Food Links!

Black olives and Fresh Herbs Toghrift (Batboot)/Batbout aux herbes et olives noires!

2012-06-08T20:07:00.000+01:00

Sure, I've already posted toghrift bread recipe, but here I switched things up a little bit by adding black olives, coriander/parsley and spices to the dough. Green olives would also be nice. The result is a very tasty, soft and spicy bread, the perfect accessory to any meal!

After you make toghrift, you can try it with anything you like. Serve it with Tagine, or some fabulous vegan dips, or make a sandwich wrap with beef meat and cheese, or simply dip the bread in pure olive oil or argan oil, seasoned with fresh thyme, ground black pepper and ground cumin. Delicious!

Toghrift bread can be plain or flavoured with herbs, spices and chopped vegetables such as onions and garlic, etc.... The recipe for plain Toghrift/Batboot bread is here on link and can be adapted to include your choice of herbs and seasonings. Enjoy!

I'm submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread. Please check it out!
Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal

عصير الرّْمّانْ /Pomegranate and Strawberry Smoothie, Moroccan Style! / Jus Panaché aux Grenades et Fraises, à la Marocaine!

2012-06-05T11:22:00.000+01:00

عصير الرّْمّانْ

In Coran or Quoran = القرآن, it is called the "Fruit of Paradise"! In Moroccan Darija, we call it "Rman = R-MAN" = الرّْمّانْ, it is the Pomegranate Fruit! I have wonderful childhood memories of eating and enjoying this fruit, and have loved eating these gorgeous ruby red seeds since I was a child, especially when served for desserts. My mother would break open three or four pomegranates, fill up a bowl of those ruby-like seeds, add a segment of mandarin and some fresh orange juice, then sprinkle some icing sugar and ground cinnamon on top, then finally add the magic touch of orange blossom water. So delicious!

I've introduced this fruit to my children at an early age, and gradually they get used to the taste and now they have adopted my passion for it. I was surprised a few years ago, when one of my neighbours asked me, how to eat a pomegranate, I don't remember anyone teaching me how to do it. As a child, I simply broke open the red skin of the fruit with a knife or my hands, then use a spoon or my fingers to pick out the lovely red seeds, savouring each one individually!

In Morocco, the pomegranate fruit is eaten either raw, made into fruits spreads or desserts or juice. Today I'm posting this awesomely pomegranate smoothie, that tastes really good and very refreshing, especially if you use fresh strawberries instead of frozen ones, however if you can't find fresh ones, simply add some extra-sweetener as honey or sugar or even ice cream. You can also replace strawberry with peach.

Makes about 200 ml glasses x 3 / Pour environ 3 verres de 200 ml
Preparation Time: 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 30 minutes

Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal
Ingredients:

-2 medium pomegranates, yielding about 200 gr of pomegranate seeds / 2 grenades de taille moyenne, apportera environ 200 gr de pépins

-300 ml fresh orange juice (Sometimes if I can't find fresh oranges, I simply use cranberry juice as a replacement for fresh orange juice and it tastes good as well) / 300 ml jus d'orange frais (Parfois, c'est impossible de tomber sur des bonnes oranges fraîches, alors j'utilise tout simplement le jus de canneberge comme remplacement, et ça donne un très bon goût aussi)

-200 gr de fresh strawberry / 200 gr de fraises fraîches

-4 ice cubes / 4 cubes de glace

-Raisin juice / Jus de raisins secs

Prepare raisin juice / Préparer le jus de raisins secs:

-50 gr dark raisins / 50 gr de raisins secs noirs

-2 drops orange blossom water / 2 gouttes d'eau de fleur d'oranger

-About 100 ml of cold water / Environ 100 ml de l'eau froide

-Pinch of salt / Une pincée de sel

-2 tablespoons fresh orange juice / 2 c à soupe de jus d'orange frais

-1 teaspoon (5 ml) of caster sugar / 1 c à café ou à thé (5 ml) de sucre semoule

Rinse the raisins. Put water, salt, orange juice, sugar and raisins in a large saucepan or other, then allow to cook, uncovered, over a high heat for about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer at low heat till there is only about 20 ml of liquid left. Remove from heat, then add orange blossom water and allow to cool. / Rincez les raisins, les mettre dans une casserole ou autres, ajouter l'eau, le jus d'orange, sel, sucre, et faire cuire environ 10 minutes à feu vif, ensuite baisser le feu et laisser cuire jusqu'à ce qu'il n'y ait qu'environ 20 ml de liquide. Retirer du feu ajouter l'eau de fleur d'oranger et laisser refroidir.

Method / Préparation:

1-Wash and slice the pomegranates in half from top to bottom. Hold each half over a large bowl and bash the sides with a spoon until all the seeds come out./ Laver et couper les grenades en deux dans le milieu, puis détacher les petites perles de vos fruits, en plaçant un grand bol, puis prendre chaque moitié dans la paume de la main côté graines, et frapper avec une cuillère pour faire tomber les graines. Ainsi la grenade va se vider de ses graines facilement.

2-Rinse the strawberries, remove the leaves and stalks. / Laver les fraises et retirer les tiges.

3-Process raisin mixture, orange juice, pomegranates seeds, strawberry and ice cubes in a blender until they are well processed. / Déposer le jus de raisins secs, fraises, jus d'orange, les cubes de glace et les graines de grenades dans un blender et mixer le tout jusqu’à obtention d’un jus assez dense.

4-It's not easy to puree pomegranate seeds even if you decide to blend it slightly longer, you still end up with a little seed grit, and that's why you will have to strain the juice. Simply empty the juice mixture in a strainer and smash them with a spoon. Serve immediately. Enjoy!/ Filtrer le mélange de jus en l'écrasant avec le dos d'une cuillère dans la passoire, pour enlever toutes les petites graines blanches qui vous en restent. Servir aussitôt. Bssaha w raha!

Mamatkamal

All Recipes

My Tamazirt-Morocco
Ramadan Dishes
Moroccan Cookies
Fekkas/Fakas
Moroccan Ghoriba-Ghriba
Moroccan Tagine
Couscous From Scratch
Moroccan Massaman
Moroccan Meloui-Malwi
Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout
Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style
Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style
Atay/Fresh Mint Tea
Other Food Links!

إِباوْنْ- مْنْكوبْ/Mangoob/Moroccan Broad or Fava Bean Salad/Salade Marocaine aux Fèves Fraîches (Mangoub)!

2012-05-31T21:06:00.000+01:00

مْنْكوبْ - إِباوْنْ

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal

We call them "Ibawn =إِباوْنْ " in Tachalhit or Imazighen, and "Fool" or "Ful = فُولْ ", in Moroccan Darija, elsewhere they are commonly known as fava beans, broad beans, horse beans or windsor beans etc.... When I was a kid, I tried to grow fava beans in a glass! So I got a clear drinking glass, put some shredded newspaper to hold my beans inside, then put 4 or 5 fresh shelled fava beans in the center and poured a few cm of water. I was sure I could actually make fava beans sprout in my glass! So there sat my glass, on our kitchen windowsill, and dutifully I watered or rather over-watered the beans every single day, waiting several weeks for a sprout to appear or for something or anything to emerge. Nothing, I gave up on my fava beans!

I have loved fresh, raw or cooked fava beans since my childhood , and I remember my mother who whenever she thought I hadn't been eating enough vegetables, she would give me a bunch of fava beans to shell, knowing that I would eat at least half of what she gave me. Some prefer them cooked but personally, I find them equally delicious either served in the pod, shelled or in a tomato sauce or in a tagine or couscous or soup etc.... There are so many variations of dishes that you can make with fava beans, which are very popular in Moroccan cooking, with many summer dishes, celebrating the seasonal fava bean, however they are also dried for winter use.

The most popular fava bean dish in Morocco is Mangoob (MAN-GOOB) = مْنْكوبْ, the recipe I'm posting today. It is mostly served as a side dish, and it usually accompanies tagines, fish, and some nice home-made bread. It's a combination of fava beans, garlic, parsley/coriander, and cumin in a rich fresh tomato sauce with a touch of lemon! Absolutely delicious!

Serves 4 to 5 people / Pour 5 à 5 personnes
Preparation Time: 0 h 15 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 45 minutes / Temps de cuisson : 0 h 45 minutes

Ingredients:

-2 kgs fresh fava beans (also called broad beans) / 2 Kgs de fèves fraîches

N.B. : 500 gr of fresh fava beans in their pods, yielding about 170 gr of shelled beans / 500 gr de fèves fraîches donne à peine 170 gr de graines

Ingredients for tomato sauce / Ingrédients pour sauce tomate:

-4 clove garlic, very finely chopped or grated / 4 gousse d'ail, hachées finement ou râpées

-About 50 ml olive oil / Environ 50 ml d'huile d'olive

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de poivre noir moulu

-1 teaspoon ground cumin / 1 c à thé ou à café de cumin poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1 teaspoon sweet red paprika / 1 c à thé ou à café de paprika rouge ou piment doux

-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and coriander leaves / 2 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées

-Juice of 1/2 fresh lemon / Jus d'1/2 citron frais

-1/4 preserved lemon, pulp and rind, finely minced / 1/4 de citron confit, peau et pulpe hachés finement

-1/4 teaspoon tomato puree or tomato paste / 1/4 c à à thé ou café concentré de tomates ou pâte de tomate

-About 400 gr fresh, ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped in blender/ Environ 400 gr de tomates bien mûres, râpées ou passées au robot

-1/4 teaspoon of sodaniya powder (or use hot red paprika or red chilli powder or Tunisian Harissa). Only for spicy food lovers! / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de sodaniya poudre (ou utilisez chilli en poudre ou Harissa Tunisienne). A ajouter seulement si vous aimez le piquant!

(Known as soudaniya ghobra in Morocco / Qu'on appelle soudaniya ghobra au Maroc)
السّودانِيّة غْبْرَة

Other ingredients / Autres ingrédients :

-Reserve a bit of preserved lemon rind and parsley for garnish / Garnir avec la peau de citron confit et du persil.

Method / Préparation:

1-Snap off stem end of the fava pod towards string side of the pod. When you pinch the end off, there should be a string attached to it , take it off, then open the pod and remove beans. / Equeutez les fèves en tirant le fil qui se situe entre les deux pellicules, puis ouvrir pour récupérer les fèves.

2-Wash the fava beans and steam them for about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hours or until they are quite tender. / Laver les fèves, et faire cuire à la vapeur pendant 1 heure à 1 heure et demie ou jusqu'à que les fèves, soient bien tendres.

Prepare tomato sauce / Préparer la sauce tomate:

1-Put olive oil and salt in a deep skillet or a sauce pot, and turn heat to medium. One minute later, add onion and garlic then saute, stirring for about 1 minute. / Sur un feu moyen, dans une casserole ou une poêle profonde ou autre récipient similaire, verser l'huile d'olive et sel, puis laisser chauffer environ 1 minute et ajouter l'ail et l'oignon, puis faire sauter environ 1 minute.

2-Add tomatoes, tomato paste, lemon juice, preserved lemon, parsley/coriander and all spices. Stir and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to cook for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until a nice thick sauce has formed. Do not cover and stir occasionally./ Ajouter les tomates, jus de citron, citron confit, persil/coriandre, concentré de tomate et toutes les épices. Remuer de temps en temps et une fois à ébullition, réduire le feu et laisser la sauce cuire sans couvrir enriron 25 à 30 minutes jusqu'à la sauce soit bien liée et assez épaisse.

3-Add the cooked fava beans and you might need to add some water (but make sure not to add too much). Add only if your tomatoes are not juicy enough and the sauce is TOO THICK to serve (usually 30 ml of water is sufficient). / Ajouter les fèves cuites et si la sauce devient trop épaisse, ajouter un tout petit peu de l'eau, mais surtout PAS TROP, en général 30 ml d'eau est largement assez.

4-Simmer for about 15 minutes to heat the fava beans, allowing them to absorb all the fabulous flavours of the sauce, which will thicken. Remember if too thick, add again a little bit of water, but NOT TOO MUCH. Gently stir, trying not to break or mash the fava beans. / Laisser mijoter pendant environ 15 minutes pour chauffer les fèves, et leur permettre d'absorber les riches saveurs de la sauce, qui va s'épaissir. Encore une fois, si la sauce est trop épaisse, ajouter un tout petit peu de l'eau, mais surtout PAS TROP. Remuer le tout délicatement pour éviter de briser les fèves.

5-Adjust the seasoning, add more salt or black pepper or few drops of fresh lemon juice, then remove from the heat. / Goûter et ajuster l'assaisonement, ajouter un peu de sel ou poivre noir moulu ou bien quelques gouttes de jus de citron frais etc...

6-Garnish and serve warm or cold with some nice bread. Sprinkle on some ground cumin. Enjoy! / Garnir et servir chaude ou froide avec du bon pain. Saupoudrer d'un peu de cumin poudre. Bssa7a w ra7a!

Mamatkamal

All Recipes

طجينْ الكْفْتَة وْ الْبيظْ/KBM/Moroccan Kefta Tagine with Tomato and Eggs!/Tajine Kefta Marocain aux Oeufs et Tomates (Kefta bel bayd w maticha)!

2012-05-21T17:50:00.000+01:00

طجينْ الكْفْتَة وْ الْبيظْ
KBM

Today I'm sharing KBM, which is a Moroccan Kefta Tagine that I made a few weeks ago ("K" stands for Kefta, "B" for bayd, which means eggs, and "M" for Maticha, which means tomato). I've received several e-mails from readers, requesting the recipe for this dish, and first I would like to apologize for the delay. Kefta Tagine is a divine meal prepared with tomatoes, kefta and eggs, and the happy marriage of these three (3) ingredients has made this Tagine the national dish in Morocco, after of course Bastilla or Pastilla (Moroccan Pie), Couscous/Saksou, Safa/Seffa and Mrouzia/Mroaziya.

What is Kefta or K'fta? Pronounced as (K-FTA) in Moroccan Dialect, it simply means minced or ground meat, of either beef or lamb (or a combination of the two), or chicken or turkey. Kefta is typically mixed in a marinade of few ingredients; traditionally, it is olive oil, salt, ground cumin, red paprika, ground black pepper, minced onion, minced garlic and chopped coriander/parsley. The mix and Kefta are kneaded thoroughly to distribute flavorings through the meat, then rolled into small meatballs.

Kefta dishes is still made from recipes handed down from generation to generation. It is absolutely delicious, it appeals to everyone, especially kids and it is fun to make if you know how to play round with different flavours and seasonings. Variations are limitless to the standard and traditional recipe: from different meat, spices, herbs, vegetables , and from little balls to cigar shapes, or from steaming cooking Tagine method, to brochettes, frying version etc..... Each region in Morocco has its own version of Kefta and all tastes great! Some prefers to add extra hot spices such as ground cinnamon or cloves, or to leave off the eggs, or to use chopped fresh mint leaves as a replacement for parsley/coriander, etc.....

Kefta Tagine, loosely termed, as one of those dishes that everyone thinks he/she can easily cook, and turn out incredibly well! That's not true. Those who have claimed such a thing are spectacularly mistaken and in fact I’ve met very few people who can cook a tasty Kefta Tagine, which is almost surprising! So today I'll be posting my mother's recipe, a traditional version, but just remember not to to underestimate the cooking, attention and all spices/herbs mix, and if for some reasons, you choose to take shortcuts, this does not count as making a truly, exquisite Moroccan Kefta Tagine.

Traditionally, lamb kefta is used for this recipe, but my family are not standalone ground lamb persons, so I decided to go for beef Kefta instead. This Tagine can be prepared in advance and reheated over a very low heat, then add the eggs, usually 2 or 3 per Tagine, then cook briefly and gentlly, or decorate the dish with hard-boiled eggs cut in half, and finally sprinkle some ground cumin on top. Traditionally, it is served as a main course with French fries, and side dishes or salads, entrées, etc...and of course with a lot and a lot of nice home-made bread. Enjoy!

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal

Ingredients:

For Kefta Seasoning Blend / Mélange d'épices pour Kefta:

-500 gr beef Kefta / 500 gr Kefta de boeuf

-1/2 medium onion, chopped very finely or grated / 1/2 oignon moyen, finement haché ou râpé

-2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or grated / 2 gousses d'ail, hachées finement ou râpées

-1 teaspoon red paprika / 1 c à café ou à thé de paprika rouge ou piment doux

-1 teaspoon ground cumin / 1 c à café ou à thé de cumin en poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper / 1/ 4 c à café ou à thé de poivre noir moulu

-4 tablespoons fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 4 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées finement

-1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice / 1 c à soupe jus de citron frais

For cooking Tagine Kefta with Tomato Sauce / Pour préparer Tajine Kefta avec Sauce Tomate:

-About 500 gr fresh, ripe tomatoes, grated or chopped in blender/ Environ 500 gr de tomates bien mûres, râpées ou passées au robot

-1/4 teaspoon tomato puree or tomato paste / 1/4 c à thé ou à café concentré de tomates ou pâte de tomate

-1/2 medium onion, chopped very finely or grated / 1/2 oignon moyen, finement haché ou râpé

-1 clove garlic, very finely chopped or grated / 1 gousse d'ail, hachée finement ou râpée

-1 teaspoon red paprika / 1 c à café ou à thé de paprika rouge ou piment doux

-1/2 teaspoon ground cumin / 1/2 c à café ou à thé de cumin en poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1/4 teaspoon of sodaniya powder (known as soudaniya ghobra in Morocco) or you can use hot red paprika or red chilli powder or Tunisian Harissa. Only for spicy food lovers! / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de sodaniya poudre (qu'on appelle soudaniya ghobra au Maroc) ou utilisez chilli en poudre ou Harissa tunisienne. A ajouter seulement si vous aimez le piquant!

-1 tablespoon fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 1 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées finement

-60 ml olive oil / 60 ml d'huile d'olive

Other/Autres Ingredients:

-2 or 3 eggs / 2 ou 3 oeufs

Method / Préparation:

Make Kefta meatballs / Former des boulettes Kefta:

1-Combine Kefta and all seasoning blend in a bowl. Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together to combine. It is very important to knead thoroughly to distribute flavourings through the meat. / Dans un bol, mélanger ensemble Kefta et toutes les épices, puis malaxer le tout pour que Kefta s'imprègne bien des arômes.

2-Roll Kefta into small balls. / Former des petites boulettes Kefta.

Cooking Tagine Kefta / Préparer Kefta Tajine:

1-I used a stovetop to cook this tajine over a very low heat (you can also use a heavy and deep skillet). Pour oil, then add salt into tajine and when heated, fry Kefta meatballs on all sides until slightly browned and sealed. / Dans votre tajine (Vous pouvez aussi utiliser tout simplement une poêle lourde et profonde), et sur un feu très doux, faire chauffer l'huile et sel, puis faire revenir Kefta boulettes jusqu'à ce qu'elles soient légèrement dorées de tous les côtés.

N.B. It is important to BROWN Kefta meatballs before adding tomato sauce. Browning tends to seal the meat and keeps the flavour from being absorbed into the sauce, thus ending up with a very flavourful Kefta and nice, tasty sauce. Don't skip this step, it's very important. / Pour rehausser la saveur de ce plat, et pour que la viande garde ses saveurs, tout en obtenant une belle sauce délicieue, il est recommandé de faire DORER les boulettes Kefta de tous les côtés avant d'ajouter la sauce tomate. Cette étape n'est pas une option dans cette recette de ma mère.

2-Add onion, garlic, then sauté until they are transparent. / Ajouter l'oignon et l'ail, puis sauter jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient transparents.

3-Add tomatoes, tomato paste and all spices. Cover and allow to cook for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick. You might need to add some water (but make sure not to add too much). Add only if your tomatoes are not juicy enough and the sauce is TOO THICK to serve (usually 30 ml of water is sufficient)./ Ajouter les tomates, la pâte de tomate et toutes les épices. Couvrir et laisser cuire pendant environ 30 à 40 minutes, jusqu'à ce que la sauce s'epaissise. Si la sauce devient trop épaisse, ajouter un tout petit peu de l'eau, mais surtout PAS TROP, en général 30 ml d'eau est largement assez.

4-Add parsley and coriander, then stir. Break the eggs, one by one, over the top of Kefta meatballs, cover and let cook for an additional 6 to 8 minutes or until the eggs are set to your desired consistency. Some prefers set whites with slightly runny yolks, and some firmer yolks, so it's up to you! / Ajouter persil et coriandre, et remuer le tout. Casser les œufs sur les boulettes de kefta un par un. Couvrir et laisser cuire environ 6 à 8 minutes selon votre goût, tout dépend si vous aimez le blanc qu'il soit complètement cuit, avec un jaune encore liquide, ou bien si vous aimez un jaune bien cuit!

5-Sprinkle on some ground cumin and serve immediately. Enjoy! / Saupoudrez d'un peu de cumin en poudre et servir aussitôt. Bssaha w raha!

Mamatkamal

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أسْكِّيفْ/حْسُوَّة/حْرِيرة البِيظَة/Warm up with Moroccan Cornmeal porridge!/Soupe Blanche à Base de Farine de Maïs à la Marocaine!

2012-05-16T21:03:00.000+01:00

أسْكِّيفْ/حْسُوَّة/حْرِيرة البِيظَة

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal
It’s so interesting how people choose their favourite breakfast dish from all around the world. Some start their day with eggs, beans, sausages, potatoes, tomatoes, rice, filled buns, toasts, croissants etc.... and others will drink a bowl of Askif, as my mother used to have for breakfast! Askif (AS-KEE-F) is a dish made by boiling some types of flour, corn, semolina, barley flakes or grits, etc.... in water, or milk, or both (but usually milk is added at the end of cooking), and then the whole thing is stirred up like a soup. In some regions of Morocco, other grains, spices, seeds, herbs and vegetables are added to make Askif.

This is an ancient Moroccan-Imazighen/Shlooh porridge, and it is not a recent invention, dating back to the times of nomadic desert family life-style. Earlier there were so many various kinds of porridge, along with other dishes which are particularly Shlooh/Imazighen speciality as Tagine/Tajine, Couscous/Saksou, known in English as one-pot meal. Years ago, these porridges were eaten for lots of meals, because they were inexpensive, but nutritious!

There are two types of porridge in Shlooh/Imazighen Cuisine: Askif and Tagola (TA-GO-LA). Both are prepared same way, except that no milk is added to Tagola, and their consistency is quite different: Tagola is almost porridge-like, whereas Askif is a thin, pourable drink. Tagola is served as a snack, in a plate, along with some buttermilk and Oudi (Oudy) or butter or honey, whereas Askif is served hot, along with some dates and dried figs, and traditionally drunk out of a Zlafa or Jbaniya (Z-LA-FA - J-BA-NI-YA, whiche means a "bowl"), at very early morning, especially after Fajr prayer or during Ramadan for breaking the fast.

Moroccan-Arabs call this dish "Hsowa or 7sowa" = حْسُوَّة (H-SO-WA) or White Harira/7rira =حْرِيرة البِيظَة; and as for Tagola, they call it, "Assida or 3ssida = عْصِيدَة ". The letter "H" in "Hsowa" is not pronounced as in the words "House or Habit ", but it is rather pronounced with a raspy "H", and if I want to write it properly, using English or French characters, I have to use number 7 instead of "H". Number 7, that stands for the Arabic letter "ح" and sounds like "H", but with a deeper breath, like in "Harira, Homos, Halal, Hamid, Hamza", etc... Same thing for the word "3ssida", where number 3 stands for the Arabic letter "ع ". Therefore, when people write in Arabic or Moroccan language, using English or French characters, they have to use numbers, as alternative to the Arabic letters, which have no similar in the English or French alphabet.

For 2 persons / Pour 2 personnes

Makes 250 ml bowls x 2 / Pour 2 bols de 250 ml
Preparation Time: 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 30 minutes

Ingredients :

-3 tablespoons corn flour, about 45 gr / 3 c à soupe farine de Maïs, environ 45 gr

-1 tablespoon olive oil / 1 c à soupe d’huile d’olive

-500 ml water / 500 ml de l'eau

-150 ml milk, whole or Semi skimmed / 150 ml de lait, entier ou demi-écrémé

-Some salt / Un peu de sel

Other/Autres Ingredients:

-1 tablespoon honey / 1 c à soupe du miel

-1 fresh mint leaf / 1 feuille de menthe fraîche

-About 50 gr almonds, roughly chopped / Environ 50 d'amande hachées grossièrement

Method / Préparation:

1-Mix corn flour, oil, salt and water. Bring to a boil over medium heat. / Mélanger farine, huile, sel et l'eau, puis porter à ébullition à feu moyen.

2-Simmer gently, stirring frequently, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the corn flour is cooked. Don't cover and keep a close eye on it because it can boil over and make a big mess. / Laisser cuire en remuant bien souvent pendant environ 15 à 20 minutes. Ne pas couvrir et surveiller Askif car sous l'effet de la chaleur elle peut monter vite et déborder rapidement de la casserole.

3-Stir in the milk, add the fresh mint and bring back to a simmer, allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Add more milk or water to reach the consistency you like. Keep your eye on the pot and if it looks as though Askif will boil over, reduce the heat. / Ajouter le lait et la menthe et laisser mijoter pendant environ 5 minutes. Ajouter plus de l'eau ou du lait en fonction de la consistance désirée. Si ça déborder, baisser le feu.

4-Remove the mint leaf. Ladle into individual soup Jbaniya, sprinkling each with chopped almonds and drizzle with little bit of honey. Serve warm with dates and dried figs. Enjoy! / Retirer la feuille de menthe. Verser Askif dans Jbaniya. Arroser d'un léger filet de miel et parsemer d'amandes. Servir avec des dattes ou des figues séchées.

N.B. Askif will thicken as it cools, and if it does, simply stir in additional hot water or milk to thin the soup while reheating over low heat. / Servir immédiatement car en refroidissant, Askif risque de devenir plus épaisse et dense. Mais, si ça vous arrive, ajouter tout simplement un peu de l'eau chaude ou du lait et bien remuer, puis faire chauffer sur un feu doux.

N.B. The smooth consistency of Askif appeals to children, so when serving to them, add more milk than water and you can leave off the chopped almonds if they are not familiar with, or simply let them choose other dried fruits as a replacement for almonds. / En général les enfant adorent Askif ainsi que sa consistance bien lisse. Si vous la servez aux enfants, mettez plus de lait que de l'eau, et pas besoin de parsemer d'amandes, si vos enfants n'aiment pas le goût, ou bien vous pouvez leur demander s'ils préfèrent de les remplacer par d'autres fruits secs.

Mamatkamal

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My Tamazirt-Morocco

Ramadan Dishes

Moroccan Cookies

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Couscous From Scratch

Moroccan Massaman

Moroccan Meloui-Malwi

Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout

Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style

Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style

Atay/Fresh Mint Tea

Other Food Links!

عصير الحامض الخْظْرْ- بُوعْوِيدْ/Pear and Lime Smoothie/Milkshake, Moroccan Style! / Jus Panaché aux Poires et Lime (Citron Vert), à la Marocaine!

2012-05-10T20:18:00.000+01:00

عصير الحامض الخْظْرْ- بُوعْوِيدْ

Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal
All you need is add a decorative paper umbrella to accompany this juice, garnish with a lime wheel and it will make you feel like you are in Agadir Beach, relaxing under the sun with toes in the sand! The combination of sweet pears and sharp lime is invigorating. The lime adds a nice and sharp flavour to the pears and keep them from turning brown. I had to add a drop of orange blossom water, I am such a sucker for that taste, but if you don't like it, a drop of natural vanilla extract will add some subtle flavour.

Makes 200 ml glasses x 4 / Pour 4 verres de 200 ml
Preparation Time: 15 minutes / Temps de préparation: 15 minutes
Ingredients:

- 2 large ripe pears, peeled / 2 grosses poires mûres pelées

-Juice of 1 lime, about 4 tablespoons / Jus d'1 lime (citron vert), environ 4 c à soupe

-400 to 450 ml cold milk, I used pasteurized whole milk / 400 à 450 ml lait froid, entier et pasteurisé

-6 to 8 SOFT dried figs, roughly chopped / 6 à 8 figues séchées BIEN TENDRES, hachées grossièrement

-1/2 teaspoon of lime zest / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de zeste de lime

-1 drop orange blossom water / 1 goutte d'eau de fleur d'oranger

-1/2 tablespoon honey, or to taste / 1/2 c à soupe de miel, ou selon votre goût

-4 ice cubes / 4 cubes de glace

Method / Préparation:

1-Wash the pears fruit, cut them in half, then cut off the stem. Cut the fruit into quarters. / Lavez les poires, coupez chaque poire en deux. Avec un petit couteau, enlevez le cœur, les pépins et la tige du centre, puis couper les poires en quartiers.

2-Put the fruit in a freezer bag and freeze for at least 2 hours or overnight, it is much better. / Placez les morceaux de poire dans un sac à congélation et congeler pendant au moins 2 heures, mais toute une nuit, c'est encore meilleur!

3-Process 200 ml of milk, dried figs, lime zest and frozen fruit in a blender until they are well processed. / Déposez les morceaux de poire congelés, 200 ml du lait, zeste de lime et les figues séchées dans un blender et mixez le tout jusqu’à obtention d’un jus assez dense.

5-Add honey, juice of lime, orange blossom water, and 2 ice cubes and process again. / Ajoutez miel, jus de lime, de l'eau de fleur d'oranger et 2 cubes de glace et mixez davantage.

6-Add the remainder of ice cubes and milk then process until smooth and creamy. / Ajouter le reste des cubes de glace et le lait, puis mélanger jusqu'à consistance lisse et crémeuse.

7-Serve immediately! / Servir aussitôt!

Mamatkamal

All Recipes
My Tamazirt-Morocco
Ramadan Dishes
Moroccan Cookies
Fekkas/Fakas
Moroccan Ghoriba-Ghriba
Moroccan Tagine
Couscous From Scratch
Moroccan Massaman
Moroccan Meloui-Malwi
Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout
Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style
Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style
Atay/Fresh Mint Tea
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حلوة الّلوز أُ اللّيمون/Moroccan Orange Cake, Butterless Cake / Gâteau Marocain à l'Orange, Sans Beurre!

2012-03-12T14:48:00.000Z

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal
I still haven't replaced my broken oven and I really miss baking! My boys love cakes and cookies, especially Ghriba, Fekkas, Macarons etc.... and I used to bake a lot of these, but now, it will be impossible to give them what they like, till I get a new oven. We just have to draw, temporarily, the line at dessert treats, our ultimate ending for our meal. We bake lots of things on the grill, microwave, or we just order takeaways, praying it will be fresh and good. Here is a Moroccan Orange Butterless Cake that I made before my oven broke!

Moroccan Butterless Cakes were commonly baked during hard time and France/Spain Colonization, when butter was just hard to get and very expensive for the majority poor people. So argan or olive or vegetable oils are used, which were more readily available than butter. My mother told me that these cakes, in those old times, were baked in a special pot with a cover, over a charcoal brazier "Majmar or Kanoun", and that her mother used to put sourdough starter "Khmira baldiya" in the cake batter, instead of baking powder, which was not available. She also explained to me that the texture of the cake looked and tasted like bread, mostly served plain or only, on special occasion, with a sugar syrup (much cheaper than frosting), flavoured with cinnamon, fresh orange juice and some drops of orange water. "It was almost a miracle for our parents and grandparents to create with cheap ingredients something tasty, that deserves the name "Halwa = حلوة = Cake", added my mother, with a deep-drawn sigh, tears brimming in her eyes. I still remember this very moment, though I was too young!

Orange cake was my childhood cake, and it is still my favourite. Whenever I go to a local bakery, the first cake I would reach for is "Orange or Lemon Cake", made with butter or oil, it doesn't matter really as long as I can taste and smell the lovely citrus flavour. Though, butter is now quite affordable, yet this cake is still very popular all over the Kingdom, and are known as "Winter Cakes ", when citrus is in season. In fact there are several versions of Moroccan cakes made of citrus since it is quite affordable, which is not surprising, knowing that Morocco is one of major exporting countries in the world of citrus.

The use of oil in this cake makes it so moist and tender, and you can use lemon instead of orange or add some melted chocolate in the batter for the extra "Ohh La La"! However, the best Moroccan Orange Cake is Maimouna =حلوة ميمونة , it is a flourless Orange Cake, a traditional Moroccan dessert that I would be soon posting, and those who know that cake will absolutely agree with me that it is one of the cakes that are out of this world, so unique and delightful!

Serves 6 people / Pour 6 personnes
Preparation Time: 0 h 20 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 20 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 40 minutes / Temps de cuisson : 0 h 40 minutes

Ingredients:

-4 medium eggs / 4 oeufs moyens

-180 gr caster sugar, known as Sanida in Morocco / 180 gr sucre semoule ou Sanida comme on l'appelle au Maroc

-180 ml olive or Argan or sunflower oil / 180 ml de l'huile d'olive ou Argan ou de tournesol

-200 gr white flour / 200 gr de farine blanche

-3 tablespoons of ground almonds / 3 c à soupe d'amandes moulues

-Orange zest (from 2 medium Navel Oranges) / Zeste d'orange (de 2 oranges Navel, de taille moyenne)

-60 ml fresh orange juice / 60 ml de jus d'orange frais

-1 tablespoon baking powder / 1 c à soupe de levure chimique ou patissière ou la poudre à pâte

-Pinch of salt / Pincée de sel

-Pinch ground cinnamon / Pincée de cannelle moulue

-60 ml honey / 60 ml de miel

-1/2 teaspoon orange blossom water / 1/2 c à café ou à thé d'eau de fleur d'oranger

You will also need / Vous aurez besoin aussi de:

-1 litre savarin mould or ring or tube pan / 1 moule à savarin d'un litre de contenance

-About 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to grease the pan / Environ 1 c à soupe d'huile tournesol pour graisser le moule

-About 2 tablespoons of almond flakes / Environ 2 c à soupe d'amandes effilées

-1 tablespoon ground cinnamon / 1 c à soupe de cannelle moulue

-1 tablespoon of brown sugar or caster sugar / 1 c à soupe de sucre brun ou sucre semoule

-Mix together the cinnamon and sugar, then set aside. / Mélanger le sucre et la cannelle et laisser de côté.

Method / Préparation:

1-Preheat oven at 140°C fan / or 160°C / or 320°F / or gas mark 3 / Préchauffer le four à 140°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 160°C / ou 320 °F / ou 3 th.

2-Spray the pan with vegetable oil, then sprinkle the pan with the sugar mixture. / Huiler le moule, puis saupoudrer le fond de mélange de sucre.

3-Sift the flour, salt, ground almonds, baking powder and cinnamon together. / Tamiser ensemble la farine, sel, amandes moulues, la poudre à pâte et cannelle.

4-Beat together the eggs and sugar until thick. This will take about 10 minutes, then gradually beat in the oil. / Battre ensemble les oeufs et le sucre jusqu'à épaississement. Cela prendra environ 10 minutes, puis incorporer graduellement l'huile.

5-Add orange juice and honey, then stir in the flour mixture in 3 batches. / Ajouter le jus d'orange et le miel, puis incorporer graduellement la farine.

6-Stir until smooth and no crumbles visible. Add zest of orange and orange blossom water, then stir again. / Bien mélanger le tout jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte sans aucun grumeau ou jusqu'à ce que le mélange devienne homogène. Ajouter le zeste et l'eau de fleur d'oranger, puis mélanger de nouveau.

7-Pour the batter into the prepared pan. / Verser la pâte dans le moule.

8-Bake for about 20 minutes, then remove carefully and sprinkle some almonds on the top return to the oven and continue cooking for about 20 minutes or until golden brown or until tests done. / Cuire au four pendant environ 20 minutes, puis retirer-le soigneusement et saupoudrer le gâteau des amandes, puis le remettre de nouveau au four pour finir la cuisson pendant environ 20 minutes ou jusqu'à qu'il soit bien doré ou bien faites le test en piquant le gâteau avec un couteau pointu sec pour savoir si il est bien cuit.

9-Remove the cake from the oven. Allow to cool in the pan for about 5 minutes then turn it out onto a rack to finish cooling. / Retirer du four, laisser refroidir environ 5 minutes, puis démouler le gâteau sur une grille et laisser refroidir complètement.

10-Enjoy! Bssa7a w ra7a!

For more recipes of the same category :Moroccan Sweets/Desserts

أمْلُو /How to make Amlo Paste? / Comment préparer Amlou? Amlou de la région de Souss-Sud du Maroc (Pâte à tartiner à base d'huile Argan)!

2012-03-01T14:11:00.000Z

أمْلُو

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
Amlo (AM-LO) is a richly tasty mixture or spread made of organic roasted almonds mixed with Argan Oil and then sweetened at the end with Pure Honey. Amlo is a great delicacy among the Imazighen or Shlooh, known as Swassa, living in the South of Morocco . It is usually served with bread at breakfast, or as a filling with Baghrir, Msamen , Harcha, Rziza, or Malwi or any sort of Crepes. It is a widely used ingredient, especially in the South of the Kingdom, in cooking, dressing and baking i.e Cakes, Friandes, Sauce, Bread, salads etc...

Traditionally in Souss Region (South of Morocco), to make Amlo, almonds should be grinded in an old traditional Grinding Mill called "Arhaa"-See picture below, which grinds almonds into a lovely golden brown paste. However, for this recipe, I used a food processor, but the original version of Amlo grinded by "Arhaa" is still my favourite version, it is so smooth and delicious, absolutely stunning!

To make Amlo, you need Argan oil, the most expensive oil in the world, and which is native to specifically South of Morocco. Argan tree is considered to be one of the rarest species of trees in the whole world and it is called "The Tree of Life" or "Miracle Tree Oil" by Imazighen or Shlooh of South Morocco. Argan trees spread through thousands of hectares in the South as Agadir, Awlouz, Essaouira, Ihahan, Tarodant, Tiznit, Chichaoua etc.... Surprisingly enough, Morocco is one of the only places in the world to obtain the nuts to make Argan Oil. These Argan trees grow only in the South of the country and NOWHERE ELSE. Even within Morocco, you cannot find Argan Tree for example in the North, East or West! Some people tried to plant it in Spain, France, some parts of Morocco etc... but for some unknown reasons, it did not grow. So many research studies were done on Argan Tree to discover its secret and it becomes so precious and so expensive now that UNESCO declared a few years ago that "800,000-hectare area in south-West Morocco between Essaouira and Agadir a biosphere reserve because it is the only place in the world where Argan tree grows.

Argan Oil is also considered as a skin and beauty oil, since it is packed with natural vitamin E. Argan as Beauty Oil is white and transparent because the seeds are not toasted while the Argan Oil for cooking has a beautiful golden brown colour and it smells divine. If you intend to try Argan Oil for cooking, please make sure to buy the one used for culinary and not for cosmetic use. It is also important to remember that Argan Oil for cooking does not last too long.

Argan Oil and Amlo are difficult to obtain outside South of Morocco but you may order them online or via other suppliers (free trade). But be alert on fraud sites and make sure you are buying 100% Pure Organic Argan Oil. There is no reason for you to spend a lot of money on an expensive product as Argan Oil either for cooking or for beauty skin or hair and it includes other different ingredients nothing to do with the original product. An other important thing I would like to add is always make sure when you order Argan Oil online, that it is produced by a Women’s Cooperative (Profits are shared among the local women of Souss Region). Of course, you have an other alternative to get the Real Argan Oil, which is go and visit Morocco yourself to get it, but you have to go the SOUTH (Agadir or Essaouira or Ihahan or Awlouz or Taradounat etc....), and you'll pay three or four times less the price than if you buy it abroad and don't forget Morocco is one of the best places to visit and one of the safest countries in Africa!

However, unfortunately like any expensive product, there is imitation Argan Oil out in Morocco and all over the world. There are so many companies in Europe selling Argan Oil (In France, Spain, Germany, etc....). So first thing to bear in mind is NEVER buy Argan Oil outside Morocco, or in any part of Morocco, except in Souss Region, i.e only South of Morocco. And even if you happen to be in the South, make sure NEVER to buy Argan Oil in Local Souks or Beauty Shops or Supermarkets as "Marjane, Metro, Aswak Salam" etc..... , in these places, you might get the counterfeit version of Argan Oil instead of the real oil sourced from cooperatives. The fake version of Argan Oil may contain a bit of the real oil, diluted with sunflower and even some paprika. The best thing to do, is go directly to the cooperatives yourself and get the Pure Argan Oil. But if for some reasons, you can't, then ask someone you know well and who speaks Chalha of Souss to get it for you. It is very important that the person is Chalha Speaker (South Imazighen) because most women in Argan cooperatives or sellers don't speak Moroccan-Arabic. Believe me, speaking Souss Shalha makes a great difference when it comes to buy pure Argan Oil, or pure Olive Oil, or Pure Honey, or pure Saffron etc..., since all the sellers are not Arabs, but Shlouh (Swassa-Imazighens), and most of them don't speak Moroccan-Arabic. So speaking their language makes a big difference in how you approach them, ask questions, bargain etc.....

To know more about Morocco Languages and culture, click on the link below

My Tamazirt-Morocco

If this is too confusing for you, then send me an e-mail and I will see what I can do, but you have to be patient if you pass your order, since I go to the South of Morocco only in Summer, so I will be sending your order, only sometime in September.

N.B. I will reply your e-mail, only if I know you personally, or I know you through blogging comments, or through food challenges, etc..., or if you have an active blog or a site for a long time. So sorry if I cannot reply to all e-mails in my overflowing inbox.

Here are some tips from my mother-in-law that I'm sharing with you, hoping to help you to know that the thing you bought is the real deal:

1-Smell the oil, if you are familiar with the strong, unique scent of Argan, you can't be mistaken.
2-Ask to try a sample. Argan Oil is light and dry when compared to other oils. Rub a tiny bit on your hand, and after 30 minutes or 1 hour, check your hand, and if the oil absorbs into your skin, then it is Pure Argan. But if your hand is still oily, then this "Thing" you bought is anything but Argan Oil.
3-Pure Argan Oil for cooking does not last too long, so if you don't use it on a regular basis, put it in the fridge and add a pinch of salt in it, thus it will last longer.
4-Storing Agan Oil in the fridge also tells you if the Oil is pure or not, if it congels then it is a PURE and the more it congels the PURER it is.

Here is a picture of my lovely mother-in- law's Arhaa = أَرّْحاَ . She lives in Agadir, the most popular Town in Morocco!

This is a picture of Pure Argan Oil for cooking purposes, that I bought in Ihahan Region, near Essaouira Town!

Ingredients:

-500 gr whole almonds, skin not removed / 500 gr d'amandes entières (Avec peau)

- About 4 to 5 tablespoon pure honey, more or less to taste / Environ 4 à 5 c à soupe de miel pur plus ou moins selon votre choix

-About 350 ml Argan Oil, you may need to add more or put less Argan Oil depending on the texture and consistency you like. / 350 ml d'huile d'Argane ( Ceci dépend de la consistance voulue de la tartinade, si vous aimez Amlou plus liquide ou plus épais!)

-About 1 teaspoon salt / Environ 1 c à thé ou café de sel

Method / Préparation:

1-Preheat the oven to 100°C. / Préchauffer le four à 100°C.

2-Rinse the almonds in cold water and allow them to drain for a few minutes./ Laver les amandes avec de l'eau froide et laisser égoutter quelques minutes.

3-Prepare a baking pan and add the almonds to the pan and generously sprinkle salt over the almonds. / Placer les amandes dans une plaque allant au four puis saupoudrer-les généreusement de sel.

4-Roast the almonds in the hot oven for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the almonds have barely darkened. While they are roasting, however, as they burn easily, stir frequently to ensure even cooking of your batch of almonds. You might also use a flat based frying pan to roast the almonds on a stove if you wish. / Faire griller et dorer les amandes pendant environ 15 à 20 minutes ou jusqu'à qu'elles soient bien dorées. Il faut remuer constamment pour éviter de brûler les amandes et aussi pour obtenir une coloration uniforme. Vous pouvez aussi utiliser tout simplement une poêle à sec pour griller les amandes.

5-Let cool for about 15 minutes. / Retirer du four et laisser refroidir environ 15 minutes.

6- Place half of almonds and half of Argan Oil into a food processor or blender and pulse several times for about 5 minutes. / Dans un robot culinaire assez puissant, verser la moitié d'amandes et la moitié d'Argane, puis mixer pendant environ 5 minutes. (Traditionnellement au Maroc, on prépare Amlou avec le moulin manuel qu'on appelle Ar7a ou Arha = أَرّْحاَ mais puisque j'en ai pas un malheureusement alors j'utilise tout simplement un robot culiniare).

7-Add remainder of almonds and Argan Oil and grind them to the texture you prefer. This may take 10 minutes or more. / Ajouter le restant d'amandes et le restant d'Argane puis continuer à mixer encore 10 minutes ou jusqu'à obtention d'une pâte bien lisse.

8-Now pour this lovely mixture over a large bowl and add in honey one tablespoon at a time stirring well. / Maintenant, verser ce beau mélange obtenu dans un grand bol puis ajouter le miel une cuillère à soupe à la fois, puis bien mélanger le tout.

9-Amlo will keep for two months. Store Amlo tightly in a sealed jar. / Conserver Amlou dans un pot hermétique à température ambiante jusqu'à 2 mois.

10-Always shake or stir before serving Amlo . / Toujours bien remuer avant de servir Amlou.

11-Serve for Breakfast and enjoy! / Servir pour pour le petit déjeuner et Bssa7a w ra7a!
Mamatkamal
All Recipes
My Tamazirt-Morocco
Ramadan Dishes
Moroccan Cookies
Fekkas/Fakas
Moroccan Ghoriba-Ghriba
Moroccan Tagine
Couscous From Scratch
Moroccan Massaman
Moroccan Meloui-Malwi
Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout
Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style
Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style
Atay/Fresh Mint Tea
Other Food Links!

Stop au vol de contenu et images /Pillage de BLOGS et Sites/Scrapers Site and Blogs!

2012-02-29T11:35:00.000Z

Arrêtez de voler le contenu des blogs et sites sur Internet, C'est illégal, et immoral. Utilisez votre bon sens!

Au moins quatre (4) membres de ma famille (cousins et cousines), ainsi que plusieurs ami(e)s, m'ont informée que certain contenu de mon blog, incluant les photos étaient volés et postés par certaines personnes. C'est ainsi que j'ai décidé d'écrire en français aujourd'hui, sachant que ces personne peuvent bien comprendre cette langue mieux que l'anglais, bon espèrons-le car ce n'est toujours pas facile de faire comprendre et faire passer le message à ce genre de personnes!

Merci à Google et Blogger qui ont supprimé certains de mes articles, ainsi mes recettes et photos qui traînent dans certains sites et blogs:

http://www.oumaymen.com/?p=25350

http://cuisine-moroco.blogspot.co.uk/

http://mattbakhy.blogspot.co.uk/

http://caminhosparaalmagribmarrocos.blogspot.co.uk/2011/11/morrocan-baghrir-beghrir-or-moroccan.html

http://www.oumaymen.com/

http://jaimebladi.com/recette-de-rziza-ou-rezat-el-kadi-turba-du-juge/rziza/

http://achnoo.com/2011/10/14/recette-de-rezat-el-kadi-turban-du-juge/

http://www.la-cuisine-marocaine.com/forum/sujet-1074-recette-patisserie-rezzat-qadi

http://tachlhit-naima.cuisineblog.fr/34855/abaddaz/posted/#comment

Si vous avez un blog et vous rédigez vous-même vos articles et vos recettes, vous serez un jour confronté à ce genre de situation ridicule. Voici le lien du forumulaire qu'il faut remplir pour signaler le vol de contenu: http://support.google.com/bin/request.py?&product=blogger&contact_type=lr_dmca

Vous pouvez aussi toujour détecter les "Voleurs de votre contenu" ou "Content Scrapers" en utilisant quelques outils simples:

Premier outil, simple et facile qui est COPY SCAPE, il vous suffit de rentrer l'URL de votre blog ou site, et ainsi vous pouvez découvrir des copies de votre contenu s'il y a lieu.

Puis il y a aussi, GOOGLE ALERTS, qui vous informe via e-mail ou autres.

GOOGLE IMAGES, cet outil aussi peut vous aider de retracer vos photos utilisées ailleurs sans permission. Il vous suffit d'écrire le nom de la recette.

Si la personne qui vous vole le contenu ou les photos possède un nom de domain, allez-y dans ce site, http://www.whois.net/ et mettre le nom de son site, et vous aurez toutes les informations sur l'administrateur pour le contacter. Vous pouvez aussi envoyer une plainte au fournisseur du nom de domaine en leur donnant plus de détail possible sur le propriétaire du site qui vous "vole" etc....

Voici une liste des liens que je vous conseille de bien lire, ils sont très interessants :

Stop au vol de contenu Par MarieBo Solutions

Stop Content Scrapers

http://www.actualitte.com/actualite/monde-edition/justice/google-lutte-contre-le-pillage-de-contenu-et-les-scrapers-sites-27932.htm

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dGM4TXhIOFd3c1hZR2NHUDN1NmllU0E6MQ&ndplr=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scraper_site

http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/terms/

Autres informations qui pourront être utiles:
http://www.copyscape.com/prevent.php
http://www.copyscape.com/banners.php?o=p
http://www.copyscape.com/respond.php
http://www.actualitte.com/actualite/monde-edition/justice/google-lutte-contre-le-pillage-de-contenu-et-les-scrapers-sites-27932.htm
http://www.loriswebs.com/stop-stolen-content.html
http://skinnyartist.com/stop-stealing-my-images/
http://support.google.com/bin/request.py?&product=blogger&contact_type=lr_dmca

Bonne chance et vive l'honnêteté et la transparence!

خبز المْحْراشْ/Moroccan Bread Mahrash / Pain Marocain Mahrach / Pain à la semoule d'orge (Khobz L'mahrach)!

2012-02-16T09:29:00.000Z

خبز المْحْراشْ

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal

One of my favourite things about my country culture is the Souk (السّوق = Local market) and for me, it has always been an interesting place to wander. I just like walking through the grand Bazaar, the narrow streets and enjoy the smell of freshly baked bread drifts from Frane (communal ovens = فْرّانْ), and all those aromatic, exotic, colorful spices. The place is filled with vendors, very friendly who bargain with a smile on their faces, and little boys running, with schoolbags bouncing on their backs, all grins and full of energy, and women carrying wassla (االوصلة = Wood Tray) of bread on their heads, and old men selling bundles of fresh mint, absinthium, coriander, parsley and Mahrash Bread (or Marhrach = مْحْراشْ)!

Mahrash is a very popular type of bread in Morocco, especially in Winter. It is made from barley grits, other mixture of flour, olive oil and a touch of cumin. The word "Mahrash" means "Rough or Coarse Look" in Moroccan Darija, some call it "Khobz L'harsh" = خبز الحْرْشْ, but whatever you decide to call it, it's such a delicious bread and fun to make.

Barley is a prime ingredient in the making of several, popular dishes in Morocco. It is used as a flour or as grains to make Tagolla, a South Amazigh dish, which is a porridge or porage, served with Oudi and honey, Couscous (سَكْسُوالبَلْبولَة), and Askeef (أسْكّيفْ), which is a very light soup, served for breakfast or in early evenings as a snack, etc.... Barley grits are also used to make Oudi, (which is a South Amazigh version for preserved butter) and more and more other dishes!

Mahrash has that tasty, chewy texture and the combination of olive oil and cumin adds such an impressive flavour to it. The taste of cumin is slightly chili-ish but not spicy at all. This bread is best served while still warm with Talakhcha, (a very popular Winter Soup in Morocco) or with olive oil and black olives dip.

Since barley has a low gluten content which results in a low-rise, so that's why higher-gluten flours are combined to make this leavened bread, which needs a few hours to rise. It is important to give the dough enough time to develop and you can give the recipe a little twist, using any combination of the wheat flours you have around the house, or use even some white flour for lighter texture, making sure to adjust water as necessary to achieve a nice consistency to the dough.

I’m submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread food. Please check it out!

This recipe yields 10 small Mahrash / Pour 10 Mahrach, de taille petite
Preparation Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 30 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 3 h 00 minutes / Repos : 3 h 00 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 20 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 20 minutes
Ingredients:

-100 gr wheat bran, known as "Nokhal" in Morocco / 100 gr de son de blé, connu au Maroc sous le nom "Nokhala"

Wheat bran / Son de blé

النّخّالة

-100 gr barley grits coarsely ground, known as "Balboula Ghlida" in Morocco / 100 gr de semoule d'orge grosse, connu au Maroc sous le nom "Balboula Ghlida"

Barley grits coarsely ground / Semoule d'orge grosse

بلبولة الغليظة

-400 gr hard unbleached flour all puprose or fine semolina / 400 gr de farine de blé dur non blanchi ou semoule très fine

-100 gr plain flour / 100 gr farine tout usage

-60 ml pure olive oil / 60 ml d'huile d'olive de bonne qualité

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1 tablespoon caster sugar / 1 c à soupe de sucre smoule ou Sanida

-250 gr whole-wheat flour / 250 gr de farine de blé entier

-1 tablespoon ground cumin / 1 c à soupe de cumin en poudre

-5 gr yeast, dried. I used instant yeast, but you might use fresh yeast or other type of yeast as well / 5 gr de levure boulangère sèche. J'ai mis la levure instantanée mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser la levure fraîche ou autres.

-30 ml Khmira Baldiya, known as Sourdough Starter or Le levain traditionnel / 30 ml de Khmira Baldiya, qui est le Levain traditionnel ou Sourdough Starter.

N.B. It is a white sourdough starter, liquid and 100% hydration / C'est du levain traditionnel à base de farine blanche, liquide et 100% hydratation.

-400 ml warm water / 400 ml d'eau tiède

N.B. To coat and flatten the dough, you will need about 150 gr of fine barley grits / Pour enrober et aplatir les boules de pâte, vous aurez besoin d'environ 150 gr de semoule d'orge fine

Fine barley grits / Semoule d'orge fine

بلبولة الرّقيقة

Method / Préparation:

1-In a Kassriya or a large bowl, mix wheat bran, barley grits coarsely ground and 200 ml water. Cover and allow the mixture to soften for about 30 minutes. / Dans une Kassriya ou un grand bol, mélanger le son de blé, semoule de l'orge grosse et 200 ml de l'eau. Couvrir et laisser reposer pendant environ 30 minutes.

2-Add the flours to the softened mixture, salt, yeast, oil, sucre, cumin and starter, then mix well with your hands, adding gradually warm water. Mix well to a soft dough and knead with hands for about 15 minutes. The dough should still be rather sticky, but not runny. If it turns out too sticky to work with, just add some flour and keep kneading. If the dough feels a bit stiff, work in additional water, small quantity at a time and keep kneading. / Ajouter au mélange ramolli les farines, sel, levure, l'huile, cumin, sucre et levain traditionnel, puis bien mélanger avec les mains en ajoutant graduellement de l'eau tiède pour former une pâte. Bien pétrir environ 15 minutes. La pâte sera un peu collante, mais pas trop liquide. Si elle est trop collante, ajouter un peu de farine et continuer à pétrir mais si elle est dure, ajouter un peu de l'eau et pétrir de nouveau quelques minutes.

3-Oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat with oil. Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled. / Huiler légèrement un grand bol et mettre la pâte dans le bol et la retourner pour bien l'enrober d'huile. Couvrir avec un film alimentaire légèrement huilé et laisser lever jusqu'à ce qu'elle double de volume.

N.B. Be patient and give the dough enough time to get as big as it can. My dough took a good 2 hours to rise. / La pâte a besoin assez de temps pour fermenter sous l'action de la levure, ainsi, il faut lui donner suffisamment de temps. J'ai laissé la mienne pendant environ 2 heures pour bien lever.

4-Gently punch the dough down to release any air bubbles. / Dégaser délicatement la pâte.

5-Transfer the dough to a work surface sprinkled generously with fine barley grits, allowing it to take up a generous coating. Divide the dough into about 10 equal portions and shape into small balls, dusting generously with fine barley grits. / Saupoudrer généreusement un plan de travail de semoule d'orge fine et y déposer la pâte; replier la pâte sur elle-même pour former une boule. Diviser la pâte en environ 10 boules égales, de taille petite, en saupoudrant généreusement de la semoule d'orge fine.

6-Roll out each ball into a circle about 0.5 cm, dusting generously the top of bread with fine barley grits. / Etaler progressivement les boules en cercles sur une épaisseur de 0.5 cm environ, en saupoudrant généreusement la surface du pain de la de la semoule d'orge fine.

7-Transfer the bread to a slightly greased and floured bread baking sheet. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and leave in a warm place for 1 hour or more. / Transférer le pain sur une plaque allant au four légerement huilée et farinée. Couvrir avec un torchon propre et sec. Laisser reposer dans un endroit chaud pendant 1 heure ou plus si nécessaire.

8 -Preheat oven at 220°C fan / or 240°C / or 475°F / or gas mark 9 / Préchauffer le four à 220°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 240°C / ou 475°F / ou 9 th

9-Make slashes or poke the bread with a fork or knife. / Faire des incisions ou piquer avec une fourchette ou couteau.

10-Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until they're golden brown. / Faire cuire entre 20 à 25 minutes ou jusqu'à qu'ils soient bien dorés.

11-Transfer to a rack to cool. / Laisser refroidir sur une grille.

12-Store the cooked Mahrash between kitchen towels to keep warm./ Couvrir Mahrach avec un torchon propre pour le garder au chaud.

13-Enjoy! / Bssa7a w ra7a!
For more recipes of the same category :Moroccan Bread/Pancakes/Buns/Brioches/Crêpes etc...

سبيعات اللوز / Almond Fingers / Doigts aux Amandes!

2012-02-14T17:33:00.000Z

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal

Those almond fingers, commonly known as "Sbi3at Louz" or "Sbiaât Louz" = سبيعات اللوز, that literally means "Fingers of Almonds", are so delightful and delicately flavored cookies from Morocco that have been enjoyed by both adults and children for generations, nibbling on them between sips of fresh mint tea.

I admit it's a little labour intensive since you have to prepare in advance the Homemade Almond Paste (Click here for recipe) as well as the Pastries Dough (Click here for recipe) that I posted a few weeks ago, but it is worth it when it comes to bake those little fingers, and take them out of the oven, they smell so good that you can't resist the temptation, even though you know that these treats are best served after they've had a little time to cool, but frankly who cares? Still you can't resist the delicious smells, then you bite into one of these and what you get in the end is the most perfect little bite, just the right size those little mouthfuls of heaven melting in your mouth. They are crisp and firm on the outside with a soft and chewy texture inside. Heavenly sweet delight!

This recipe yields 60 almond fingers about 7 cm long / Pour 60 doigts d'amandes d'environ 7 cm
Preparation Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 30 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 9 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 9 minutes
Ingredients:

-600 gr Homemade Almond Paste (Click here) / 600 gr de Pâte d'Amandes (Cliquez ici)

-200 gr Dough for Sweet Pastries (Click here) / 200 gr de Pâte Pâtisseries (Cliquez ici)

-1 medium egg white (30 to 35 gr) / 1 blanc d'œuf moyen (30 à 35gr)

-About 2 tablespoons not roasted sesame seeds / Environ 2 c à soupe de graines de sésame non-grillées

Method / Préparation:

1-Roll small pieces of the almond paste into very thin sausage-like sticks about the size of your finger. / Prendre un morceau de pâte d'amandes et rouler-la pour créer des serpentins de pâte de la taille de votre doigt.

N.B. If the almond paste seems too sticky, oil your hands lightly. / Si la pâte d'amande vous semble trop collante pour la rouler, huiler légèrement vos mains.

2-Roll out the pastry dough with a rolling pin into a long, rectangular sheet. Roll it out as thinly as possible. / Etaler la pâte avec le rouleau en forme d'un rectangle jusqu'à obtention d'une feuille assez mince.

N.B. I recommend rolling the dough on a sheet of parchment or baking paper, this will prevent the dough from sticking to the counter. / Je vous conseille de rouler la pâte sur une feuille de papier parchemin ou du papier sulfurisé ou du papier cuisson, cela empêchera la pâte de coller au plan de travail.

N.B. Keep any dough not being used under the plastic wrap. / Remettre la pâte non-utilisée dans un sac alimentaire de plastique.

3-Place one almond paste stick on the sheet of dough, then fold the dough over the stuffing, making sure to roll it up tightly in the pastry in a way that the almond paste remains concealed. Trim off the excess pastry./ Placer un bâton de pâte d'amande sur la feuille de pâte, puis replier la pâte sur la farce et rouler un peu le boudin afin qu'il soit bien fermé. Assurez-vous que la pâte d'amande est totalement couverte en serrant. Découper l'excèdent de la pâte.

4-Repeat this operation until you have run out of almond paste and pastry. / Répéter l'opération jusqu'à épuisement de la pâte et de la farce.

5- Cut the almond sticks into pieces of about 7 cm. / Couper les bâtonnets d'amandes en morceaux d'environ 7 cm.

6-Dip both sides of the almond fingers in egg white, then evenly coat with sesame seeds. / Tremper les deux extrémités des doigts d’amandes au blanc d’œuf ensuite dans les graines de sésame.

7-Preheat the oven to at 160°C fan / or 180°C /or 356°F / or gas mark 4. / Préchauffer le four à 160°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 180°C / ou 356 °F / ou 4 th.

8-Those almond fingers should be pricked twice or three times with a sterile, finely needle or a toothpick before baking. This will allow steam to escape during baking. / Piquer ces doigts d'amande deux ou trois fois à l'aide d'une aiguille stérilisée ou un cure-dent avant la cuisson pour les aérer.

9-Bake the almond fingers in the middle of the preheated oven for about 9 to 12 minutes. Don't overbake them since this will toughen the almond paste. / Cuire les doigts d'amandes sur la grille du milieu du four préchauffé pendant environ 9 à 12 minutes. Ne les faites pas cuire trop car la pâte d'amande risque d'être trop sèche et perdre toute sa saveur.

10-Transfer them to a rack to cool thoroughly. / Transférer-les sur une grille et laisser refroidir complètement.

11-Enjoy! Bssa7a w ra7a!
For more recipes of the same category :Moroccan Sweets/Desserts

عيد الحب 2012 \ Love Day 2012

2012-02-13T10:51:00.001Z

Wishing you all a very lovely Day, with lots of Love and Happiness!

Photos by Mamatkamal
For recipe, I always use my usual recipe adapted from La cuisine de Mercotte...

Potato Buns / Buns ou Pain Hamburger aux Patates (Pommes de terre)!

2012-02-12T17:01:00.000Z

In fact I was planning to post this recipe along with many other pictures of potato doughnuts, pizza crust and brioches, few recipes I will be sharing soon, under the title "Potato Dough", but these buns turned out to be such a lovely treat on their own that they are really worth to be posted separately with a few praising words!

Adding some potato to flour bread is a practice common in many parts of the world, especially Germany and Peru and it’s amazing how cheap, simple ingredient as potatoe can transform simple bread into highly tasty bread : very moist and soft, with a complexity of great flavour and a fine texture. It tastes nothing like the grocery store potato buns.

Having previously tried to make Krachel (قراشل ) with potato flour, which turned out really delicious and incredibly tasty, I decided to go for it! So, recently I have been experimenting on making different types of breads, pizza crust, brioches, doughnuts etc... from mixture of "Potatoes/Flour" and the end result was outstanding! So I 'm afraid I might start reserving any leftover mashed potatoes to incorporate into my bread.

This easy recipe makes about 16 small buns or about 8 medium size ones. I used fresh mashed potato, however, it seems like an easy shortcut to use potato flour or instant mashed potatoes. I actually tried them all and quite interestingly enough, I didn't notice any difference in the taste. However, there was a difference in the colour of my bread dough : the one made from the fresh mashed potatoes (I used Vales Sovereign Variety) was more yellowish than the one made from potato flour or instant potatoes.

The dough was a bit sticky to shape it into small balls dough so I had to wet my hands to make things easier for me, and I also had to use a scraper to get it out of the bowl. In the oven, these buns only need about 13 to 15 minutes to bake. The kids ate some straight away and I put some in the freeze for later. Adding mashed potatoes to this bread gives it an interesting flavour and texture. For me, this recipe is a definite keeper!

I’m submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread food. Please check it out!
Recipe and Photos by Mamatkamal

This recipe yields 16 small buns or about 8 medium size buns / Pour 16 petits buns ou pain hamburger ou 8 de taille moyenne
Preparation Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 30 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 4 h 00 minutes / Repos : 4 h 00 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 13 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 13 minutes
Ingredients for the dough / Ingrédients pour la pâte :

-200 gr plain flour / 200 gr farine tout usage

-200 gr hard unbleached flour all puprose or fine semolina / 200 gr de farine de blé dur non blanchi ou semoule très fine

-200 gr mashed cooked potatoes / 200 gr de patates (pommes de terre) cuites réduites en purée

N.B. I used fresh peeled potatoes, cut into chunks, then mashed and cooled (If cut into small pieces, your mashed potatoes will be more watery). Potatoes are gluten-free, so the more potatoes you add, the denser your buns will be. / J'ai utilisé des patates fraîches pelées, coupées en gros morceaux, puis écrasées en purée et refroidies (Eviter de les couper en petits cubes, afin qu'elles n'absorbent pas trop d'eau). Les patates ne contiennent pas de gluten, alors si vous mettez une grande quantité de patates, votre pain sera bien évidemment assez dense.

In this recipe, I used fresh mashed potatoes, but if you decide to use potato flour which is especially a dry and thirsty flour, having the tendency to absorb a lot of water, so make sure to add more water to the dough. / Il est bien important de noter que j'ai utilisé de la purée de pommes de terre dans cette recette, mais si vous décidez de mettre de la farine de pomme de terre qui est une farine particulièrement sèche et elle absorbe beaucoup de liquide, vous serez obligé d'ajouter plus de l'eau à la pâte.

-2 small eggs, lightly beaten / 2 petits oeufs, légèrement battus

-30 ml Khmira Baldiya, known as Sourdough Starter or Le levain traditionnel / 30 ml de Khmira Baldiya, qui est le Levain traditionnel ou Sourdough Starter.

N.B. It is a white sourdough starter, liquid and 100% hydration / C'est du levain traditionnel à base de farine blanche, liquide et 100% hydratation.

-60 ml argan oil or olive oil / 60 ml d'huile d'argan ou d'huile d'olive

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1 tablespoon honey / 1 c à soupe de miel

-1 tablespoon caster sugar / 1 c à soupe de sucre smoule ou Sanida

-40 to 50 ml warm water used to cook potatoes / 40 to 50 ml de l'eau de cuisson de pommes de terre, tiède

N.B. If you accidentally discarded the potato cooking water, you can use simply plain water. / Si vous n'avez pas gardé l'eau dans laquelle vous avez cuit vos patates, remplacer-la tout simplement par de l'eau tiède.

-3 gr yeast, dried. I used instant yeast, but you might use fresh yeast or other type of yeast as well / 3 gr de levure boulangère sèche. J'ai mis la levure instantanée mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser la levure fraîche ou autres.

-40 gr of milk powder / 40 gr de lait en poudre

Method / Préparation:

1-Put the flours, mashed potatoes, salt, yeast, eggs, milk powder, oil, and starter, in a kasriya or a large bowl. Stir together the potato water, honey and sugar until they dissolve, then add them to the flour mixture. Mix well with your hands to a soft dough and knead with hands for about 15 to 20 minutes. The dough should still be rather sticky, but not gooey and runny. / Dans une kasriya ou un grand bol, mélanger les 2 farines, patates en purée, sel, levure, oeufs, lait en poudre, l'huile et levain traditionnel. Mélanger l'eau de patates, miel et sucre, puis bien remuer jusqu'à ce qu'ils se dissolvent, puis verser sur le mélange de farine. Mélanger avec les mains pour former une pâte, et bien pétrir pendant environ 15 à 20 minutes. La pâte doit être élastique, un peu collante, mais pas liquide.

2-Oil a large bowl. Place the dough in the bowl and turn it to coat with oil. Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and leave to rise until doubled. / Huiler légèrement un grand bol et mettre la pâte dans le bol et la retourner pour bien l'enrober d'huile. Couvrir avec un film alimentaire légèrement huilé et laisser lever jusqu'à ce qu'elle double de volume.

3-Gently punch the dough down to release any air bubbles, divide the dough into equal portions and shape into smooth small or medium balls. Transfer to a slightly greased and floured bread baking sheet and flatten the tops of the buns to a thickness of about 1 cm. Dust generously the top of buns with fine semolina. / Dégaser délicatement la pâte, puis diviser la pâte en boules égales, de taille petite ou moyenne. Transférer les boules sur une plaque allant au four légèrement huilée et farinée, puis aplatir avec la paume de la main pour avoir 1 cm d'épaisseur environ. Saupoudrer généreusement la surface des buns de la semoule fine.

4-Cover with an oiled plastic wrap and allow to rise until quite puffy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. / Couvrir avec un film alimentaire légèrement huilé et laisser lever pendant 45 minutes à 1 heure ou jusqu'à ce que les buns soient bien gonflés.

N.B. Be patient and give the dough enough time to get as big as it can. My dough took a good 4 hours to rise properly. / La pâte a besoin assez de temps pour fermenter sous l'action de la levure, ainsi, il faut lui donner suffisamment de temps. J'ai laissé la mienne pendant environ 4 heures pour bien lever.

5-Towards the end of the rising time, don't forget to preheat the oven at 170°C fan / or 190°C / or 374°F / or gas mark 5. / Avant la fin de la levée, pensez à préchauffer le four à 170°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 190°C / ou 374 °F / ou 5 th.

6-Bake for 13 to 20 minutes or until they're golden brown. / Faire cuire entre 13 à 20 minutes ou jusqu'à qu'ils soient bien dorés.

7-Transfer to a rack to cool. / Laisser refroidir sur une grille.

N.B. Mine were cooked after about 13 minutes. The baking time will be dependent upon the size, shape of the buns and your oven. / Les miens ont été cuits après environ 13 minutes, le temps de cuisson peut varier en fonction de votre four et bien sûr en fonction de la taille et la forme de ces petits pains.

8-Store the cooked buns between kitchen towels to keep warm./ Couvrir les petits pains avec un torchon propre pour les garder au chaud.

9-Enjoy! / Bssa7a w ra7a!

For more recipes of the same category : Bread/Pain

راس الحانوت / Ras El Hanout- Moroccan Spice Blend / Rass El Hanout, la plus élaborée des épices marocaines!

2012-02-02T19:47:00.000Z

Rass El Hanout or Ras El Hanout = راس الحانوت, also known as "Mrouzia or Mrouziya Spice" = مروزيّة is a popular Moroccan complex spice mix, and ranks as the most popular exported spice produced in Morocco. Ras El Hanout has grown in popularity over the past few years, and become one of Morocco's most famous food flavour. Known by its rich fragrant aroma, warm, sensual fragrance and overall robust flavour, Ras El Hanout is much like some traditional great spice combinations such as Curry and Garam Masalas of India, or the fabulous Moles of Mexico etc.....

Ras El Hanout in Moroccan language means literally “Head of the merchant's spice shop", but figuratively, it simply means "The top or the best or the most precious ingredient in the store" or as we say in French "La crème de la crème ou tout ce qu'il y a de mieux"! That's why it is beleived that Ras el Hanout is a mix of the finest and the best of all spices.

Ras El Hanout is the heart of most Moroccan dishes and has a special affinity for dishes that contain lamb, chicken, vegetables and some types of fish, either cooked in a Tagine (Tajine) or grilled on the barbecue. It is also used with salt to preserve meat, known in Morocco as Khli3 or Gadid = الخليع أو القديد. It is amazing how with the added herbs and spices of Ras El Hanout, culinary creations can be transformed and an ordinary tasting dish could be changed into an extraordinary experience bursting with exceptional flavours!

Ras El Hanout is considered as a mysterious blend, there is no such written-down recipe which varies slightly from shop to shop and from town to town, but generally it consists of the same base ingredients. According to an anecdote shared by Moroccans, it seems there are as many recipes of Rass El Hanout as there are families in Morocco. The secret recipe has been passed down verbally from mother to daughter and from father to son. It has been kept a closely guarded secret, shared only within a group of merchants' spices (called in Morocco Attar (3ttar) = عطّار) or some family members. Each Attar or spice shop guards his secret blend of herbs, never sharing it, and the final mix of Ras El Hanout will be given out only once blended. The competition amongst the merchants' spices is so fierce and they are so proud to have kept the secret of the most sought after version blend herbs for so many years. However, their prices are incredibly reasonable, and their ingredients are so fresh! When I go to the Souk = السوق and see all these Attar's shops and their fresh spices, so beautifully arranged on Tbag (Tba9) = طبق or large round plates, I know an artist's fingers have been all over it. Attar in Morocco is an artist, only he paints his pictures with spices!

When a home cook in Morocco goes to the Souk, to her favourite spice merchant to meet her spices need, she usually chooses herself the ingredients of a specific fresh spice mixture that goes for one particular dish, i.e spices for couscous, another for tagine, others to make Mssakhen spice (Mssa5n) = مساخن, which is a special blend used for health purposes, and another mixture with a funny name, called "Bssibissa - Kakalu" (Bssibissa - 9a39allou) = بْسِيبِسَة قَعْقَلُّو, which is mainly used for sweet dishes etc, etc........, but when it comes to Ras El Hanout, the home cook cannot choose the ingredietns anymore, she can simply ask the merchant's spice for his "La crème or Top of the Shop Blend"! She just have to wait until the secret final mix is handed out blended and mixed according to the expertise of Attar. Don't be fooled, the final product has no label on it, listing all the ingredients in the order by weight. No way to let go one hint!

Ras El Hanout, a distinctive mixture varies from the simplest, from 10 ingredients and so many recipes are availbable online or cook books, to the most complex version and may contain up to 100 ingredients, all toasted before grinding. This is my favourite version which I buy regularly from either Casablanca or Agadir. Rass El Hanout is most widely found in general commerce in Europe, Australia, USA, Canada and other countries.

Unfortunately, today I will not be posting the EXACT recipe of Ras El Hanout for one simple reason - I don't have it. Even if I do succeed to find out the precious list of the secret ingredients, all of which could be purchased individually, freshly ground and mixed, I will never be able to figure out the amounts of each individual herb in Rass El Hanout mixture. Once my sister told me that the secret of Ras El Hanout lies in the weight of each single herb - how much exactly you do have to put in to make the mixture. If ever you have the secret list of ingredients, the only way to come up with a duplicate is by mixing, measuring accurately, then tasting and finally comparing and you might repeat the procedure several times until you get it right. It is pretty tough to do! No thanks I prefer to continue buying my Rass El Hanout from Attar and let the Professionals do their work!

Ras El Hanout is widely appreciated by world's most famous chefs and spice experts and you just have to try it for yourself and you will see why! Make sure that you are using fresh Ras El Hanout, it tastes best when freshly ground and once you open the package, store it in an air-tight container.
Article and Photos by Mamatkamal

جْنيحاتْ الدّْجاجْ مْعَسّْلينْ/Sticky Roasted Ras El Hanout Chicken, Moroccan Style / Poulet à la Marinade de Rass El Hanout, style marocain!

2012-02-01T16:30:00.001Z

جْنيحاتْ الدّْجاجْ مْعَسّْلينْ

Recipe, and Photos by Mamatkamal

Chicken is one of my boys' favourite meat, either cooked in Tagine (Tajine) or roasted, or fried, or grilled, or whatever I can try. I often use this Ras El Hanout Sauce (Moroccan Spice Blend) to marinate chicken wings or drumsticks.

Ras El Hanout Sauce creates a sticky glaze whilst cooking in the hot oven and when cooked, the chicken pieces turns out so beautifully brown and crispy. They taste delicious and can be served with all types of vegetables, couscous, rice, etc... The excess sauce goes perfectly with the side dish and eat with your fingers! Enjoy.

Ingredients:

-About 800 gr of chicken wings / Environ 800 gr d'ailes de poulet

-Ras El Hanout Marinade / Marinade de Rass El Hanout!

Click below for recipe / Cliquez ci-dessous pour la recette

Ras El Hanout Marinade For Chicken / Marinade de Rass El Hanout Pour Poulet!

-Some toasted sesame seeds or flaked almonds / Quelques graines de sésame ou bien d’amandes effilées, grillées

Method / Préparation:

1-First trim the chicken wings. Cut it into three (3) sections: Cut off the tips of the wings with a sharp knife and using a kitchen shears, snip the other part into two pieces. Discard wing tip section and keep the little drumstick and the little wing. / Avec un couteau, couper l'aile de poulet en trois (3) sections: couper le bout des ailes et les jeter, puis avec une paire de ciseaux, couper les ailes en deux en les séparant à l'articulation, ainsi vous aurez une partie aileron et une partie pilon.

These are the little drumstick and the little wing / Voici la partie aileron et la partie pilon

2.Rinse chicken pieces, pat dry with paper towels. / Laver les morceaux de poulet et éponger-les avec un essuie-tout.

3-Place the chicken pieces in a large, shallow dish. Pour over marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 2 hours, but the longer, the better! / Placez les morceaux de poulet dans un grand saladier profond, puis verser la marinade dessus et mélanger pour bien enrober les morceaux de poulet. Couvrir et laisser mariner au moins 2 heures au réfrigérateur en tournant de temps à autre pour bien imbiber les 2 côtés. Plus on laisse mariner, mieux c'est!

4-Preheat oven at 180°C fan / or 200°C / or 392°F / or gas mark 6 / Préchauffer le four à 180°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 200°C / ou 392°F / ou 6 th.

5- Cover a baking dish with aluminum foil as the sugar tends to caramelize while baking. Spread wings and the sauce over the base. Roast uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Turn the wings half way through the baking (after about 20 minutes). / Il vaut mieux couvrir un plat allant au four avec du papier aluminium sachant que la sauce va caraméliser pendant la cuisson. Disposer les ailes de poulet ainsi que la sauce sur la plaque. Faire rôtir à découvert pendant 35 jusqu'à 40 minutes. Vous pouvez aisément tourner les ailes de poulet à la mi-cuisson (après environ 20 minutes de cuisson).

6-Still hot, sprinkle some toasted sesame seeds or flaked almonds on the chicken wings and serve. / Saupoudrer les ailerons encore chauds de graines de sésame ou bien d’amandes effilées, grillées. Servir.

7-Enjoy! Bssa7a w ra7a!
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شرمولة راس الحانوت/Ras El Hanout Marinade For Chicken / Marinade de Rass El Hanout Pour Poulet!

2012-02-01T16:30:00.000Z

شرمولة راس الحانوت

Recipe and Photos by Mamatkamal
If you like sweet and savoury meat, this Ras El Hanout marinade is perfect. It is easy to make, tasty to eat, and fits perfectly the taste of the the roasted chicken wings or drumsticks.

For about 800 gr chicken wings or 8 chicken drumsticks / Marinade pour environ 800 gr d'ailes de poulet ou 8 pilons de poulet

Note:   If you use drumsticks, make 3 small incisions all over them, this will help them soak up the marinade. / Si vous utilisez les pilons de poulet, faire 3 petites incisions pour bien faire pénétrer la marinade dans la chair de poulet.
Ingredients:

-5 ml (1 teaspoon)  Ras El Hanout, Moroccan spice blend / 5 ml (1 c à thé ou à café) de Ras El Hanout, épices marocaines

-Some salt / Un peu de sel

-30 ml honey / 30 ml de miel

-30 ml olive oil / 30 ml d'huile d'olive

-1 tablespoon brown sugar / 1 c à soupe de sucre brun

Method / Préparation:

Combine all the ingredients in medium bowl until well mixed.  Place the chicken pieces in a large, shallow dish. Pour over marinade and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 2 hours, but the longer, the better! / Mélanger tous les ingrédients ensemble. Placez les morceaux de poulet dans un grand saladier profond, puis verser la marinade dessus et mélanger pour bien enrober les morceaux de poulet. Couvrir et laisser mariner au moins 2 heures au réfrigérateur en tournant de temps à autre pour bien imbiber les 2 côtés. Plus on laisse mariner, mieux c'est!

N.B. For sweeter version,  double the amount of brown sugar and honey set down in this recipe. / Pour une version plus sucrée, doubler les mesures du miel et du sucre brun.

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عجينة كعب الغزال / Dough for Moroccan Sweet Pastries / Pâte Pour Pâtisseries Marocaines!

2012-01-23T23:10:00.000Z

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
This is a dough made from a few ingredients and is widely used in Morocco to make sweet pastries, especially Moroccan Kâab al-ghazal or Kâaba = الكَعْبَة أَوْ كعب الغزال. The most important part of making this, is the kneading and the rolling of the dough. It is amazing how a small ball of this dough could be stretched thin and thinner that you could "read the newspaper through it"! . I can still remember my mother who in minutes could roll this magic dough around the rolling pin and spin out a THIN sheet of this dough that almost covered our large family table. She could not give any exact measurements of ingredients, she relied on her eyes.

This dough should be stiffer and drier than normal bread dough, however it should be moist enough so that the rest of the ingredients will be well blended. Don't add too much water; for this typical dough, a little too dry is better than too wet and sticky. Add extra cold water only if the dough is really too stiff and you can't get all the dry ingredient incorporated. Since the dough is quite stiff, it will be difficult to knead it at the beginning, but just keep kneading and you will notice the consistency of the dough changing gradually, and becoming smooth. Kneading should take at least 30 minutes and if you decide not to knead the dough long enough, it will be tough and break apart easily.

The rest period is as important as the kneading, to let the gluten relax, so it is necessary to let the dough rest to get a more malleable dough.

Ingredients :

Note: The dough obtained was divided into 5 balls, weighing about 110 gr each. / Avec ces mesures, j'ai eu 5 boules, chacune pesant presque 110 gr.

-450 to 500 gr sifted white flour known in Morocco as "Force or Forsse" / 450 à 500 gr de farine blanche tamisée connue sous le nom de "Force ou Forsse" au Maroc

-3 medium egg yolks / 3 jaunes d'oeuf

-1 teaspoon salt / 1 c à thé ou à café de sel

-60 ml honey / 60 ml de miel

-1 tablespoon caster sugar / 1 c à soupe de sucre semoule

-1 tablespoon sunflower oil / 1 c à soupe de l'huile de tournesol

-140 ml melted and clarified butter / 140 ml du beurre fondu et clarifié

-90 ml orange water / 90 ml de l'eau de fleur d'oranger

-About 50 to 70 ml cold water / Environ 50 à 70 ml de l'eau froide

N.B. To bring out the flavor even more, add pinch of ground cinnamon and gum arabic. / Rajouter une pincée de cannelle moulue et gomme arabique pour rehausser encore plus le goût.

Method / Préparation:

1-To make this home-made pastry dough the old-fashioned way, put the sifted flour on a Kasriya or a large bowl, make a well or hole in the center, then add all the ingredients except water and orange water. Mixing all the ingredients together, then add slowly the liquid. Form the mixture into a ball of dough and knead for about 30 minutes or until the dough is smooth and slightly malleable. Form a ball and then place it in a container. Cover loosely but thoroughly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight, or for 8 hours. For those who have a Kitchen Aid Machine or any other type of Electric Kneaders, the process is simple and I don't think any further explanation is required. However, it is recommended to knead the dough with your hands for a few minutes even if you choose to use an electric machine. / Pour préparer cette pâte à l'ancienne, placer la farine tamisée dans une Kasriya ou un grand bol, faire un puits au centre, puis ajouter tous les ingrédients sauf l'eau et l'eau de fleur d'oranger, puis mélanger tous les ingredients ensemble, en ajoutant graduellement de l'eau et l'eau de fleur d'oranger. Continuer ainsi jusqu' à obtention d'une boule de pâte, puis commencer à pétrir avec les mains pendant environ 30 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit lisse et légèrement souple. Formez une boule, bien couvrir avec un film alimentaire et et laisser au réfrigérateur toute une nuit ou pendant 8 heures. Pour celles et ceux qui ont un Kitchen Aid ou tout autre type de pétrin électrique, le processus est bien simple et nécessite aucune explication. Pourtant, il est recommandé de pétrir la pâte avec les mains quelques minutes même si vous décidiez d'utiliser la machine

2-Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes. Knead the "rested" dough for 8 to 10 minutes before using it. / Retirer la pâte du réfrigérateur, puis laisser reposer à température ambiante pendant 30 à 45 minutes. Pétrir la pâte de nouveau pendant 8 à 10 minutes avant de l'utiliser.

3-The dough can be divided into small plastic bags and frozen until needed. / Diviser la pâte en petits sacs de congélation, puis congeler pour utilisation ultérieure.

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عَقْدَةْ اللّوز/Homemade Almond Paste Moroccan Style / Pâte d'Amandes A la Marocaine!

2012-01-19T16:49:00.000Z

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
Almonds are the most commonly used nuts in Morocco and where would Moroccan pastry be without them? The almonds, either whole or sliced or toasted or fried or ground with skin on, or blanched, are a staple in Moroccan dishes, as well as dessert pastes.

Almond and amlou paste are food pastes made from ground, dry almonds, and both versions are very popular in Morocco. Amlou Paste = أَمْلُو uses ground, dry almonds with skin on, all mixed with Argan oil and pure honey. Whereas, the almond paste, known in Moroccan language as "3a9dat Louz" = (عَقْدَةْ اللّوز), uses ground, dry, blanched almonds (skin off), and it is widely used as a filling in most moroccan pastries.

This is an other post, as with most of my mother's recipes, will bring back such good memories and will conjure up "oh-my" sweet childhood memories! Making homemade almond paste is something that I grew up on. My mother was an almond pastes fanatic, but she could not stand store-bought version. She actually used to make her own almond paste every Spring, and this is the time she always chose to make flats and flats of homemade almond and amlou pastes. I remember helping her making those lovely classic pastes, grinding gum arabic, kneading the amlou paste and laughing at silly family jokes. She would always let me put in the flavours, or add butter or honey to the mixture. I desperately wanted to help and be her indispensable cook apprentice and it was such a great time to spend with her. I am thankful for that to this day and I try to do similar things for my lovely boys too.

I also remember that special smells that filled the house as almond and amlou pastes approached or passed. I could definitely tell she put a lot of heart into every batch she made. Then she put the pastes in glass jars and used them when her time allowed it! The very best thing of this whole day of preparation and storing, is opening those store cupboards to get a new jar of amlou paste for our breakfast! Those amlou jars were something out of this world, I still remember that taste and nothing ever compares! I loved her special amlou paste as much as I miss her!

Amlou paste is actually used as a spread or tartinade for breakfast, whereas almond paste is stored to be used in filling pastries. It has such a delicate and wonderful taste when used in in Kâab Lghzal, called in France "Cornes de gazelle" and anglicised as "Gazelle's Ankles". The almond paste is also stored to be used in biscuits, Krachel, Mssaman, Briwat Louz, cakes, bread, stuffed dates (only the version without egg white), and other preparations.

My mothers' almond paste ratio is (1 part blanched ground almond : 1/2 part icing sugar), and make sure to use only pure icing sugar because the other type has cornflour in it. For my mother's recipe, she used volume measures, in particular "soup bowl or tea glass", and her recipe calls for a large amount of almonds, but this time I used only 1 kg of whole almonds.

Definitively, it is much better to make our own homemade almond paste than buying the one of grocery store kind that comes in a tube, and which has probably been sitting on the grocery shelves for some time. The homemade almond paste has that sweet neutral taste, and its nutritional benefits are just a few to name. First, ours comes from 100% organic freshly ground almonds and it tastes really good! Second, it is much more flavourful, with whatever flavour you decide to add in. Third, we know exactly what's going in and we are sure that the ingredients in our home-made paste are free from those weird preservatives or any chemicals or artificial process enhancers etc.... Finally, it is less expensive, since we all know that almond paste is so expensive, while almonds themselves are not that high. So I think instead of wasting our time, asking where to buy a cheap quality almond paste, it is better to start making ours.

Marzipan, which also includes blanched ground almond and icing sugar should not be confused with this almond paste recipe. For those of you who are wondering what is the difference between the two is that almond paste has less sugar and for the Moroccan version, it is pliable with gum arabic, orange flower water and ground cinnamon and egg white (Except for almond paste used for stuffed dates, it is egg white free). Other versions use vanilla or almond extract or other flavours commonly added to almond paste.

Marzipan, on the other hand, is made with a higher ratio of sugar to ground almonds. In fact it contains more sugar than ground almond and is made of cooked finely ground almonds, mixed with sugar, and water. It is too sweet and firmer than almond paste but still remains pliable. Different flavours are combined to obtain the final intended flavour.

You can make special varieties with different flavours by replacing all or some of the almonds with peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, cashew, chestnut, pecan, pistachio, sesame seeds, pinenut or other types of nuts. Almond paste can be keep at room temperature for 2 weeks, or in the fridge for 1 month, or in the freezer for much longer.

Gum arabic (مسْكة حُرّة)

Cinnamon (قرفة )

Ingredients:

-Whole almonds / Amandes entières

-Powdered sugar or icing sugar or confectioners' sugar / Du sucre glace ou sucre impalpable ou sucre en poudre ou sucre à glacer ou sucre pulvérisé

Note: Measurements of almonds and icing sugar are mentioned below. First you'll have to measure the almond powder which will determine the quantity of icing sugar to add in. / Les mesures d'amandes et sucre glace sont mentionnées ci-dessous. Il faut mesurer d'abord la poudre d’amande (et non pas les amandes entières) pour savoir combien de sucre glace à ajouter (Lire l’introduction ci-haut de cet article)

-1 medium sized egg white / 1 blanc d'oeuf de taille moyenne

-1/2 tablespoon of caster sugar (Sanida) / 1/2 c à soupe de sucre semoule (Sanida)

-60 ml orange water / 60 ml de l'eau de fleur d'oranger

-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de cannelle moulue

-Pinch of gum arabic (Maska Hora) / Une pincée de gomme arabique (Maska 7ora)

-60 ml melted and clarified butter / 60 ml du beurre fondu et clarifié

-Pinch of salt / Une pincée de sel

Method / Préparation:

1-First you need to blanch the almonds. / Faire blanchir les amandes.

HERE IS THE RECIPE / ICI LA RECETTE

2-Use a mortar and pestle to crush gum arabic crystals. Mix the caster sugar with the grains of gum arabic, then grind them together into a fine powder. Sift the obained powder to get rid of any clumping. It is important to grind gum arabic with caster sugar to prevent it sticking together. You can also use the back of a spoon or the bottom of a heavy glass or mug to crush gum arabic. Set aside until needed. / Ecraser au mortier les grains de gomme arabique avec le sucre semoule puis tamiser la poudre obtenue. Il est important d'écraser la gomme arabique avec du sucre pour que les grains ne se collent pas ensemble. Vous pouvez aussi utiliser le dos d'une cuillère ou le fond d'un verre ou une tasse lourde pour écraser la gomme arabique. Laisser de côté.

3-You can use the coffee bean grinder for coffee beans, then process until smooth. The traditional recipe uses a mincer (also known as a hachoir) to grind the blanched almonds. / Pour moudre les amandes blanchies, vous pouvez utiliser un moulin à café électrique. La recette traditionnelle fait moudre les amandes blanchies dans un hachoir pour la viande.

4-First, you have to measure the almond powder (I had about 600 gr), then add half amount of confectioners' sugar (I added about 300 gr), then add gum arabic, clarified butter, salt, cinnamon, egg white and orange water, then process until smooth. / Il faut mesurer la poudre d'amande d'abord (J'ai eu environ 600 gr), puis ajouter la moitié de la quantité de sucre glace (J'ai mis environ 300 gr), puis ajouter la gomme arabique, blanc d'oeuf, cannelle, sel, et l'eau de fleur d'oranger, puis faire moudre tous les ingrédients ensemble jusqu'à consistance lisse.

5-Transfer the almond mixture to a big bowl or Kassriya, then knead well, using your hands. This will take about 5 to 8 minutes. The texture of the paste should be smooth. / Transférer la pâte d'amande dans un grand bol ou Kassriya, puis bien pétrir avec les mains. Ceci prendra entre 5 jusqu' à 8 minutes. La texture de la pâte doit être lisse.

Note: You will notice that the paste is very sticky which is normal, so you will need to oil lightly your hands while kneading it. / Vous remarquerez que la pâte est bien collante, ce qui est normal, ainsi vous devriez huiler légèrement vos mains sur les deux faces durant le pétrissage pour faciliter la tâche.

6- Divide almond paste into small portions, roll each portion into a sausage shape and store them in airtight containers. The prepared almond paste can be refrigerated for up to 1 month and can be frozen for several months. / Diviser la pâte d'amande en petites portions, rouler chacune sous forme de saucisse, puis transférer dans des contenants hermétiques. La pâte d'amande préparée peut être réfrigérée pour un maximum de 1 mois et peut être congelée pendant plusieurs mois.
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خبز بالزيتون الكْحْلْ/Black Olive Bread Moroccan Style / Pain Aux Olives Noires à la Marocaine!

2011-12-22T15:18:00.011Z

خبز بالزيتون الكْحْلْ

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal
THIS bread, though I always serve it with Camembert or with nice hot soup, it is in fact so delicious on its own. When served as grilled cheese sandwich, this delicately flavoured bread is a dinner in itself! I don't usually eat lots of bread before a meal but I actually ate 4 grilled slices with cheese by myself before even starting the dinner. I was stuffed!

It tasted delicious while still warm from my oven, the rich smell filled my house and it looked great too! I think the black olives combined with thyme, olive oil, and cumin seeds was what really brought out this bread unique flavour, and with the adding of fine semolina, it gave it a nice texture and a nice look.

Next time, I'm looking forward to trying this with part cornflour and part fine semolina, folding in some grated Mozzarella and maybe even some raisins. It may sound strange, but this combination works really well. I tried it several times while making some biscuits/crackers and discovered how tasty the two ingredients (black olives and raisins) are, when paired together. I can only imagine how nice this would be in a bread!

I’m submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a blog devoted to yeast bread food. Please check it out!

Here is the recipe / Voici la recette:

This recipe yields 1 medium bread / Pour 1 pain moyen
Preparation Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 30 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 3 h 00 minutes / Repos : 3 h 00 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 45 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 45 minutes

Prepare the filling / Préparer la farce:

-1/2 medium onion, chopped / 1/2 oignon de taille moyenne, haché

-2 garlic cloves, crushed / 2 gousses d'ail hachées

-3 tablespoons pitted black olives, chopped finely / 3 c à soupe d'olives noires, dénoyautées hachées finement

-1 to 2 teaspoon dried thyme / 1 à 2 c à thé ou à café de thym séché

-1 tablespoon fresh coriander and parsley leaves, chopped / 1 c à soupe de coriande et persil frais hachés

-30 ml olive oil / 30 ml d'huile d'olive

-1 teaspoon  cumin seeds / 1 c à thé ou à café de graines de cumin

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-Pinch ground black pepper / Une pincée de poivre noir moulu

-1 teaspoon Sodaniya powder (known as soudaniya ghobra in Morocco) or use red chilli powder / 1 c à thé ou à café de Sodaniya poudre (qu'on appelle soudaniya ghobra au Maroc) ou utilisez chilli en poudre

1-Over medium heat, in a pan, sprinkle the oil and once hot, add onions, garlic and salt, then saute them for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently until onions and garlic are soft. Add all spices, olives, parsley/coriander, then stir well and remove immediately from heat. Set aside. / Sur un feu moyen, dans une casserole ou une poêle ou autre récipient similaire, verser l'huile puis laisser chauffer un peu. Ajouter l'ail, l'oignon et sel , puis faire sauter pendant 2 à  3 minutes, en remuant fréquemment jusqu'à ce que l' oignon et l'ail soient tendres. Ajouter toutes les épices, les olives, persil /coriandre, puis bien mélanger le tout. Retirer immédiatement du feu et réserver de côté.

Ingredients for the dough  / Ingrédients pour la pâte :

-100 gr plain flour / 100 gr farine tout usage

-150 gr hard unbleached flour all puprose or fine semolina / 150 gr de farine de blé dur non blanchi ou semoule très fine

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-30 ml olive oil / 30 ml d'huile d'olive

-5 gr yeast, dried. I used instant yeast, but you might use fresh yeast or other type of yeast as well / 5 gr de levure boulangère sèche. J'ai mis la levure instantanée mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser la levure fraîche ou autres

-About 130 ml warm water / Environ 130 ml d'eau tiède

-1 tablespoon honey / 1 c à soupe de miel

-30 ml Khmira Baldiya known as Sourdough Starter or Le levain traditionnel / 30 ml de Khmira Baldiya, qui est le Levain traditionnel ou Sourdough Starter.

Method / Préparation:

1-Put the flours and salt in a kasriya or a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast, honey, oil and starter, then mix well with your hands, adding gradually warm water. Mix well to a soft dough and knead with hands for about 15 to 20 minutes or until smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it turns out too sticky to work with, just add some flour and keep kneading. If the dough feels a bit stiff, work in additional water, small quantity at a time and keep kneading. / Dans une kasriya ou un grand bol, mélanger les 2 farines et sel, puis faire une fontaine au milieu, ajouter la levure, miel, l'huile et levain, puis bien mélanger avec les mains en ajoutant graduellement de l'eau tiède pour former une pâte . Bien pétrir pendant environ 15 à 20 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que la pâte soit bien souple et lisse mais pas collante. Si elle est collante, ajouter un peu de farine et continuer à pétrir, mais si elle est dure, ajouter un peu de l'eau et pétrir de nouveau quelques minutes.

2-Cover the dough and allow to rest for 1 hour. / Couvrir la pâte et laisser reposer pendant 1 heure.

3-Gently punch the dough down to release any air bubbles, then add the onion sauce, and mix until the whole ingredients are evenly distributed. Cover and leave it to rest for another 1 hour. / Dégaser délicatement la pâte, ajouter la sauce d'oignon, puis bien mélanger pour distribuer également tous les ingrédients. Couvrir et laisser reposer environ 1 heure.

4-Roll out dough into 1 round about 20 to 22 cm in diameter and about 1.5 cm thick, dusting generously the top of bread with fine semolina. / Etaler la pâte en 1 disque d'environ 20 à 22 cm de diamètre sur une épaisseur de 1.5 cm environ, en saupoudrant généreusement la surface du pain de la semoule fine.

5-Transfer the bread to a slightly greased or floured bread baking sheet. Cover with a clean, dry cloth and let it rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour. / Transférer le pain sur une plaque allant au four légerement huilée ou farinée. Couvrir avec un torchon propre et sec. Laisser reposer entre 45 minutes à 1 heure.

6-Preheat oven at 220°C fan / or 240°C / or 475°F / or gas mark 9. / Préchauffer le four à 220°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 240°C / ou 475°F / ou 9 th.

7-Make slashes or poke the bread with a fork or knife. / Faire des incisions ou piquer avec une fourchette ou couteau.

8-Bake the bread for about 40 to 45 minutes or until it’s golden brown./ Cuire le pain pendant 40 à 45 minutes ou jusqu'à qu'il soit bien doré.

9-Transfer the cooked bread to a rack to cool. / Laisser refroidir le pain sur une grille après la cuisson.

10-Store the cooked bread between kitchen towels to keep warm./ Couvrir le pain avec un torchon propre pour les garder au chaud.

11-Enjoy! / Bssa7a w ra7a!

For more recipes of the same category :
Moroccan Bread/Pancakes/Buns/Brioches/Crêpes etc...

How To Blanch Almonds And The Almond Blossom Festival of Tafraout! / Blanchir des Amandes Entières et Festival Annuel à Tafraout!

2011-11-28T20:45:00.000Z

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
Moroccans are famously hospitable and their love for their country and for its stunningly beautiful nature is reflected in the celebration of several Annual Festivals in the country such as : The Rose Festival, Gnawa Festival Of Essaouira , Popular Arts Festival Of Marrakech , The Imichil Marriage Festival, The Erfoud Date Festival, The Almond Blossom Festival of Tafraout etc.....

The Almond Blossom Festival is one of those special annual events in the Kingdom, celebrated in the second week of February, at The Tafraout Valley (تفراوت ), where almond-trees grow in abundance in the wild there, and reign supremely. Tafrouat is known as the Morocco's Almond Capital, and it is an Amazigh Village, located in the South of Morocco (Souss-Chlouh of the South-Swassa). It is a great friendly picturesque place, with its spectacular rock formation, typical buildings, and prolific almond blossoms to be seen all around the place. Tafraout is such a place, where the most attractive nature spots are to be found, combining a fascinating South-Amazigh culture with a range of outdoor activities, well suited to the more adventurous tourists. This beautiful place has recently attracted a great number of tourists from all around the world, offering many fascinating travel opportunities to the wild Nature/Sahara loving tourists.

The almond trees are native to the Mediterranean region, especially, in Morocco, Spain, Italy, etc... and although almonds are available throughout the year, yet the most fresh almonds are to be found during the period between mid and late spring, which is the height of their season. There are two varieties of almonds : Sweet and Bitter ones. The sweet almonds (Especially the traditional organic ones, which are smaller but they are famous for their unusual and unique flavour, called in Moroccan Language "Louz Lbaldi" = "اللوز البلدي "), are used extensively in Moroccan cuisine, in various pastries, cookies, biscuits, Amlou, almond paste etc... and are consumed plain, fried, or roasted etc.... while the bitter almonds are cultivated purely for their valuable cosmetics purposes.

Many Moroccan specialities call for blanched almonds, which means simply almonds without the skin, nothing else! Blanching almonds is not a complex process and it does not take very long. All you need is to blanch almonds with boiling water, but make sure not to cook them. Time is very crucial, stay with the pot. It seems that toasting almonds before using in recipes intensifies their flavour and adds crunch and they are best stored in the freezer in airtight plastic bags or containers.

Almonds, as other nuts, appear to be cardio-protective, so if you love your heart, go Almonds! However, it is recommended to remove the skin of almonds before eating. Several Scientific Researches have indicated that almond skins have a high concentration of tannic acid, which may interfere with the body's uptake of iron. However, if you want to eat just a handful, then you do not really need to skin them.
Method / Preparation:

1-Bring some water to a boil, no need to measure exactly how many milliliters of water, but just make sure the water covers all the almonds. / Dans une casserole ou autres, faire bouillir de l’eau. Pas besoin de mesurer la quantité de l'eau, il faut juste s'assurer que les amandes soient bien couvertes de l'eau.

2-Once the water starts to boil, add almonds and allow to boil for 1 minute, no longer. If you leave them longer in the water, almonds will be cooked, then get soggy and lose all their crispness. / Dès que l'eau commence à bouillir, y jeter les amandes, et laisser bouillir pendant 1 minute, pas plus. Surtout ne pas laisser cuire trop longtemps, sinon les amandes risquent de devenir du caoutchouc et moins croustillantes.

3-Remove from heat and immediately drain the almonds in a colander/strainer. / Retirer immédiatement du feu et les égoutter.

4-Plunge the almonds into cold water or ice water to stop the process of cooking. / Placez dans l'eau de glace ou tout simplement dans l'eau froide pour arrêter la cuisson .

5-Drain and remove the skin by pinching each almond between your thumb and index finger. You will notice the skin sliding right off the almond. / Egoutter de nouveau, puis presser chacune des amandes entre le pouce et l'index pour faire glisser la peau.

6-Dry the almonds in an oven at low heat, turning the almonds occasionally until they are dry and crisp. Use according to the recipe. Note: In some recipes, you'll have to dry the blanched almonds without browning them as on the first picture below but in other recipes, you'll have to use them lightly browned as on the second picture below./ Sécher les amandes au four à température minimum et remuer-les de temps en temps. Utiliser selon les directives de la recette. Attention: Quelques recettes exigent que les amandes blanchies soient séchées mais toujours en gardant leur couleur blanche comme sur la 1ere photo ci-dessous, par contre d'autres recettes exigents qu'elles soient légèrement dorées comme sur la 2eme photo ci-dessous.

White dried blanched almonds / Amandes blanchies blanches, séchées

Blanched dried, lightly browned almonds / Amandes blanchies légèrement dorées

الغلمي بالحامظ وْ الزّعْفْرانْ/Moroccan Lamb with Preserved Lemon, Saffron and Olives /Moroccan Stew/Agneau au Citron Confit, Safran et Olives à la Marocaine!

2011-11-27T19:36:00.018Z

الغلمي بالحامظ وْ الزّعْفْرانْ

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
Lamb goes beautifully with the preserved lemon, garlic and onions in this lovely stew. If you like the melt-in-the-mouth meat that falls off the bone, you will absolutely like this dish. Even though we call it "Slow-Cooked Lamb", it does not mean an all-day cooking dish. It is rather one pot-meal and with less washing-up to do. All you need is few ingredients and few steps whose whole total cooking time is about 5 hours and let it go, emitting wonderful smells into your house.

This recipe is a Moroccan classic, a slow cooked lamb with a lot of onions, garlic, preserved lemon and fresh coriander/parsley. Everything is cooked together, thus allowing all the ingredients and flavours to meld and complement each other.

I remember when I was 16, my mother asked me what I wanted for my birthday supper, and she was expecting my answer would be some sort of junk food meals, but I actually asked her to make "Mrouziya" or "Mrouzia", an other Moroccan classic, a slow cooked lamb (sweet version), prepared with a delicious sauce made of caramelised onions, raisins, honey, and when the meat is ready, it is served with fried almonds. My mother smiled warmly in return and she prepared the most delicious Mrouziya I've ever tasted. I was not surprised, knowing that my mother was an adventurous cook who knew a lot about cooking all types of meat, using the best combinations for bringing out amazing flavour of it. This has definitively something to do with growing up at a time where people buy their meat from local farms or butchers instead of supermarkets.

This Moroccan classic talks "Tender" and traditionally, the meat is cooked over a charcoal brazier what we call in Morocco "Majmar" or " Kanoun". I braised these pieces of meat for about 5 hours and I have returned to my charcoal roots and cooked the lamb on a "Kanoun", because I strongly believe that when it comes to real flavour, nothing can beat cooking over charcoal. However, to reflect the demands made by a busy law practice, this dish could be cooked VERY slowly, on gas stove or in the oven on a low heat or even in a pressure cooker which will reduce the time by half. The slow cooking time is essential in this recipe, during which the connective tissue softens and gelatinises, and when served the meat becomes fall-apart tender.

I have seared and browned the outer, lean surface of the meat pieces, at a high temperature which helps to develop flavour through caramelisation, creating a very tasty meat. However if you skip the browning step, I think you will still have a nice colour and texture of the outside due to the time in the slow cooker.

You can serve this meat with steamed couscous, or steamed rice, or other salads, or you could easily serve it with some vegetables such as roasted carrots or potatoes or parsnips or turnips or courgettes, etc... I think lamb made this way is easy, relatively inexpensive, and if surprisingly, you get any leftovers, use it for for lamb sandwiches. So delicious! The preparation and cooking can be done ahead, meaning you need just a few minutes to heat and serve your meal. It can be served on large platters to share, or as individual portions.

Now I have to talk about one of the most controversial subjects in our kitchen: Do you wash your meat or not? There has been much written on this little detail and I have received so many e-mails asking me why do I wash my meat? Sorry if I don't have enough time to answer every e-mail. I personally always rinse my meat, fish, seafood, chicken and the reason why I do that is that my mother did it, so I do it, too. Most of my friends do not rinse their meat and told me it's not good to rinse it! But having been around some butcher blocks, this just confirms to me that I have to continue rinsing my meat that I would eat and serve to my family. I do not trust the basic hygiene sense at the block butchers, and other things that touches it. When I buy my meat I cannot ask if the butcher block table has been maintained properly according to high standard of hygiene and cleanliness to prevent the growth of bacteria. Having said that, I will continue rinsing my meat, and the world continues to turn and my roof has not been struck by lightning or by any unpredictable phenomenon!

Here is my mother's recipe!

Serves 7 people / Pour 7 personnes
Preparation Time: 0 h 15 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 h 00 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 5 h 00 minutes

Ingredients:

-1/2 medium sized preserved lemon, pulp and rind, finely minced / 1/2 citron confit de taille moyenne, peau et pulpe hachés finement

-4 medium onions, finely chopped / 4 oignons de taille moyenne, hachés finement

-About 2 kgs lamb meat, cut into 7 to 8 cm pieces. Ask your butcher to do it for you. / Environ 2 kgs de viande d'agneau coupée en 7 à 8 cm. Demandez au boucher de le faire pour vous.

-6 garlic cloves, finely chopped / 6 gousses d'ail hachées finement

-3 tablespoons fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 3 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées finement

-1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de poivre blanc moulu

-Pinch of ground black pepper / Une pincée de poivre noir moulu

-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de gingembre moulu

-1/2 teaspoon Khar9oum L'baldi or turmeric / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de Khar9oum L'baldi ou curcuma

-Pinch pure saffron or safran threads (Since heat releases saffron's flavor essence and so to extract the best flavour out of it, always warm it gently in the frying pan (with no oil) for about 3 minutes, stiring frequentley, then still warm, crush it to a powder either with your hands or with the mortar and pestle) / Une petite dosette de safran pur (Pour que le safran puisse dégager et conserver mieux son arôme, chauffer légèrement à sec les filaments de safran pendant environ 3 minutes en remuant constamment, ensuite, moudre les filaments dans un mortier ou dans le creux de la main).

-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil / 4 c à soupe d'huile d'olive extra-virgin

-1 tablespoon of Oudi (If you wish you can use Sman Har or simply butter) / 1 c à soupe d'Oudi (Si vous voulez, utilisez du Sman Har ou tout simplement du beurre)

Recette d'Oudi ou Sman ou Smen Lbaldi de la région de Souss du Maroc

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-3 tablespoons green olives /3 c à soupe d'olives vertes

-1/2 preserved lemon (L'hamd or L'7amd mssayer). Rind only, cut lengthways into thin strips / 1/2 de citron confit (L'hamd ou L'7amd mssayer). Ne gardez que la peau, puis couper-la en fines lanières

-About 100 ml hot water / Environ 100 ml de l'eau chaude

Method / Préparation:

1-Rinse the meat and dry with paper towels. / Laver les morceaux de la viande et éponger-les avec un essuie-tout.

For any questions regarding rinsing the meat, please read my answer in the introduction of this post. Thank you! / Pour toutes questions concernant le lavage de la viande, veuillez lire mon point de vue ci-haut. Merci!

2-Use a heavy aluminium bottomed pot or cast iron skillet or sauce pan, they are all ideal for slow cooking because they allow an even heat distribution which results in uniform cooking. / Il vaut mieux utiliser une grande marmite ou casserole à fond épais en aluminium ou les pots au feu, puisqu'ils sont idéals pour une cuisson lente. Ils permettent une répartition homogène de la chaleur qui se traduit par une cuisson uniforme.

3-Pour oil into the pot, add Oudi and salt, then heat over medium-high heat. If you use a big pot, be sure to add enough oil. / Verser l'huile dans la marmite, ajouter Oudi et le sel, puis chauffer à feu moyen-vif. Si vous utilisez un trop grand pot, ajouter plus de l'huile.

4-When the oil is hot, add meat without overcrowding. Then brown the meat on both sides./ Lorsque l'huile est chaude, ajouter les morceaux de viande (Ne pas trop serrer les morceaux), puis les faire dorer de deux côtés.

5-Reduce heat to medium and add the onion and garlic, then let it cook uncovered, stirring frequently until light brown./ Réduire à feu moyen, puis ajouter l'oignon et l'ail et laisser cuire à découvert, en remuant fréquemment jusqu'à ce qu'ils soient légèrement dorés.

6-At this stage, I placed my pot over a charcoal brazier what we call in Morocco "Majmar" or " Kanoun" to continue its cooking. If you don't have one, just reduce heat to low and let cook. / Rendant à cette étape, j'ai alors placé ma marmite sur un brasier qu'on appelle au maroc "Majmar" ou "Kanoun" pour continuer sa cuisine. Pas de brasier, pas de problème! Il vous suffit de baisser le feu au minimum et laisser cuire doucement.

7-Add all spices, chopped preserved lemon, coriander, parsley then stir./ Ajouter toutes les épices, citron confit haché, coriandre et persil hachés puis remuer le tout.

8-Add water, cover then let cook slowly. / Ajouter de l'eau, couvrir puis faire cuire doucement et lentement.

9-During the slow cooking process, try not to touch that lid, unless you want to check the sauce level. You can then add about 30 ml to 40 ml of hot water at a time if needed. Remember each glimpse allows for significant heat to escape and eventually adding more extra-minutes to the cooking time. / Pendant le processus de cuisson lente, surtout ne soulevez pas le couvercle pour remuer. Chaque fois que vous soulevez le couvercle, la chaleur s'échappe et le temps de cuisson doit être prolongée de quelques minutes de plus. Il faut soulever le couvercle uniquement pour vérifier le niveau de la sauce, puis ajouter environ 30 ml à 40 ml de l'eau chaude.

10-After 5 hours of slow cooking, you may need to adjust the seasoning and remove any excess fat from the sauce with a spoon and discard. By this time the meat should be meltingly soft and tender. This is a beautiful, nice and tasty soft meat, really well worth the effort! / Après 5 heures de cuisson lente, vous aurez peut-être besoin d'ajuster l'assaisonnement ou de retirer l'excès de graisse de la sauce avec une cuillère. Piquez la viande et elle doit être tendre et délicieuse, ça en vaut vraiment le coup!

N.B.: Ten minutes before end of cooking, add the olives and place the rind of the preserved lemon on top of the meat. / Dix minutes avant la fin de la cuisson, ajouter les olives et placer la peau de citron confit sur la viande.

11-Carefully move the meat to a serving dish. Traditionally, it is served with some French fries on top of the meat. Transfer the remaining of fries to invidual plates or bowls./ Placer la viande soigneusement sur un plat de service. Traditionnellement, ce plat est servi avec des frites françaises sur le dessus de la viande, puis servir le reste des frites dans d'autres petites assietes individuelles.

12-Enjoy! Bssa7a w ra7a!

مدفونة تافلالت/Madfouna of Rissani (Region of Tafilalt) or Amazigh Flatbread or Moroccan Pizza / Madfouna de Rissani (Région de Tafilalt) ou Pain Farci des Amazighs ou Pizza Marocain

2011-10-24T18:36:00.032+01:00

Recipe, Article and Photos by Mamatkamal
There are numerous regions worth exploring in Morocco for their nature contrasts, or for their amazing landscapes or simply for their history and Tafilalt is one such place. Tafilalt is a region in the famous Ziz Valley, probably Morocco's most important Oasis, considered as a welcome relief from the dry desert, and which once was used as a passage for the caravans travelers who crossed the desert (Merzouga) to the Mediterranean Sea. The Ziz Valley hosts a small town, called Rissani, once called Sijilmassa, which is a small Oasis, such a romantic place in my opinion, and it is the capital of Tafilalt. Like many small towns in the South of Morocco, the major source of income in this place are tourists, who visit Rissani to spend a few magic days in the pre-Saharan Desert. What a place to spend a couple of nights! The place is surrounded by palm trees and huge sand dunes and I think that's why some people call it "Macca of Morocco"!

In 1996, much attention was focused on this region when Sigilmassasaurus Fossils (Tetanuran Theropod Dinosaur ) were discovered in Tafilalt, near the ancient city, once called Sijilmassa, for which this Dinosaur was named: Sigilmassasaurus = Sijilmassa is the ancient city and Saurus which means lizard.

Rissani is the foundation of the Alaouite Dynasty = العلويين , the current ruling family in Morocco. Early in the seventeenth century, the Dynasty was founded by Moulay Ali Sherif, and then Moulay Rachid (Ali Sherif's son) conquered Morocco and overthrew the Saadians = السّعديين in 1668. Everywhere I went in Tafilalt, I felt Filaliyine = الفلاليين (People of Tafilat) are fiercely proud of their lineage, proud of their heritage and of their history.

If you visit Rissani, the most popular dish to be served in most restaurants is Madfouna. They call it Madfouna or Medfouna or M'dfouna, whatever way you want to spell it, it still means the same dish which is a stuffed amazigh flatbread (often called by the tourists "Moroccan Pizza"), and which usually has a meat stuffing. Madfouna in Moroccan language means "Buried" and it is quite similar to Calzone and Sausage Rolls with either spicy meat and vegetables tucked between the crusts. There are countless variations of Madfouna:

1-The most traditional and popular base filling for Madfouna is meat, onions, almonds, eggs, and spices.

2-Vegetarian version of Madfouna contained a mixture of carrots, lentils, onions and it is very spicy. This is my hysband's favourite.

3-Then there is the 21th century Madfouna, with whatever filling you choose. I usually put chopped beef steak, onions, garlic, spices, and a lot of cheese. This is my boys' favourite!

Madfouna has become almost a weekly occurrence for us at home and my boys love it and it is surprisingly easy to make. The thing very special about Madfouna is the adding of seeds to the dough, then just before popping it in the oven, more seeds are sprinkled over the top as lightly or liberally as you like. I also love the nice and crunch texture of its crust due to the combo of semolina and all purpose flour. To make my life easier and frankly who doesn’t? I make the dough a day in advance and store it in the fridge overnight (but I put 1/2 of the yeast, indicated in my recipe below), then the following day, I just remove the dough from the fridge and allow it to warm up and rise (about 2 hours in room temperature). 2 hours give me plenty time to make my filling as well as some side dishes. Then, I assemble my Madfouna and pop it in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Boys, dinner is ready!

I’m submitting this post to Susan's Yeastspotting, a WONDERFUL BREAD BLOG devoted to yeast bread food. Please check it out!

Here is the recipe / Voici la recette

This recipe yields 2 large thin circles about 29 cm in diameter. / Pour 2 grands cercles, bien minces d'environ 29 cm de diamètre.
Preparation time for the dough: 0 h 20 minutes / Temps de préparation de la pâte : 0 h 20 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 2 h 30 / Repos : 2 h 30
Preparation time for the filling: 0 h 15 minutes / Temps de préparation de la farce : 0 h 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 h 25 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 25 minutes

Ingredients:

For the dough / Pour la pâte:

-50 gr plain flour / 50 gr farine tout usage

-150 gr hard unbleached flour all puprose or fine semolina / 150 gr de farine de blé dur non blanchi ou semoule très fine

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-2 tablespoons olive oil / 2 c à soupe d'huile d'olive

-3 gr yeast, dried. I used instant yeast, but you might use fresh yeast or other type of yeast as well, but I think you have to put more than 3 gr if the fresh yeast is used / 3 gr de levure boulangère sèche. J'ai mis la levure instantanée mais vous pouvez aussi utiliser la levure fraîche ou autres, mais je crois que vous devez mettre plus que 3 gr dans ce cas

-About 110 ml warm water / Environ 110 ml d'eau tiède

-1 tablespoons honey / 1 c à soupe de miel

-1/2 teaspoon whole green aniseeds (Green aniseeds has a very strong flavour and if you put too much of it into the dough, it will overwhelm the other flavours!) / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de graines d'anis vert entiers (Attention le goût est puissant ! Graines d'anis vert possèdent un goût assez prononcé et un parfum délicat et persistant et si vous mettez trop, elles peuvent submerger les autres saveurs!)

-1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds (These seeds are known in Moroccan Language as "Sanooj". They are also called "Black Cumin" or "Habba Sawda" / 1/2 c à thé ou à café graines de nigelle ( Qu'on appelle au Maroc "Sanouj". On les appelle aussi "Kamoun Aswad" qui veut dire "Cumin Noir" ou "Habba Sawda": Habba veut dire "Graine" et Sawda ou Aswad veut dire "Noir(e)")

Method: How to make the dough / Préparation de la pâte:

1-Put the flours and salt in a kasriya (9asria) or a large bowl, make a well in the centre and add the yeast, honey, aniseeds, poppy seeds and oil, then mix well with your hands, adding gradually water. Mix well to a soft dough and knead with hands for about 15 minutes or until smooth and elastic. The dough should be soft but not too sticky. If it turns out too sticky to work with, just add some flour and keep kneading. If the dough feels a bit stiff, work in additional water, small quantity at a time and keep kneading. / Dans une kasriya (9asria) ou un grand bol, mélanger les 2 farines et sel, puis faire une fontaine au milieu, ajouter la levure, miel, anis, nigelle et l'huile, puis bien mélanger avec les mains en ajoutant graduellement de l'eau pour former une pâte homogène. Bien pétrir environ 15 minutes ou jusqu'à que la pâte soit souple et lisse mais pas trop collante. Si elle est collante, ajouter un peu de farine et continuer à pétrir mais si elle est dure, ajouter un peu de l'eau et pétrir de nouveau quelques minutes.

2-Cover the dough and allow to rest for 2 hours. / Couvrir la pâte et laisser reposer pendant 2 heures.

3-Gently punch the dough down to release any air bubbles and divide it into 2 equal balls. Cover and leave them to rest for another 30 minutes./ Dégaser délicatement la pâte puis la diviser en 2 boules de dimension égales. Couvrir et laisser reposer environ 30 minutes.

Ingredients for filling / Ingrédients pour la farce:

- 300 gr of beef steak or meat of your choice / 300 gr de steak haché de boeuf ou autres sortes de viande

-1 medium onion chopped / 1 oignon moyen, finement haché

-2 garlic cloves, crushed / 2 gousses d'ail écrasées

-1 teaspoon ground cumin / 1 c à thé ou à café de cumin moulu

-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley and coriander leaves / 2 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1/2 teaspoon sweet red paprika, known as Tahmira (Ta7mira) in Morocco / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de paprika rouge ou piment doux ou Tahmira (Ta7mira) comme on l'appelle au Maroc

-1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil / 1 c à soupe d'huile d'olive extra-virgin

-Pinch of Soudaniya ghobra or hot red paprika or use red chilli powder or Tunisian Harissa / Une pincée de Soudaniya ghobra ou utilisez red chilli powder ou bien Harissa tunisienne

- Pinch pure saffron or safran threads (Since heat releases saffron's flavor essence and so to extract the best flavour out of it, warm it gently in the frying pan (with no oil) for about 3 minutes, stiring frequentley, then still warm, crush it to a powder either with your hands or with the mortar and pestle) / Une petite dosette de safran pur (Pour que le safran puisse dégager et conserver mieux son arôme, chauffer légèrement à sec les filaments de safran pendant environ 3 minutes en remuant constamment, ensuite, moudre les filaments dans un mortier ou dans le creux de la main).

-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper / 1/4 c à thé ou à café de poivre noir moulu

-2 tablespoons chopped green olives / 2 c à soupe d'olives vertes hachées

-Some cheese, grated. Use any cheeses you like but if you use salty ones, put less salt in your filling./ Un peu de fromage râpé. Utiliser le fromage qui vous convient mais si vous utilisez le fromage salé, mettre moins de sel dans la sauce.

Make the filling / Préparer la farce:

1-While the dough is rising prepare the filling. Put olive oil in a deep skillet or a sauce pot or a fry pan, and turn heat to medium. One minute later, add meat and salt then saute, stirring for about 3 minutes. / Sur un feu moyen, dans une casserole ou une poêle profonde ou autre récipient similaire, verser l'huile d'olive puis laisser chauffer environ 1 minute, puis ajouter la viande et sel et faire sauter environ 3 minutes.

2-Add onion and continue to sauté, stirring for about 3 minutes or until soft but not brown. / Ajouter l'oignon en remuant et continuer à cuire pendant environ 3 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que les oignons deviennent tendres, mais il ne faut pas qu'ils brunissent.

3-Add garlic, olives and all spices. Stir and reduce the heat and allow to cook for about 2 minutes. Don't cover and don't add water to the sauce. Try not to over cook the meat since it will finish cooking in the oven. / Ajouter l'ail, olives et toutes les épices. Remuer et réduire le feu et laisser la sauce cuire sans couvrir pendant environ 2 minutes. Surtout, n'ajouter pas de l'eau à la sauce et ne pas trop cuire la viande puisqu'elle va finir sa cuisson dans le four.

4-Taste and adjust the seasoning; you probably will need more salt or black pepper. Cover and set aside to cool. / Goûtez et vérifier l'assaisonnement, vous aurez probablement besoin d'ajouter plus de sel ou de poivre noir. Couvrir et laisser refroidir.

Before baking Madfouna, you will need / Pour badigeonner Madfouna avant cuisson:

-1 egg yolk mixed with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and pinch of salt / 1 jaune d'oeuf mélangé avec 1 c à thé ou à café d'huile d'olive et une pincée de sel

- 1/2 teaspoon green aniseeds / 1/2 c à thé ou à café d'anis vert

-1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds / 1/2 c à thé ou à café de graines de nigelle

Stuff Madfouna / Farcir Madfouna:

1-Preheat oven at 210°C fan / or 230°C / or 450°F / or gas mark 8 / Préchauffer le four à 210°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 230°C / ou 450°F / ou 8 th

2-Sprinkle the work surface with some fine semolina and roll out 1 portion of the dough into a large thin circle about 29 cm in diameter./ Saupoudrer le plan de travail d'un peu de semoule fine puis étaler 1 portion de la pâte en un grand cercle, bien mince d'environ 29 cm de diamètre.

3-Gently transfer the circle to a fine semolina or flour-dusted baking sheet or pizza pan. / Saupoudrez de semoule fine une plaque allant au four ou un moule à pizza, puis déposer délicatement le cercle de pâte dans le moule.

4-Spread half of the cheese over the base. Don't spread the cheese to the edge, leaving at least 1 cm of dough exposed all around. / Étaler la moitié du fromage sur le centre de la croûte, mais éviter les bords, en laissant au moins 1 cm exposé tout autour.

5-Lay the steak mixture and all the juices on top of the cheese./ Suivi par le mélange de steak, incluant son jus.

6-Then spread the remaining of the cheese over the steak. / Puis finir le tout en déposant le reste du fromage dessus.

7-Brush the exposed edges of dough with egg yolk mixture. / Badigeonner les bords de Madfouna de mélange de jaune d'oeuf.

8-Sprinkle the work surface with some fine semolina and roll out the remaining portion of dough into a large thin circle about 29 cm in diameter. Same size as the first one./ Saupoudrer le plan de travail d'un peu de semoule fine puis étaler le reste de la pâte en un grand cercle, bien mince d'environ 29 cm de diamètre. Même taille que le premier cercle.

9-Then place it over the filling, pressing the edges to hold it together. Seal and give a nice look to the edge. / Puis placez-le sur la farce, puis presser les bords l'un contre l'autre avec les doigts pour bien sceller Madfouna. Donner une dernière touche d'esthétique, en soudant les bords à la fourchette ou autres.

10-Poke Madfouna with a fork or knife. / Piquer Madfouna avec une fourchette ou un couteau.

11-Brush Madfouna with egg yolk mixture and sprinkle more seeds over the top. / Badigeonner Madfouna de mélange de jaune d'oeuf, puis saupoudrer d'anis et de nigelle.

12-Pop it in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes./ Cuire Madfouna dans le four préchauffé pendant 20 à 25 minutes.

13-Enjoy! / Bssa7a w ra7a!

For more recipes of the same category :
Moroccan Bread/Pancakes/Buns/Brioches/Crêpes etc...

فْقّاسْ / Mint-Tea and Amlou Fekkas / Fakkass au Thé à la Menthe et Amlou

2011-10-23T11:58:00.003+01:00

فقّاسْ باللّوزْ

This recipe yields about 130 Fekkas or Fakkas, if that is too many then the recipe can be halved. / Pour environ 130 Fekkass ou Fakkass, vous pouvez couper les ingrédients en 2 si vous désirez.
Preparation Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 30 minutes
Time to let the dough rest: 24 h / Repos : 24 h
Cook Time: 0 h 30 minutes / Temps de cuisson: 0 h 30 minutes
Recipe and Photos by Mamatkamal

To know more about Fekkas, click on the link below:

Fekkas/Fakas

I love all things green tea, as long as it's green tea served with fresh mint! These Almond-Tea Fekkas are not too sweet and are deliciously crunchy, just perfect for a snack or a treat, and go well with tea, coffee, juice, or milk etc... What more could we want!

This is one of my favourite Fekkas, it has the fabulous light taste of almonds and the strong taste of green tea and refreshing flavour of mint! The combination of green tea and almonds melted in your mouth will make your taste buds sing in happiness, letting the fresh mint sing with a subtle note of sweetness. Delicious!

I'm especially partial to a chocolate fekkas and almonds!

Ingredients:

-1 kg unbleached flour / 1 kg de farine non-blanchie

-150 gr brown sugar / 150 gr de sucre brun

-200 gr whole almonds (lightly roasted and roughly chopped) / 200 gr d'amandes entières (légèrement grillées et grossièrement hachées)

-4 tablespoons whole green aniseed / 4 c à soupe graines d'anis vert entiers

-4 tablespoons Amlou / 4 c à soupe d'Amlou

How to make Amlou and What is Amlou ? / Comment préparer Amlou et c'est quoi Amlou? Amlou de la région de Souss-Sud du Maroc (Pâte à tartiner à base d'huile Argan)

-100 gr unsalted melted butter / 100 gr de beurre non-salé fondu

-About 100 sunflower oil / Environ 100 ml de l'huile de tournesol

-1 teaspoon fine salt / 1 c à thé ou à café de sel fin

-10 ml (2 teaspoons) baking powder / 10 ml (2 c à thé ou à café) levure chimique ou poudre à pâte ou levure patissière

-1 teaspoon ground cinnamon / 1 c à thé ou à café de cannelle moulue

-6 eggs / 6 oeufs

-2 tablespoons orange-blossom water / 2 c à soupe d'eau de fleur d'oranger

( Ma zhar = ماء الزهر)

-200 ml fresh mint tea / 200 ml de thé à la menthe fraîche

Thé Marocain Soussi à la menthe-Thé Marocain de la Région de Souss/Moroccan Mint Tea

-200 gr golden raisins, soaked in tea for about 1 hour / 200 gr de raisins secs dorés, trempés dans le thé pendant environ 1 heure

-100 gr candied citrus peel / 200 gr d'agrumes confits

Before baking Fekkas, you will need : / Pour badigeonner avant la cuisson:

-2 egg yolks mixed with 1 tablespoon instant coffee and 2 or 3 drops of white vinegar / 2 jaune d'oeufs mélangés avec 1 c à soupe de café instantané et 2 ou 3 gouttes de vinaigre blanc.

Method / Préparation:

1-Preheat oven at 160°C fan / or 180°C / or 350°F / or gas mark 4. / Préchauffer le four à 160°C, équipé de système de ventilation / ou 180°C / ou 350°F / ou 4 th.

2- In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking powder, almonds, candied citrus, cinnamon and anise seeds./ Dans un grand bol, mélanger farine, sel, levure, amandes, agrumes confits, cannelle et graines d'anis.

3-In a Kassriya or a large bowl, using your hands, beat sugar and eggs together until creamy. / Dans une Kassriya ou un grand bol, battre le sucre, et les oeufs avec les mains jusqu'à obtention d'un mélange crémeux.

4-Then Add the flour to eggs mixture, and stir in the raisins and tea. Work the mixture with your hands and gradually, add oil, butter, Amlou and orange flower water. The dough will slightly be sticky but just smoosh and moosh until it comes to a fine crumbly and an even texture, but don't over knead the dough./ Ajouter la farine au mélange d'oeufs, puis ajouter les raisins et le thé en mélangeant tous les ingrédients ensemble. Puis, graduellement, ajouter l'huile, beurre, Amlou et de l'eau de fleur d'oranger en continuant à travailler la pâte avec vos mains jusqu'à obtention d'une boule de pâte, pas trop liquide ni trop sèche, mais il faut qu'elle soit un peu collante. Suurtout, ne pas trop pétrir.

5-Divide the dough into 6 or 7 equal portions./ Diviser la pâte en 6 ou 7 portions égales.

6-Using your hands, roll each portion of dough back and forth to form it into a smooth log about 6 cm in diameter and about 25 cm long./ Avec vos mains, étaler chaque portion de pâte en un seul sens (avant-arrière), pour façonner des longs rouleaux de 25 cm de long et de 6 cm de diamètre.

7-Place each onto a lightly greased baking tray, about 6 cm apart./ Placer-les dans une plaque légèrement huilée, en les espaçant d'environ 6 cm.

8-Brush the fekas logs with the egg wash, and with bottom of fork held facing down and tines touching dough, score dough by pulling fork across in a series of parallel vertical lines. / Badigeonner du mélange d'oeuf et avec le dos de la fourchette, tracer des traits verticaux.

9-Bake in the preheated oven for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the logs barely begin to take on a pale golden color./Faire cuire au four préchauffé pendant environ 15 à 20 minutes ou jusqu'à ce que les rouleaux commencent à peine prendre une couleur pâle-dorée.

10-Then take a clean, kitchen towel and wet it with some cold water and some drops of orange-blossom water, then cover the logs with the towel. Let stand for 24 hours. Make sure to wet from time to time the towel if it becomes too dry. / Laisser refroidir les batonnets pour toute une journée en les couvrant avec un torchant humide et propre (Mouiller le torchon avec de l'eau froide mélangée avec quelques gouttes de l'eau de fleur d'oranger). Assurez-vous de mouiller de temps en temps le torchon s'il devient trop sec.

11-On a cutting board, using a sharp knife, and by a fast single cut, cut each log diagonally into slices. Then, Transfer Fekkas on baking sheets, close but not touching, and bake until golden and crisp on the outside. / Sur une planche de cuisine, avec un couteau très tranchant, couper chaque boudin en diagonale. Puis, disposer les tranches de Fekkas sur la plaque à pâtisserie. Rapprocher-les mais il faut les espacer suffisamment pour qu'ils ne se touchent pas lors de la cuisson. Cuire de nouveau jusqu’à ce qu’elles deviennent dorées et croustillantes.

12- Let cool completely and store in an airtight tin./ Laisser refroidir et conserver dans une boite à fermeture hérmetique.

13-Enjoy! / Bssa7a w ra7a!
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شلادة الّليمون حارّة/Moroccan Spicy Orange Salad with Black Olives / Salade Marocaine d'oranges et aux olives noires

2011-10-22T12:02:00.001+01:00

V Suitable for vegetarians / Convient aux végétariens

Serves 4 people / Pour 4 personnes

Preparation Time: 0 h 15 minutes / Temps de préparation: 0 h 15 minutes

شلادة الّليمون حارّة

Recipe, Introduction and Photos by Mamatkamal

Moroccan cuisine is well known for its diversity of ingredients and of its complex spiciness and miracle combinations. There is such a broad range of Moroccan dishes that many tourists when they visit Morocco, they wonder where to begin.

This is a particularly pretty and a very unusual salad which never fails to bring sun and warmth to one's mind and in my humble opinion this starter has no equal; try it and you will know why! Paula Wolfert observed in her book "Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco": "Olives and oranges are one of those miracle combinations, like lamb and garlic, before which I sometimes feel I should bow in gratitude".

The savory and sweet combination works so well in this dish. The contrast of sweet orange, the bitter robust flavour of black olives, and the sharp garlic/sodaniya flavour is truly marvellous! Quite an astonishingly combination of ingredients, bringing tantalizing flavour and creating a spectacular side dish.

This salad is a refreshing accompaniment to Tagines or Tajines, lamb or chicken and warm bread would be welcome. You can serve this salad with creamy goat cheese for an easy summer appetizer.

Feel free to subtitute garlic for the red onion and fresh mint for coriander and parsley if you wish. Hope you enjoy it!

Ingredients:

-4 large seedless oranges (navel oranges are great) / 4 grosses oranges sans pépins (Si vous pouvez utiliser les oranges navel, c'est encore mieux!)

-1/8 teaspoon red paprika / 1/8 c à café ou à thé de paprika rouge

-1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground peppermixed color whole peppercorns / 1/8 c à café ou à thé de poivre de différentes couleurs fraîchement moulu du moulin.

-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil / 2 c à soupe d'huile d'olive extra-vierge

-About 10 black olives, stoned / Environ 10 olives noires dénoyautées

-1/8 teaspoon Sodaniya powder (known as soudaniya ghobra in Morocco) or hot red paprika or use red chilli powder / 1/8 c à café ou à thé de Sodaniya poudre (qu'on appelle soudaniya ghobra au Maroc) ou utilisez chilli en poudre.

-1/4 teaspoon ground cumin / 1/4 c à thé ou café de cumin en poudre

-Some salt to taste / Un peu de sel selon le goût

-1 garlic clove, finely chopped / 1 gousse d'ail hachée finement

-1 tablespoon fresh parsley and coriander leaves, chopped / 1 c à soupe de feuilles fraîches de persil et coriandre hachées

-2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice / 2 c à soupe de jus de citron frais

Method / Préparation:

1-Wash the oranges and cut the peel off. Slice the top and bottom off and remove all pith. / Laver les oranges, couper les deux extremités, puis les peler à vif de façon à retirer la peau y compris la partie blanche.

2-Cut the oranges into slices. / Tailler les oranges en petits morceaux.

3-Combine the oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic, parsley, coriander and all spices, then mix well./ Dans un petit bol, placer l'huile, jus de citron, sel, ail, persil, coriandre et toutes les épices, puis bien mélanger le tout.

4-Place orange slices on plates or a large platter./ Servir les tranches d'oranges sur les assiettes individuelles ou un grand plat de service.

5-Sprinkle with the spicy vinaigrette. / Assaisonner avec le mélange d'huile et épices.

6-Stir gently to coat the orange slices evenly. / Remuer délicatement pour bien enrober les morceaux d'oranges uniformément.

7-Cover and set aside to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving. Mix two (2) or three (3) times to distribute the marinate well. / Couvrir et laisser mariner au réfrigérateur pendant au moins 30 minutes avant de servir, en remuant deux (2) ou trois (3) fois pour bien répartir la marinade.

8-If you wish, drizzle some extra olive oil over the salad and sprinkle with some goat cheese. Serve immediately. / Si vous voulez, arroser de nouveau d'un filet d'huile d'olive et ajouter quelques tranches de fromages de chèvre. Servir immédiatement.

9-Enjoy! Bssa7a w ra7a!
Mamatkamal
All Recipes
My Tamazirt-Morocco
Ramadan Dishes
Moroccan Cookies
Fekkas/Fakas
Moroccan Ghoriba-Ghriba
Moroccan Tagine
Couscous From Scratch
Moroccan Massaman
Moroccan Meloui-Malwi
Moroccan Toghrift-Batbout
Steamed Rice, Moroccan Style
Steamed Broken Vermicelli, Moroccan Style
Atay/Fresh Mint Tea
Other Food Links!

For more Salads Recipes Moroccan Style / Pour Consulter plus de Recettes de Salades Marocaines

Moroccan Salads/Appetizers/Starters/Sides