none

[Jo Wake]

That's cos its Road2Morocco.

Jo

[Cookgirl]

DOH!!!@#$%^\


*I didn't think Bing and Bob were
experts at Moroccan cuisine.

Thanks!!

HEE hee!!

[Hajar Elizabeth]

Cook! Just go to yahoo groups and type it in the search! As to reproducing the bread, which I have 3 loaves of at the moment WITH the hole in the middle (neener neener! ), yes you can though you cannot reproduce the flour and water. You can come close though. My columns have not reached breads yet, but they will! Many of the bread bakers here in the city do use western ovens now. You will find the clay outdoor ovens a bit more rurally now. Most of the bread you are speaking of is actually made from barley. We do have wheat breads though much of the wheat is reserved for things like hringo, pancake type breads, and pan fried (sauteed actually) breads along with pastries. Morocco is rich in both wheat and barley fields. The preferred bread with the bits is indeed barley bread. It has a very slight almost sweet note to it and it is very simply made.

"Mohamed's Mean Lamb Cutlets" is actually a tagine. If you read the column on meats you will see how many tagines are made today with the actual tagine cooking vessel being used in very rural areas now only. I will post my most classic Moroccan tagine; chicken with olives and lemon as soon as I can! Also in my area of Morocco we do not use or sell preserved lemons, so it is a fresh lemon dish. This is eaten often. I will also post my lamb with apricots as well bearing in mind that it is most certainly a special occasion dish!

HTH!

Hajar

[Helio]

thanks Hajar for this article, it will be so interesting as I like the Marrocon cuisine and would like to learn more about it.
If you can also give us more details about typical marrocan ingredients and spices I think for example of a spice called nigel(called as well black cumin) used by most of the north african country, how to used in the different disches.?

[Diva #3]

Hajar,
Really enjoyed your article on Morrocan cooking and information on necessary condiments,etc. Look forward to more information and recipes.
Sincerely, Diva3

[tidee]

hi hajar! i tried your 'wicked sauce tomatish' and we love it. mom and dad came over for dinner so i served it at room temp with fresh dinner rolls. i think it would be great with soft bread sticks. dad is on a low sodium, low protein diet, so they home cook a lot of stuff to reduce the salt content. this sauce was good and low sodium, so i shared the recipe with them. thanks!

tom.

[Hajar Elizabeth]

You are all most welcome. As to black cumin, it is Ayurvedic in nature, known for it's curative properties and is used in sub-continental cooking; Indian. I have not seen it sold or used here and isn't native to North African cooking. It appears often in Naan bread.

Tom I am indeed so happy when those on special diets can use my cooking! I am on a special diet of sorts myself and have not had to modify my Moroccan cooking to accomodate that! You will find much lemon/vinegar/herbs in my cooking which replace salt nicely! For most of my cooking I use a good pinch of salt, though for posting here I MUST have a measurement! So, feel free to pinch and dash all over the place!

[JustJanS]

Hajar's Wicked Sauce Tomatish recipe #130945 is cooking as I write this. I've taken kdlpmums advice, and I'm having it over lamb shanks. I'm going to cook them in about 2/3rds of the sauce, and keep a bit back to dip bread in

[Hajar Elizabeth]

Hiya Jan!

The idea sounds great but,,,,,,a few bits of information for you and as with any information please don't feel I am being pushy. The Moroccan home cook/small local's restaurant cook would never cook the lamb in the sauce tomatish. Sauce tomatish is to Morocco what ketchup is to the US. It is always made quickly as the meal is finishing it's cooking, it would "water out" and "grease out" cooking with the lamb, and is *always* an accompaniment usually served before the meat arrives to munch on a bit with bread and salad, using the rest to dip and pick up meat with. The lamb would be cooked with seasonings, pre-sauteed onions and garlic (lots of it!) and perhaps a couple of fresh diced tomatoes. The sauteed mixture with it's small amount of oil, meat and seasonings, water; would be covered and cooked until meat is tender. I make my sauce tomatish as I have learned by watching others, not much longer than 20 mins. before meal serving time. I WILL say that sauce tomatish the next day heated only to room temp. or a bit above that is very good, but it is sitting in the fridge and not cooking that long.

This information is for everyone and perhaps I didn't state very well to those who have not cooked or eaten Moroccan food, that sauce tomatish is a quick, speedily cooked accompanying sauce. It is not related to a marinara or any other long(er) cooked tomato sauce.

Have fun Jan and All!

Hajar

[Hajar Elizabeth]

Jan!

The photo of the sauce looks wonderful! Thankyou for posting it for me. I really appreciate it!

Hajar

[JustJanS]

It worked well with the lamb shanks, they were fairly lean so not too much oil or fat in the finished dish. I have to say though, I agree with you, the fresh room temperature sauce with bread dipped in it was so much nicer. Really fresh and tasty. I only simmered it for about 20 minutes, so I got that bit right
I still have some sauce to use tomorrow too.

I'm glad you liked the photo, I was a bit worried, because I thought it might look a bit chunky.

[Hajar Elizabeth]

No No! The photo is perfect! Hajar's Wicked Sauce Tomatish IS chunky and with bits of white garlic to be seen. Wonderful photo, Mohamed and I said hey looks like what we have!

I am happy you got the simmering part right! Next time, perhaps cook the lamb in the same sorts of sauce tomatish ingredients and keep making the sauce to stand alone. "Mohamed's Mean Lamb Cutlets" is also a good base for doing shanks in and either way, with the fresh sauce you get 2 different complimentary flavors. Just use a couple of fresh grated tomatoes instead of the concentrate etc. The base in Mohamed's lamb is a very common base for cooking nearly anything. You will find that Morocco only has a few bases that are then fiddled with from there by each home cook according to taste.

HTH!

Hajar

P.S. I was a bit wary of seeing the photo myself! I closed my eyes and thought "oh no, what if it looks like Campbell's tomato soup and nobody will ever make it again?!?!" Well, I needn't have worried! You have represented me and my food well and thank you again!

[Hajar Elizabeth]

Jan,

Would you mind sharing that photo with me? I always run short of time and it would be helpful if I could use it on my website and at the professional's weblog I am an author with. I was up all night taking a TON of photos but had no sauce made! Wouldn't you know it, Mohamed made some using my way this afternoon with lunch?! I have an infection of some sort and I was too pooped to take a pic of it; he too busy finishing up cooking lunch!!

I will credit you with the photo and accept no offers for it to be re-used!

Shukran Jazelin, (thank you very much in daarija; Moroccan arabic)

Hajar

[JustJanS]

Of course you can use the photo. I just hope the time difference hasn't made this reply too late.

[Hajar Elizabeth]

Nah I am usually up too late! Thank you. If you would, just email it to [e-mail] please?

Thanks again!

Hajar