Beef Tagine with Cauliflower

Beef tagines can be very good indeed. After hours of slow simmering the meat comes out buttery and soft, and the sauce is full of spicy flavor. The spicing in this dish follows the Beef tagines can be very good indeed. After hours of slow simmering the meat comes out buttery and soft, and the sauce is full of spicy flavor. The spicing in this dish follows the Marrakesh style, while the browning of the meat is Tetuanese.

Working time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 2 hours or more
Serves: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 2½ to 3 pounds beef stew meat, such as shoulder, chuck, or short ribs of beef (with some bone), cut into 1¼-inch chunks
• ¼ teaspoon turmeric
• Salt
• ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼  cup salad oil
• 1½ teaspoons sharp paprika
• ¼  teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ¼  cup mixed chopped herbs (parsley and green coriander)
• 2½ pounds cauliflowerets
• Juice of 1 lemon

Direction:

1. Remove and discard the excess fat from the beef. 
2. Place the beef in the casserole with the turmeric, salt, pepper, and oil. 
3. Fry, turning the meat often to lightly brown all sides. 
4. Cover the casserole tightly and cook 15 minutes, without lifting the cover. 
5. The meat will cook in its own juices, drawn out by the salt over low heat. 
6. Stir in the remaining spices, chopped onion, herbs, and very little water. 
7. Simmer, covered, 1½ to 2 hours over gentle heat, until the meat is very tender (almost falling off the bones). 
8. Add water whenever necessary to keep the meat from scorching.
9. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, cook the cauliflower in salted water until nearly tender. 
10. Drain and set aside until needed.
11. Preheat the oven to 400°.
12. Transfer the beef and gravy to the serving dish. 
13. Place the drained cauliflower over the meat, cover with foil, and bake 15 minutes. 
14. Raise the oven heat to the highest setting, remove the covering, and transfer the dish to the upper shelf in the oven. 
15. Bake until the cauliflower is lightly browned. 
16. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve at once.

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Mhancha (almond pastry)

Mhancha, a traditional Moroccan pastry filled with almonds and perfumed with orange-blossom water, is the perfect way to finish off your Moroccan banquet.

Serves: 6-8
Prep. time: 25 min
Cooking time:25 min

Ingredients:

• 16 sheets filo pastry
• 1 egg yolk, lightly whisked with 1 tbsp cold water
• 80 g unsalted butter, melted
• 150 g honey, warmed
• icing sugar, ground cinnamon and white sesame seeds, to sprinkle

Almond filling:

• 500 g blanched almonds
• 150 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp orange-blossom water (see Note)
• 150 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Direction:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. 
2. To make almond filling, place almonds and sugar in a food processor and blend to a paste, add orange-blossom water and process until combined.
3. Place butter and almond paste in a saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or until slightly darker in colour. 
4. Remove from heat and cool completely. 
5. Add egg yolk and cinnamon and mix to a firm paste.
6. Shape almond filling into 8 x 33 cm-long, 3 cm-thick logs. 
7. Working with one sheet of pastry at a time, and keeping the others covered with a lightly dampened tea towel, brush lightly with egg yolk mixture and top with another sheet. 
8. Place 1 almond log in the centre and roll pastry around to enclose. 
9. Continue process with remaining pastry and logs.
10. Working with one log at a time, shape into a tight spiral on an oven tray, then continue with remaining logs, pressing ends together, to make one large spiral. B
11. rush evenly with melted butter and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 
12. Brush with honey. 
13. Cool completely then dust with icing sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Cook's notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. 

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Fekkas (Anise-Flavored Melba Toast Rounds)

These little cookies must get their name from the “runner” chickens also called fekkas, for they are tough little things with a good taste. They are very popular for tea dunking, doubtless because they can stand the heat.

Working time: 40 minutes
Rising time: 1½ to 2 hours
Baking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 package active dry yeast
• 3 to 3¼ cups pastry flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Confectioners’ sugar
• ½ cup sweet butter, melted and cooled
• 1 scant tablespoon aniseed
• 1 scant tablespoon sesame seeds (toasted, optional)
• ¼ cup orange flower water

Direction:

1. The day before, soak the yeast in ¼ cup lukewarm water until bubbly.
2. Combine the flour, salt, 1¼ cups sugar, the bubbling yeast, cooled melted butter and spices in the large mixing bowl. Stir in the orange flower water and then enough lukewarm water to form a firm dough. 
3. Knead well until smooth, then turn out onto a board dusted with more confectioners’ sugar. 
4. Break into 4 portions. 
5. Roll each into a ball and cover.
6. Take one of the balls and shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick cylinder by rolling back and forth with some force. 
7. The dough will be sticky at first, but after some strong, firm rolling with palms down it will start to stretch as you slide your palms toward the ends to lengthen the mass. 
8. Stretch and roll the dough until you have a 10-to 12-inch cylinder of even thickness. 
9. Repeat with the remaining balls. 
10. Place on the baking sheets, cover with towels, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume. 
11. When doubled, prick each tube with a fork to deflate.
12. Preheat the oven to 375°.
13. Bake the tubes 20 minutes, or until barely golden. (They should not be cooked through.) 
14. Remove from the oven and let cool on racks overnight.
15. The following day, slice the cylinders crosswise into very thin cookies and arrange flat on ungreased baking sheets. 
16. Bake in a 350° oven until pale golden brown and dry, about 10 minutes. 
17. When cool, store in airtight tins.

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Ghoriba (Semolina Cookies)

Ghoriba cookies are based on semolina flour (hard wheat), which has its own marvelous taste and texture. These are lovely light cookies, sugar-dipped, the size of half-dollars.

Working time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 15 to 18 minutes
Makes: 3½ dozen cookies

Ingredients:

• Sweet butter
• ¼ cup salad oil
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
• 22/3 cups semolina flour
• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Direction:

1.  Heat 1/4 cup of butter in the oil. When melted, remove from the heat and set aside.
2. Use an electric beater to beat the eggs and 12/3 cups of the confectioners’ sugar together until soft and fluffy. 
3. Add the butter-oil mixture and beat a few seconds longer. 
4. Using the spatula, fold in the semolina flour, baking powder, salt, and vanilla. 
5. Blend well.
6. Preheat the oven to 350°.
7. Prepare the baking sheets by smearing with dabs of sweet butter. 
8. Place the remaining 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar in a flat dish. 
9. Form the cookies by pinching off walnut-sized balls of dough and rolling between your palms until a perfect sphere is formed. (Since the dough is very sticky, it’s a good idea to moisten your hands from time to time.) 
10. Flatten the sphere slightly, dip one side into powdered sugar, and arrange on a buttered baking sheet.
11. Bake on the middle shelf of the preheated oven for 15 to 18 minutes. 
12. When they are done, the cookies will have expanded and crisscross breaks will appear on their tops. 
13. Allow to cool and crisp before storing.

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Maure Kaoua (Coffee Ras el Hanout)

This is a Moroccan spice mixture to add to coffee.

Makes: 1/3 cup

Ingredients:

• 2 whole nutmegs (about 4 teaspoons ground nutmeg) 
• 4 blades cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon) 
• 6 to 8 dried rosebuds 
• 12 whole cloves (about 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves) 
• 1/8 teaspoon gum arabic 
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger 
• 2 pieces of galingale* (about 1/2 teaspoon ground galingale) 
• 2 allspice berries (about 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice) 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground white pepper 
• 3 blades mace (about 1/2 teaspoon ground mace) 
• 15 white or green cardamom pods 
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 
• 1 teaspoon aniseed 
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds 

Direction:

1. Combine the spices in an electric spice grinder or blender. 
2. Sieve and bottle carefully to preserve the freshness.

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Sharbat Bil Looz (Almond Milk Drink)

Serves: 4

Prep. Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• ½ pound whole blanched almonds 
• ½ cup granulated sugar 
• Orange blossom water or rosewater 
• 1 cup milk 
• 2 cup water

Direction:

1. Blend the almonds with the sugar, a dash of perfumed water, and 1 cup water until smooth. 
2. Pour through a strainer, pressing down hard with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. 
3. Stir in 1 more cup water and the milk. 
4. Chill and serve in small glasses.

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Lamb Kebabs

Widely sold as streed food with Maroccan bread, these spicy lamb kebas are also often served as a little dish. The meat is cut intoo small cubes and marinated before being threaded onto bamboo or metal skewers and grilled.

Serves: 4
Prep. Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 10 min

Ingredients:

• 750 gram boneless leg of lamb
• 1 onion, grated
• 1 teaspoon paprika poeder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 60 ml olive oil
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste

Harissa and tomato sauce

• 2 tomatoes
• ½ onion, grated to give 2 tablespoon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon harissa
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt

Direction:

1. Soak 8 bamboo skewers in water for 2 hours, or use metal skewers.
2. Do not trim the fat from the lamb.
3. Cut the meat into 3 cm cubes and put in a bowl.
4. Add onion, paprika, cumin, parsley, olive oil and generous grind of black peper.
5. Toss well to coat, then cover and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
6. To make the harissa and tomato sauce, halve the tomatoes horizontally and squeeze out the seeds.
7. Coarsely grate the tomatoes into a bowl down to the skin, discarding the skin.
8. In a saucepan, cook the onion in the olive oil for 2 minutes, stir in the harissa or cayenne pepper, and add the grated tomatoes, sugar and ½ teaspoon salt.
9. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and simmer for a further 4 minutes, or until the sauce reaches a thick, pouring consistency. Transfer to a bowl.
10. Thread the lamb cubes onto the skewers, leaving a little space between the meat cubes.
11. Heat the barbecue grill to high and cook for 5-6 minutes, turning and brushing with the marinade (Alternatively, cook in a chargrill pan or under the grill).
12. Serve the kebas with the sauce.

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