Moroccan Whiskey

Moroccan Tea, lovingly refered to as Moroccan whiskey

Mastering the art of making Moroccan tea is well worth the effort it involves. To make about a litre of tea, first heat the teapot. Add about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of green tea, a handful of fresh whole mint leaves with their sprigs intact, and between 150 - 180 grams of lump sugar. Swirl the liquids around and then quickly pour out the water, taking care not to lose any of the leaves or undisolved sugar. (Moroccans swear this takes the bitterness out of the tea). Add the mint and and more sugar to taste and pour in about 1 litre of boiling water. Let the mixture brew for about 6 - 8 minutes.

The technique of pouring the tea is almost as crucial to the success of hosts as the quality of the tea they use. This becomes easier to understand when one realizes that all Moroccan tea pots have long, curved pouring spouts and this allow the tea to be poured into even the tiniest of glasses from a height of half a metre or more. Practice is definitely advised before trying this with your guests. Moroccans like their tea lightly flavored by herbs, only rarely is it served "neat". The most popular herb added to tea is mint

The origin of tea in Morocco is much debated. Several theories attribute it to various sources. One claims that Morocco's taste for green tea evolved from the first Phoenicians who visited the area. Another asserts it originates from Andalusia at the time of the Spanish reconquest. Yet another hypothesis extends further back in time to the Berbers, the first inhabitants of North Africa, who originally came from Central Asia.

Lamb tagine

Lamb tagine serves 4

Ingredients
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp ground black pepper
1½ tbsp paprika
1½ tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 x shoulder of lamb, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in chunks (about
1.1kg/2½lb meat in total)
2 large onions, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp argan oil (see note)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
570ml/1 pinttomato juice
2 x 400g tinned chopped tomatoes
115g/4oz dried apricots, cut in half
55g/2oz dates, cut in half
55g/2oz sultanas or raisins
85g/3oz flaked almonds
1 tsp saffron stamens, soaked in cold water
600ml/1 pint lamb stock
1 tbsp clear honey
2 tbsp coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped



Place the cayenne, black pepper, paprika, ginger, turmeric and cinnamon into a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the lamb in a large bowl and toss together with half of the spice mix. Cover and leave overnight in the fridge.
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp of argan oil in a large tagine. Add the grated onion and the remaining spice mix and cook over a gentle heat for 10 minutes so that the onions are soft but not coloured. Add the crushed garlic for the final 3 minutes.
In a separate frying pan, heat the remaining oil and brown the cubes of lamb on all sides then add the browned meat to the tagine. De-glaze the frying pan with ¼ pint of tomato juice and add these juices to the tagine.
Add the remaining tomato juice, chopped tomatoes, apricots, dates, raisins or sultanas, flaked almonds, saffron, lamb stock and honey to the casserole dish. Bring to the boil, cover and cook for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is meltingly tender, sprinkle over the chopped herbs. Serve.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Preserved Lemons

For 2-3 people

* 1 small chicken around 1 kg, quartered
* 2 large sliced onions
* 1 tsp. powdered ginger
* one pinch of saffron (best if pistils)
* 2 preserved lemons
* 1 cup green olives
* 1 cup lemon juice
* sea salt
* pepper
* 1 cup water
* Argan oil

One hour before preparation, marinate chicken with sea salt, lemon juice and a cup of water in a large bowl.

Heat Argan oil in a large pot or tagine. Cook sliced onions until they start to change color. Add ginger, pepper, saffron and chicken. Add water. Remove the pulp of the preserved lemon and mix it in the Cuisinart. Add to the pot. Cut the skin into quarters. Add to the Tagine. Cook on a low flame until the chicken is soft and easily falls off of the bone. You don’t want it to be too dry, or too chewy. Add olives before serving.
And Enjoy!

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Moroccan Meat Stew

This is a nice menue for 1 -2

1 lg chicken -- jointed
1 1/4 lb mutton (or lamb),Cubed
2 lg onions -- finely,Chopped
1 bn parsley --,Chopped
1/2 t ginger --,Ground
1 salt
1 black pepper
1 paprika pepper
3 oz butter
1 lb quinces (or more ),To Taste
Put meat into a medium sized tagine with the onions and parsley. Just cover
with water and season with ginger, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and
simmer about an hour, until cooked. Slice and core the quinces (leave
peel on), brown them very lightly in the extra butter and add them to
the stew half an hour before the end of cooking.
Visit Shop Morocco for a full range of Tagines and Accesories

Moroccan Chicken Stew

1 sm to medium chicken
1 pn saffron
1/2 t ginger,Ground
1/2 t cloves
1/2 t turmeric
3 cloves garlic
1 3 cinnamon stick
1/2 c coarsely parsley,Chopped
1/2 c coarsely coriander,Chopped
1 chicken flavoring (if needed)
1/2 lemon
1 filo dough
1 butter,Melted
1 c toasted -- coarsely,Chopped
1 alm
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t cloves,Ground
1 t brown sugar
1 eggs
1/3 c powdered sugar
Place chicken (include the gizzards, etc) in a pot, add water to cover. Season
with saffron, ginger, cloves turmeric, garlic, cinnamon stick, parsley,
coriander and several cubes chicken flavoring if needed. Simmer for 1 - 2
hours, until fowl is meltingly tender.
Strain the stock, reserve the chicken (including gizzards) and discard any
whole spices. Boil the strained stock until it's reduced to 1 cup. Add the
lemon juice. Bone the chicken and cut into 1 inch pieces.
Brush the inside of a square or round baking dish approx. 12" x 12" x 3" with
melted butter. Fit a sheet of filo dough into the dish so that its ends hang
over the edge a bit. Brush with melted butter and repeat 5 or 6 times.
Scatter the almonds on top of the 6th layer. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. cinnamon,
cloves and sugar. Beat eggs and combine with 1/2 cup stock. Cook slowly
until creamy and forming soft curds. Layer 2/3 egg mixture over the almonds
and spices. Top with 4 - 5 more layers of filo dough, buttering each sheet.
Now, arrange the boned chicken pieces and the rest of the eggs. Dribble
several tbsp. of the remaining stock over this. Top with another 5--6 sheets
of buttered filo dough, tucking the overhanging edges from the bottom layers
in between. Bake in a 350 degree oven (mark 4--5) 40 minutes until golden
brown. Turn onto a platter and sprinkle with 1 tbsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup
sifted powdered sugar.