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MOROCCO'S
VEGETABLE FOODS
by
Habeeb Salloum
 No
one who has enjoyed couscous, the national dish of
Morocco, in all its meat varieties, will dream that
in many peasant homes this delicacy is prepared
solely from vegetables and semolina. These toilers
of the soil who never taste meat for weeks at a
time prepare, not only their couscous, but almost
all their dishes from grain and vegetables. With
the right amount of herbs and spices they create
incredibly tasty meals, forming an important part
of the Moroccan kitchen - a cuisine with an
illustrious history. A great number of the
Moroccans firmly believe that no other country's
culinary art has reached the exalted heights of
their cooking. A number of travellers support this
assessment, stating that if the food of this North
African country is not the greatest in the world,
it stands near the top as one of the world's
eminent cuisines.
In that
spellbinding land with its long sandy coasts, rich
plains, towering mountains , and endless deserts,
many civilizations have come and gone. Phoenicians,
Greeks, Romans, Arab's, Spanish Muslims, and the
Berbers, the original inhabitants of the country,
all had their day. They ruled the country for
awhile then faded into history. Their cuisines,
with a touch of Portuguese, Turkish and Jewish
influences, helped in the creation of the modern
Moroccan.
Well-known
culinary experts have written that great food and
glorious civilizations complement each other. They
go on to say that what creates a noteworthy cuisine
are: abundance of ingredients; outside influences;
a noble civilization; and refined palace life.
Hence, in the
elegant palaces of the rich in Fez and Marrakesh
where the great Arab-Islamic civilization of Spain
had its greatest impact, the culinary art of
Morocco reached its epitome of perfection. Paula
Wolfert in her book, Couscous and the Other Good
Foods From Morocco, writes that Moroccan cooking is
the last of the great undiscovered cuisines.
Included in this
relatively unknown kitchen with a distinguished
past are the tasty dishes of the workers and
peasants. In their daily Menues, little meat is
utilized. The grains and vegetables are combined
with numerous herbs and spices to produce savory
and satisfying meals.
The herbs:
chervil, garlic, fresh coriander leaves, mint and
parsley are blended with the spices: aniseed,
cayenne, cinnamon, cumin, ginger, paprika, pepper,
saffron, turmeric and ras el-hanout (a blend of
spices) to produce mouth-watering dishes. To give
these non-meat creations even more zest, onions,
olives, pickled lemons, almonds and sesame seeds
are utilized extensively.
Soups, the
mainstay of the poorer peasants and at times their
only meal of the day, are based mostly on chickpeas
and lentils. Infused with herbs and spices, they
become delightful creations. The most widely
prepared of these soups is harira - the ultimate of
Moroccan soups. In the cities, the wealthy, in
addition to the vegetables, utilize all types of
meat to create their mouth-watering hariras. Yet,
the peasants' meatless hariras are a match for any
of these soups..
Moroccan salads
differ to some extent from the usual well-known
salads. They are, in most cases, prepared from
cooked vegetables and are somewhat zesty but not
spicy hot. In the homes of the affluent, they are
served at the beginning of the meal as appetizers.
However, for the poor, like the soups, they are
usually the main course.
As to stews, the
Moroccan kitchen would be much poorer without the
delectable vegetable tajines. Fragrant, zesty,
spicy or sweet, they are always delicious and
inviting. Simmered to produce tasty sauces, their
enticing aromas, as they cook, makes even the one
who has just eaten yearn to sample the simmering
dish.
Perhaps, more than
any other food, couscous, Morocco's national dish,
is cooked by the peasants solely from vegetables. A
Berber dish embellished by the Arabs and Spanish
Muslims, it is prepared in endless varieties.
Pleasing to the eye, it is served on a platter and
the couscous is heaped pyramid style with a hollow
on top which is filled with the stew. Known as the
king of the Moroccan kitchen, it is served at the
end of diffas (great feasts) to satiate the hunger
of guests. Hence, complying with Arab hospitality
that 'no guest can go home hungry'.
For sweets, the
Moroccans are known for their creations based on
honey, almonds, sugar and flaky dough. The honey
and almonds have always been utilized in Moroccan
pastry. The sugar and flaky dough were introduced
by the Arabs to North Africa and Spain.
With an
illustrious background and centuries of evolvement,
Moroccan cuisine has made for itself a notch in the
cooking of the world. In all strata of society, the
housewife prepares her dishes so perfectly that it
is considered vulgar to place salt on the table.
Usually, she keeps secret her own recipes and
improves them with the passing years until they
reach perfection.
For one visiting
Morocco there is not much chance to try these
home-cooked meals. Nevertheless, travellers should
not leave the country without having a meal in
restaurants set in a converted Moorish-Andalusian
palace which are to be found in every large city.
Here, with haunting Arab music as a background, one
can enjoy a sumptuous Moroccan repast which always
includes a number of tempting vegetarian dishes.
Such a meal will leave with most visitors, when
they return to their native lands, a deep nostalgia
for that country's food .
On the other hand,
if a person cannot journey to the enchanting and
fascinating land of the Moors, these few vegetarian
foods will give an insight into their great
cuisine.
VEGETABLE
HARIRA /
Serves about
12
5 tablespoons
olive oil
2 medium sized
onions, chopped
3 cloves garlic,
crushed
1/2 cup finely
chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 small hot
pepper, finely chopped
1 cup lentils,
soaked overnight
2 cups cooked
chickpeas
2 cups stewed
tomatoes
8 cups
water
3 teaspoons
salt
2 teaspoons
ginger
1 teaspoon
paprika
1 teaspoon
pepper
1 teaspoon
cumin
1 teaspoon
turmeric
1/4 cup
rice
4 tablespoons
lemon juice
In a large
saucepan, heat oil, then sauté onions over
medium heat for 10 minutes. Add garlic, coriander
leaves and hot pepper, then stir-fry for a further
5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients, except
the lemon juice, then bring to a boil. Cover and
cook over medium heat for 35 minutes or until the
rice and lentils are well done, adding more water
if necessary or if a more liquid soup is desired.
Stir in lemon juice, then serve.
BROAD BEAN
PURÉE - BIESAR /
Serves about
8
2 cups large dried
broad beans, soaked for 24 hours, then
skinned
5 cloves garlic,
chopped
1 teaspoon ground
cumin
4 tablespoons
olive oil
3 tablespoons
lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons
salt
1 teaspoon
oregano
1/2 teaspoon
thyme
1/8 teaspoon
cayenne
1/2 teaspoon
paprika
In a pot, place
broad beans, garlic and cumin, then cover with
water and bring to boil. Cover saucepan, then cook
over medium heat for 50 minutes or until beans are
cooked. Drain, but reserve the water.
Place beans and
the remaining ingredients, except paprika, in a
food processor, then add 1 1/2 cups of the bottom
part of the reserved water with the sediment and
purée.
Place purée
in a pot, then heat. Spread on a serving platter,
then decorate with paprika and serve
immediately.
EGGPLANT
PURÉE - DANJLAL /
Serves about
8
1 large
eggplant
4 tablespoons
olive oil
1 large onion,
finely chopped
1 medium sweet
green pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 cloves garlic,
crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons
salt
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
1/2 teaspoon
paprika
1/2 teaspoon
cumin
l/4 teaspoon chili
powder
3 tablespoons
lemon juice
1 tomato, finely
chopped
Place eggplant in
a 375 F preheated oven, then bake until skin begins
to blacken and becomes blistery. Remove and allow
to cool.
In the meantime,
heat oil in a frying pan, then sauté onion
over medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the green
pepper, then sauté for further 10
minutes.
Peel eggplant,
then mash and add, along with remaining
ingredients, except tomato, to frying pan contents.
Thoroughly mix, then place on a flat serving
plater. Decorate with tomato, then
serve.
PARSLEY SALAD -
SHLADA MADNOUSSE /
Serves from 4
to 6
1 large bunch of
wide leaf parsley (Italian), washed, stemmed and
chopped
2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 large Spanish
onion, finely chopped
1 medium sweet red
pepper, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic,
crushed
3 tablespoons
olive oil
3 tablespoons
lemon juice
1 teaspoon dried
mint
1 teaspoon
salt
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
1/2 cup black
olives, pitted and halved
Place all
ingredients, except olives, in a salad bowl, then
thoroughly mix. Decorate with olives, then serve
immediately.
CARROT SALAD -
SHLADA DISJADA /
Serves 4 to
6
1 pound carrots,
scraped, washed, then sliced into thin
rounds
4 cloves garlic,
crushed
1 1/2 teaspoons
salt
4 tablespoons
olive oil
4 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
3 tablespoons
lemon juice
1 teaspoon
paprika
1/2 teaspoon
cumin
l/8 teaspoon chili
powder
Place carrots,
garlic and 1 teaspoon of the salt in a saucepan,
then cover with water and bring to boil. Cover,
then cook over medium heat for 20 minutes and
drain.
In a frying pan,
heat oil, then stir-fry carrots over medium heat
for 10 minutes or until the carrots are
cooked.
In a salad bowl,
mix the remaining ingredients, including the
remainder of the salt. Stir in carrots, then serve
hot or cold.
SPINACH
SALAD - SHLADA
BEGGOULA /
Serves 6 to
8
In Morocco, a
mallow called beggoula is used when preparing this
dish. However, spinach, although not as tasty, is a
good substitute.
2
packages spinach (10 oz 284 g), washed and
chopped
1/2 hot pepper,
finely chopped
1 teaspoon
oregano
4 tablespoons
olive oil
2 cloves garlic,
crushed
1/2 cup finely
chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 teaspoon
salt
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
1/2 teaspoon
cumin
4 tablespoons
lemon juice
Place
spinach, hot pepper and oregano in a pot, then
cover with water and bring to boil.
Cook over medium
heat for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and
drain.
In a saucepan,
heat oil, then add spinach and remaining
ingredients, except lemon juice. Stir-fry for 5
minutes, then remove from heat. Stir in lemon
juice, then place on a platter. Serve hot or
cold.
ZUCCHINI STEW -
AL-GHARA BI TOMATOM
/ Serves 6
to 8
4 tablespoons
olive oil
2 medium onions,
chopped
4 cloves garlic,
crushed 2 zucchini,
2 zucchini, 8 to
10 inches long, diced un-peeled into 1 inch cubes
3 medium tomatoes,
finely chopped
1 1/2 cups
water
1 teaspoon
salt
1 teaspoon
ginger
1 teaspoon
paprika
1/2 teaspoon
ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
In a saucepan,
heat oil, then sauté onions over medium heat
for 15 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Add
remaining ingredients, then bring to boil. Cover
and cook for 25 minutes over medium heat, then
serve hot or cold.
GREEN BROAD
BEANS IN OIL - FOOL BI
ZAYT /
Serves from 4
to 6
1 pound green
freshly shelled or frozen broad or lima
beans
1 1/2 cups
water
2 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 cloves garlic,
crushed
3/4 teaspoon
salt
1/2 teaspoon
paprika
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
1/4 teaspoon
cumin
3 tablespoons
olive oil
1/8 teaspoon
cayenne
2 tablespoons
lemon juice
In a saucepan,
place all ingredients, except the lemon juice, then
bring to boil. Cover and cook over medium heat for
25 minutes or until the beans are done. Stir in
lemon juice, then serve hot or cold.
BEAN STEW -
LUBIA /
Serves 6 to
8
2 cups dried navy
or similar type bean, soaked for 24 hours, then
drained
4 tablespoons
olive oil
2 medium onions,
chopped
4 cloves garlic,
crushed
1/2 cup finely
chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 small hot
pepper, finely chopped
3 cups stewed
tomatoes
2 teaspoons
salt
1 teaspoon
paprika
1 teaspoon
pepper
1/2 teaspoon
allspice
1/2 teaspoon
cumin
pinch of
saffron
4 tablespoons
lemon juice
In a saucepan,
place beans and cover, up to 2 inches above, with
water, then bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 1
1/2 hours over medium heat or until the beans are
cooked, adding more water if necessary.
In the meantime,
in a frying pan, heat oil, then sauté onions
over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add garlic,
coriander leaves and hot pepper, then stir-fry for
further 5 minutes. Add frying pan contents and
remaining ingredients to beans, then bring to boil,
adding more water if necessary. Re-cover, then cook
for 30 minutes, adding a little more water if
necessary. Stir in lemon juice, then serve hot or
cold.
VEGETABLE
TAJINE /
Serves 6 to
8
4 tablespoons
butter
2 medium onions,
chopped
4 cloves garlic
crushed
4 tablespoons
finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 small hot
pepper, finely chopped
4 medium potatoes,
peeled, the sliced into l/4 inch thick
slices
2 medium sized
carrots, scraped, then cut into thin
rounds
1 can chickpeas
(19 oz 540 ml), with its water
2 cups stewed
tomatoes
1 teaspoon
salt
1 teaspoon
ginger
1/2 teaspoon
pepper
1/4 teaspoon
cumin
pinch of
saffron
1 lemon,
quartered, then sliced into thin slices
1/2 cup pitted
green olives
In a casserole,
melt butter, then sauté onions, garlic,
coriander leaves and hot pepper over medium heat
for 10 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients,
except the lemon slices and olives, then place in a
3500 F preheated oven, then cover and bake for 1
hour, or until vegetables are cooked. Place lemon
slices and olives evenly overtop, then re-cover and
bake for a further 10 minutes. Serve hot from the
casserole.
VEGETABLE
COUSCOUS /
Serves about
12
A couscousiere is
needed for this recipe. However if one is not
available a double boiler with a perforated top may
be substituted.
2 cups
couscous
5 tablespoons
butter, melted
4 tablespoons
cooking oil
1 large onion,
chopped
4 cloves garlic,
crushed
1/2 cup finely
chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 hot pepper,
finely chopped
1 can chickpeas
(19 oz 540 ml), with its water
2 cups stewed
tomatoes
1/2 cup
lentils
2 medium carrots,
scraped and quartered, then cut lengthwise into 2
inch long pieces
2 medium parsnips,
peeled and quartered, then cut lengthwise into 2
inch long pieces
2 medium sized
potatoes, peeled and diced into 1 inch
cubes
1 small turnip,
about 3 inch in diameter, peeled and diced into 1
inch cubes
1/4 cup
raisins
3 teaspoons
salt
1 teaspoon
pepper
1 teaspoon
ginger
1/2 teaspoon
cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon
allspice
pinch of
saffron
6 cups
water
1 teaspoon
paprika
1/4 cup toasted
sesame seeds
Place couscous and
butter in a bowl, then thoroughly mix until all
kernels are coated. Place in top part of the
couscousiere, then set aside.
In the bottom part
of the couscousiere, heat oil, then sauté
onion, garlic, coriander leaves and hot pepper over
medium heat for 10 minutes. Add remaining
ingredients, except paprika, and sesame seeds, and
bring to a boil, then fit the top part of the
couscous filled couscousiere with the couscous on
the bottom part and seal the two parts together
with a piece of cloth impregnated with flour. Cook
over medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring couscous
once in a while to make sure no lumps are formed,
then slowly sprinkle, while constantly stirring, a
cup of water over couscous. Cook for further 30
minutes, continuing to stir couscous every few
minutes. Remove top part of the couscousiere and
ensure the vegetables are cooked. If not, cook for
further few minutes.
Place couscous on
a large serving platter, pyramid shape, then make
well on top. Place cooked vegetables with a little
of the sauce in the well, then decorate couscous
with paprika and sesame seeds. Serve immediately
with remaining sauce in a gravy bowl and remaining
vegetables in a separate bowl.
Habeeb Salloum
58 Langbourne Place
Don Mills, Ontario,
Canada M3B
1A9
Tel: 416/445-4558,
Fax:
416/510-2143
E-mail:
habeeb.salloum@sympatico.ca
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