Sep 17

Cookbook 11: a month in Marrakesh

This weekend’s book was Andy Harris’s book a month in Marrakesh, which was less successful from my end.  The starter we had was fantastic, the rest of the meal I was less than impressed with.  This was not the cook book’s fault, more that my taste and the flavours in the dishes I selected were poles apart.  It turns out I don’t like fennel (oops), and the spice mix in the chicken dish was reminiscent of the lamb dish I cooked from Cook Book 4, which I can no longer stomach.

I also had my parents visiting, which was disappointing, as I had hoped to cook them something very impressive.  My mother took the chicken dish as a personal challenge, and is determined to find a way to make it edible.  As long as she continues experimenting on her own time, that’s all good.  The other family at the table said the fennel dish, couscous and chicken together worked ok. 

Goat’s Cheese & Herb Brik

Ingredients

  • 2 sheets warkha pastry or 4 sheets filo pastry
  • a little plain flour, for dusting
  • olive oil for frying

Filling

  • 250g soft goat’s cheese or fromage frais
  • 1 bunch mixed fresh herbs such as flat-leaf parsley, basil, mint, chives, dill and coriander; finely chopped
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Method

  1. To make the filling, place the goat’s cheese or fromage frais, fresh herbs, beaten egg, ground cumin, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl.  Season generously with salt and pepper and mix well.
  2. To make the brik, lay a sheet of warkha on a flat surface and cut a 20cm circle.  If using filo pastry, place two sheets on a flat surface and discard any remaining filo pastry.
  3. Place half the goat’s cheese and herb filling in the centre of the pastry.  Fold the pastry edges into the centre to enclose the filling, then invert onto a surface lightly dusted with flour.  Repeat the process with the remaining ingredients to make a second brik.
  4. Fill a large frying pan a third full with olive oil, then place over a medium heat.  Add one brik and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes, or until golden brown.  Remove and place on kitchen paper.  Cook the remaining brick in the same way.
  5. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Notes on this recipe:

  • I doubled this and made triangles instead (as you can see in the picture) as I had more than two people over for dinner.
  • It was delicious, but man goat cheese is expensive

Chicken Bistilla

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons saffron threads
  • 1 teaspoon quatre épices
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamn
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 400ml chicken stock, warmed
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 800g cooked chicken, shredded
  • 50g sultanas, soaked in warm water
  • 80g almonds, chopped
  • juice of 1 orange
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 50g butter, melted for brushing (plus extra 105g if using filo pastry)
  • 8 sheets warkha pastry or 12 sheets filo pastry
  • icing sugar, for dusting

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, then add the onion and garlic and sauté until softened.  Ad the saffron threads, quatre épices, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook, stirring continuously, for 2 – 3 minutes.  Add the chicken stock and bring to the biol, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the liquid has reduced by half.
  2. Remove from the heat, then add the eggs, shredded chicken, sultanas, almonds, orange juice and stir well.  Allow to cool, then season with salt and pepper.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180C and lightly grease a 22cm pie dish.  If using filo pastry, brush the pastry sheets with the melted butter and stack them on top of each other.
  4. Place 4 sheets of overlapping warkha pastry, or six sheets of filo pastry, on the bottom of the prepared pie dish.  Spoon in the chicken mixture, then top with the remaining warkha or filo pastry sheets.  Pull the edges of the pastry away from rim of the pie dish, so that they crimp up a little during baking.  Brush the top of the bistilla with melted butter.  Bake in the oven for 20 – 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden.
  5. Remove from the oven and cool for 3 minutes before transferring to a serving plate.  Dust with icing sugar and serve sliced with a simple fresh green salad.

Notes on this recipe

  • There is something about the blend of spices in this dish that I just don’t like.  I have no idea what it is
  • If using filo pastry, layer 6 sheets, and then separately layer another six sheets.  Don’t layer all 12 together.

Potato, Fennel & Pea Tagine

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 400g baby potatoes, cleaned
  • 1 onion, peeled and chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 celery sticks, trimmed and sliced
  • 2 bulbs fennel, trimmed and sliced lengthways
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 250g shelled fresh or frozen peas
  • cold water
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons mint, finely chopped
  • juice of 1 lemon

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil over a medium heat in a casserole dish or tagine.  Add the potatoes, onion and garlic and cook for 2 – 3 minutes.  Add celery and fennel and cook for a further 2 – 3 minutes.
  2. Add the ginger, coriander and cumin and season generously with salt and pepper, then add the peas and enough water to just cover the mixture.  Bring to the boil, then lower the heat, cover with the lid and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
  3. Add the parsley and mint, and remove the lid.  Cook for 10 minutes or until the sauce reduces and thickens, stirring to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
  4. Lasty add the lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil and serve with Couscous.

Notes on this recipe

  • I think that 2 bulbs of fennel is a massive amount more than this recipe means – either that or the fennel we get in Australia is much bigger than everywhere else.
  • I don’t like fennel – this is unfortunate, and only discovered on tasting.  Everyone else thought it was great.

Muhallabia (Milk Pudding)

Ingredients

  • 700g cornflour
  • 500ml milk
  • 100(g) caster sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon mastic, pounded
  • 50ml rose water
  • 50g blanched almonds, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Method

  1. In a saucepan, mix the cornflour to a paste with some of the milk.  Add remaining milk, sugar and mastic, and stir mixture well.
  2. Bring to the boil slowly, stirring occasionally.  Lower the heat and simmer for about 2 minutes or until mixture thickens.
  3. Add rose water and half the almonds and cook for a few more minutes, then take off heat and transfer mixture to six 150ml capacity glass cups or bowls and refrigerate until chilled.
  4. To serve, remove from the refrigerator, sprinkle with the remaining almonds and ground cinnamon.

Notes on this recipe:

  • Mastic gum has an odd medicinal smell in large quantities, and when I made this dish it smelt and tasted slightly medicinal.  This was entirely cured with the addition of honey when served.
  • The pudding has an odd texture – like milk jelly.  It is tasty though.