Vegetable tangine and stewed lamb are typical Moroccan dishes.

Moroccan cuisine is one of my absolute favourites, from the presentation of fragrant stews in clay tagines, the billowy couscous, to the perfume of their special blend of tea. The hallmark of Moroccan hospitality is a mint tea comprised of loose Chinese gunpowder tea, fresh mint leaves and sugar.

They make a great show of pouring the tea correctly from characteristically silver teapots at a high angle which is released from the snout in a straight line into the cutest glasses, the liquid amber and bubbling. It is absolutely delicious, and despite the sweetness, incredibly refreshing. Whenever I eat this soul-filling food, I am transported back to the spice markets of Marrakech and Fez. The Kingdom of Morocco is situated in North Africa. It is one of the more liberal Arab nations and is famous for its architecture, furniture, textiles, and fantastic food.

To be honest, I first sampled Moroccan food not in Morocco, but in London with some fellow university classmates at a celebratory dinner. Later on, when I lived in Paris, I became friendly with many Moroccans whose mothers invited me into their homes and taught me the secrets of Moroccan cooking in exchange for me teaching them the delights of Jamaican cookery or bringing gifts of Blue Mountain coffee! I ate Moroccan quite often, and appreciated this cuisine more so during winter, as it is stick-to-your-ribs food. It is also communal fare. You will generally find large groups eating in Moroccan restaurants. Eventually, when I finally arrived in Morocco itself, I felt quite proud of my expertise ordering dishes and felt like a native.

Morocco is an exotic land with a Berber, Arabic and French influence. The food incorporates loads of vegetables, such as carrots, turnips, squash, pumpkin and sweet potatoes, the most popular legume is the chickpea, followed by lentils, meats, especially beef and lamb and its famous pigeon dish pastille. Due to the country being prominently Muslim, you will not find pork dishes. However, they love their sausage, which is merguez and made of lamb, chilli and paprika.
Spices are paramount and when you tour this country, you will regularly view sackloads of spices in the markets or formed in pyramid-shaped mounds in all of their prominent colours such as the rich reds of paprika, chilli and saffron plus the earthy browns of cumin, cinnamon and ras al hanout, a blend of over 50 spices. Herbs such as cilantro, flat leaf parsley and mint are sold in large bundles. Harissa is a fiery condiment which is often added to food, or is offered on the side.

Couscous is a grain more popular than rice. Couscous is also the name of a main dish. You can order lamb, chicken, vegetarian and fish couscous. Basically you will receive a steaming bowl of couscous accompanied by one of the aforementioned proteins alongside a steaming bowl of mixed vegetables in an aromatic sauce.

Tagine are the name of the dome-shaped clay casserole which is used to cook and present food in. Unfortunately, my tagine broke en route to Jamaica when I moved here, so it won't be featured in today's photos. However, many Westerners do not have tagines and can successfully replicate the dishes with a normal casserole dish. The word tagine is also used to describe a stew. I hope you enjoy today's hearty dishes.

Vegetable Tagine

This dish is perfect for a vegetarian main meal or as a side dish for a meat course. It is spicy, hearty and filling. Serve with couscous or brown rice. This recipe feeds 6.

Ingredients:
1 tin chickpeas
3 carrots, cut in chunks
1 small pumpkin, cut in chunks
Handful of dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp hot paprika or regular paprika
1 tsp chilli powder (or 2 if using regular paprika)
1/2 Litre vegetable stock
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
2 tbsp plive oil
Method:

In a large casserole, heat olive oil, and cook onions over low heat until soft, about 10 minutes.
Add all the spices and garlic for two minutes, then the pumpkin and carrots, give a good stir to coat with spice mixture.
Pour in the vegetable stock and dried apricots and simmer for 25 minutes.
Add chickpeas and cook for a further 5 minutes until heated through.
Garnish with cilantro.

Moroccan-Spiced Stewed Lamb

Lamb is my preferred red meat. It is expensive, so I only prepare it on special occasions. It is quite fatty, so you don't need to use oil, as it will render its own while cooking. Morocco is famous for its lamb stews. The following dish is rich in sauce, serve with flat bread to mop up the juices, or with cous cous. To make this dish more special you can add prunes or caramelised pears (the normal variety, not avocado). Moroccans like to use dried fruits in savoury dishes. This recipe is for 4, double quantities for a larger group.

Ingredients:
500g of lamb, cut into chunks
2 cans of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp Harissa (a fiery chilli paste)
2 cloves of garlic
1 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Method:

Heat a large frying pan, preferably non-stick over high heat.
Sauté lamb on all sides until a nice brown colour.
Add spices and garlic and stir for a minute or two.
Pour in tomatoes and half the parsley, and simmer on medium heat until lamb is tender, about 40 minutes to 1 hour depending on the quality of meat, and the sauce is thickened.
Garnish with the rest of parsley.
Bon Appetit!

Jacqui Sinclair is a Cordon Bleu-trained chef/food stylist & hotelier. She has worked in the world of food photography and film in Europe. A bon vivant, she is passionate about sharing her food secrets with enthusiastic home cooks.

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