Guest Post: Sam in Morocco

My sister's boyfriend, Sam Albetta, just spent the past six months in Morocco and Egypt.  While he was there, obviously, he enjoyed a totally different cuisine than anything he was used to eating here in the States. So, when I asked if he would be interested in posting about some of his food experiences, he kindly obliged. Thanks, Sam, and I hope you guys enjoy this post as much as I did!

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Hey everyone, I'm Sam.  

 

 My recent time in Morocco was quite a new culinary experience, not just because of the subtleties of Moroccan food, but also because it made me more aware of the intricacies of how food is obtained, prepared, and enjoyed in another part of the world.  There are a lot of things that just work differently in Fez, which is where I spent most of my time.  Hopefully I can convey some sense of that in this post.

                 

The first thing you should know about eating in Morocco is that it really helps to be adventurous.  In addition to there being some food items to which Westerners aren’t accustomed, there is also often no semblance of a health code.  You should use common sense, but if you are overly-cautious you probably won’t have as much fun. 

                 

There are many different types of restaurants found in the Medina (older part of the city.)  Some are larger, more tourist-oriented restaurants that are clustered around the main entrance.  These can often be best described as “rip offs.”  The food is comparatively expensive and often isn’t as good or authentic as what one can find a little further in to the city.  At some point, one needs to decide if they want to be served tourist-safe food by a guy wearing boisterously exaggerated garb in a prop-laden restaurant, or food that Moroccans actually eat, prepared by a guy in jeans standing behind a bloody meat counter with a flat-top.  If you think you might prefer the former, the rest of this post may not interest you.

                 

flat top at a meat counter

It was just this kind of meat counter restaurant that ended up being one of my favorites.  This type of operation is really more of a stall than a restaurant, but they do cook up some great food.  There are fresh whole animals being broken down, hung, sometimes ground, and displayed, often including cuts of chicken, beef, lamb, liver, pancreas, and other various offerings of offal.   

meat counter proteins

Walking up and choosing an ingredient is your first move.  My favorites ended up being chicken, liver, and a large, reddish piece of charcuterie the locals called “pasterma” (like I said, be adventurous.)  Your counter man will then take that item and throw it on the flat-top with some onions, chopped olives, seasoning (chili and turmeric plus some others) and lots of oil.  You can also get a fried egg thrown into the mix (highly recommended.)  It’s then served in a piece of bread that’s pretty similar to pita.  The result can be had for a mere 15 dirham (a little less than $2) and you won’t be hungry afterward.  

sandwich

 

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 Another type of restaurant in the Medina is the soup-kitchen type.  Here you’ll find huge boiling pots of either harira, or a white bean soup called “bisura” or “baysr.”  These are often accompanied by fried eggs, a salsa-like sauce, and these delicious little potato fritters that are constantly being fried.  The spread at one of these places will only cost around 10 dirham ($1.25.)  

 soup counter

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 While both of the types of restaurants mentioned above serve great food, it certainly isn’t the food for which Morocco is best known.  The tagine is undoubtedly the most recognizable dish from the Moroccan milieu, and while it tends to be a little more expensive than the aforementioned bargains, it is definitely something that travelers shouldn’t miss.  While acceptable tagines can be obtained in many restaurants, the best tagine is the one made at home, preferably the home of a Moroccan whom you have befriended.  

tagine

Tagine is actually the name of the vessel in which the meal is cooked; it is a heavy stoneware dish that has a flat bottom and a tall conical lid.  This heavy stone basin is usually brought to the table, ensuring that the communal serving stays hot throughout the meal.  A couple of times we were brought tagines that were still at an active boil even after they had been brought out because of how much heat the vessel retained.  Varieties of tagines might include any combination of potatoes, zucchini, onions, garlic, tomatoes, beef, chicken, lamb, liver, or eggs.  Ingredients are sautéed and then simmered together with a little broth or water while the heavy lid holds pressure inside.  The result is a rich and tender meal that will heat the diner well after the food is gone.  Forks are lunged across the table and rips of bread mop up steaming broth.  Alcohol is rare to come by in Morocco, so a meal like this will often be preceded by tea, or “shai,” which in Morocco is usually just mint leaves, boiling water, and a staggering amount of sugar.

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Lastly, I’m including a recipe for a dish that I made for guests in my home while I was in Fez.  This dish was the result of my own interpretation of some of the Moroccan flavors and ingredients that I encountered while I was there.  If you can’t make it to Morocco anytime soon, maybe you can bring a little bit of Morocco to your own kitchen.  Have fun!   

                

Moroccan Braise

4-5 pound cut of beef

turmeric

cumin

fennel seed

cinnamon

salt

garlic cloves     

2 large fennel bulbs, quartered

2 onions, quartered  

5-6 sweet tangerines or other citrus, zest reserved

Thoroughly rub the beef with the spices.  Embed some cloves of garlic in the meat, cutting small slits if necessary.  If desired, let the beef sit with the rub overnight.

Brown the meat on all sides and transfer to a large lidded pot.  Add the onions and fennel bulb to the pot.  For the braising liquid, peel the tangerines and crush them in your hand over the pot.  Fit the lid on the pot and put it in the oven.  The temperature and timing of the braise can vary depending on the size and thickness of the meat.  For a larger, thicker piece, 3 - 4 hours at around 185 degrees should be about right.  For a thinner piece, 2 - 2.5 hours at around 200 should do it.  an expedited preparation of this dish can also be done in a pressure cooker in about half the time.  When using a pressure cooker, set the pot over a low to medium burner and maintain a low simmer.

 After cooking, plate the meat with the fennel and onions on a large platter and spoon some braising liquid over the top.  For a garnish, make a quick gremolata combining the saved tangerine zest, some chopped garlic, and parsley.  Sprinkle on top.

Culinary School Update: New England Clam Chowder, Hollandaise, Pound Cake & more!

So I'm gonna have to catch you guys up a bit on how school is going.  We're a little behind!

In Food Production class a couple weeks ago, we made espagnole sauce.  It is one of the 5 main "mother sauces," or sauces from which many other sauces are derived.  It is basically a brown stock to which a brown roux, tomato puree, and mirepoix are added.  We also made a New England clam chowder to practice bechamel, another mother sauce, and knife skills.  A bechamel is a roux-thickened milk or cream sauce.

New England clam chowder.

I missed baking class that week, so we're moving on.  In Food Production last week, we made tomato sauce, yet another one of the 5 main mother sauces.  Sadly, I don't have a photo of the tomato sauce.  We also made hollandaise, a 4th mother sauce, and arguably the trickiest to make. 

Made me crave eggs benedict.

We also made maple glazed carrots, to practice blanching and knife skills.

 These are batonnet, or french-fry cut.

In baking class last week, we made pound cake. 

 Chocolate swirl pound cakes, strawberry coulis, lemon glazed pound cakes.

The chocolate pound cakes were made European style, where the butter and sugar are whipped, the eggs are then added in stages, and the flavorings and dry ingredients are finally added. 

Chocolate swirl pound cakes.

We made the swirl by adding a paste of cocoa powder, sugar, and milk to half the batter, coloring it brown. We then gently folded the brown batter into the light batter, stopping after a couple of folds so the chocolate wouldn't become completely incorporated.

 A cross-section, with strawberry coulis.

The lemon pound cakes were made American style, where butter and shortening are first creamed, and dry ingredients are then added alternately with lemon juice and eggs.

Lemon-glazed pound cakes.

I preferred the slightly lighter texture of the chocolate swirl (whipped) cakes, but I think I would have like a simple glaze on them, like the lemon glaze we added to the American pound cakes. 


That should do it for the time being. Be looking forward to my new custom blog design, which should be installed in the next week or so.  I know I am!

Culinary School Update: Cream of Broccoli Soup and Pate A Choux

Good for cold days.

This week in cooking class, we made brown stock and Cream of Broccoli soup.  The recipe calls for 2 cups chicken veloute, which is a roux thickened chicken stock, as my mother correctly guessed.  In class, we just added flour to the sauteed veggies, and added the 2 cups of chicken stock on top.  My friend Delia suggested that I post the recipe:

Cream of Broccoli Soup

3/8 oz butter

1 1/2 oz onion, medium dice

3/8 oz celery, medium dice

3/8 lb broccoli, chopped

2 cups chicken veloute

1 cup chicken stock

3 fl. oz heavy cream

salt and pepper

blanched broccoli florets for garnish

Over low heat, sweat the onions, celery, and broccoli in the butter, without browning, until they are nearly tender.

Add the chicken veloute (or sprinkle the veggies with flour and add chicken stock). Bring to a simmer, and cook until the veggies are tender, and the stock begins to thicken, approximately 15 minutes.  Skim the surface periodically.

Puree the soup, then strain through a chinoise, if desired.

Return the soup to the stove and thin it to the correct consistency with additional chicken stock.  Bring the soup to a simmer and add hot cream and salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish!

*This was good- it was nice and thick, and I did choose to strain mine to give it a nice, clean texture. 

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In baking class, we made Pate A Choux.  

From this dough, we made cream puffs, chocolate eclairs, and profiteroles.

 Cream Puff.

The cream puffs were filled with pastry cream, which was then topped with whipped cream (chocolate or vanilla).

 

Chocolate Eclair.

The chocolate eclairs were piped with pastry cream, and dipped in chocolate ganache.

They were good, but really rich.

Culinary School Update: Minestrone, Foccacia, and Cinnamon Rolls!

So, I need to post about school before I get too far behind to catch everyone up.  

Mise en place for minestrone in cooking class.

First, I'll go over my Culinary Arts class this week.  We put together a chicken stock, and made minestrone in groups of two.  While the minestrone was cooking, we made roux.  For those who aren't familiar with what a roux is, it is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat (oil, butter, bacon grease, whatever) that is used to thicken things (like soup or gravy).

Blanc, Blonde, and Brown roux

We didn't use the roux to thicken anything, it was more like a skill development exercise. And by the way, yes, I dropped a little spot of brown roux into my blonde roux example :( .  The chef said my blonde roux was just a teeny bit dark, but the brown roux was perfect.  Made me want to make a New Orleans style gumbo or something.  I've never actually had to make anything with a brown/black roux- it takes a lot of patience to get it that dark without burning.  We're talking like 20+ minutes of constant stirring!

 

I still can't eat minestrone without thinking of sledding and snowmen.

My best friend Brenna's  mom used to make minestrone on every snow day.  Now Brenna makes it for her own kids.  This was pretty good, but it wasn't the same.

So, that's about it for Culinary Arts class. Now for Baking...

 

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Last week in baking class we made lean yeast rolls, cheddar cheese rolls and foccacia bread.

Cheddar cheese rolls and lean yeast rolls.

These rolls were pretty good, but the foccacia bread was great.  We turned it into pizza... mmm.  Here is my pizza.

  Almost the whole pizza.

Yes, there is a piece missing.  I was hungry and almost forgot to take a picture.

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Okay, this week in baking class we made cinnamon rolls, and they were delicious!  Cinnamon rolls don't usually get me going, but these were so soft and tender.

  Same dough, different shapes and decorations.

The rolls in the pie tin were definitely my favorite.  We put a caramel coating on the bottom of the pie tin, laid in the dough rolls, proofed and baked them.  Then, when they came out, we flipped the tin so the caramel was on top.

These make me drool like Homer Simpson.

We made traditional looking cinnamon rolls, of course, and we also made these braided loaves.  These were pretty fun and fairly challenging to make. 

Not perfect, but not bad.

Okay, well that's about it.  That was a long one.  Ya'll let me know how you feel about these culinary school posts - do they need changing? I don't want to go into too much detail because I don't want to bore you to death.  

Also, I'm now officially on Twitter as @danidishes.  I need you guys to help me figure it out- it doesn't make complete sense to me yet.  So, until next time...

Chicken Pasta Soup

The last few weeks of '09 have not been very kind to me.  I've had food poisoning, a root canal, and now I've come down with some kind of yucky flu-ish illness.  So, I'm kind of depressed because I haven't really felt like eating like usual.  Nothing really strikes me, but I need energy because these next couple days are the busiest days of the year in the food and bev industry.  Even if I wanted to call in sick, there would be no one to cover the shifts for me!  Plus, I'm broke, and its all about the mon-ay.


So, I buckled down and made some feel-good chicken and pasta soup. This is my Aunt Loralee's recipe, which I fell in love with when I was like 10 years old.  I only tend to make it when I'm feeling really crummy, or have someone sick to care for.  It's super easy, and you can use any old vegetable-bin staples you have laying around.  There's no specific measurements- just a dash of this, pinch of that, little bit of this, handful of that, so you can tailor it to your liking.  Her recipe called for green beans, which I didn't have on hand, so I added a diced potato for some additional starchy energy.

Loralee's Chicken Pasta Soup

Rotisserie Chicken

2 or 3 bay leaves

Garlic/Cumin/Sage/Crushed Red Pepper/Salt & Pepper

Veggie Bouillon (2 or 3 squares, dissolved in soup broth)

Carrots, finely chopped

Celery, finely chopped

Potato, diced

Tomatoes (one can or a couple of fresh, finely chopped)

Dry White Wine

Soy Sauce

Worcestershire Sauce

Tabasco

Orzo, Pepini Noodles, or other pasta of your choice

Boil chicken in large soup pot of water.  (It doesn't have to be a full chicken- you can eat some for lunch and use the rest for the soup).  I let the chicken boil while I diced the rest of the veggies.  Take chicken out and cool in colander, keeping broth in pot.  While chicken is cooling, add remaining ingredients, except for the pasta, to the broth.  Pull chicken off bones and tear or cut into bite size pieces and add back to soup.  Let simmer for 1-4 hours, tasting and adding additional spices as desired.  

Twenty minutes before serving, turn up heat to boiling.  Once boiling, add pasta *I used half a box of orzo.*  Enjoy!

Have a happy new year!  Be careful tonight!

White Chili

Decorating the tree today!

I hate it when people start playing Christmas carols and decorating their house before Thanksgiving has even happened. I like to give Thanksgiving its own due time before moving into the Christmas spirit.  That being said, I probably should have gotten my tree up before now, but, whatever, its up now. 

Let me tell you, Bam Bam was a *huge* helper. 

If he were  human he'd be a gin drinker.

Anyway, I've been waiting for a nice blustery day to make Mom's white chili recipe, but finally gave up because, oh yeah, I live in Charleston. The weather keeps toying around with the idea of getting cold, and then changes its mind and turns warm again. I'm running around in short sleeves in the middle of December, for goodness' sake.

So, I gave up and made the chili.  I love this recipe, and its not as unhealthy as your usual beefy variety.  Here's the recipe:

White Chili

1 pound dried Great Northern beans

2 pounds boneless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

4 cloves minced garlic

2 fresh jalapenos, chopped *the original called for canned chilies, but I think fresh probably work just as well. I actually felt like I could have added a few more*

2 teaspoons cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

6 cups chicken stock

3 cups (12 oz) grated Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream, cilantro, corn chips, salsa- whatever  you like to garnish with

Place beans in heavy large pot.  Add enough cold water to cover by at least 3 inches.  Soak overnight.

Place chicken in heavy large saucepan.  Add cold water to cover and bring to a simmer.  Cook until just tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain and cool.  Cut chicken into cubes.

all chopped up and ready to go

Drain beans.  Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes.

 

sauteing the onions

 

Stir in garlic, then chilies, cumin, oregano, cloves, and cayenne and saute 2 minutes.

 

 japs

Place saute mixture along with beans and stock into a large pot (or crock pot- this would be an easy recipe to make while you're at work) and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until beans are very tender, stirring occasionally, about 2 hours.

Add chicken and 1.5 cups cheese to chili and stir until cheese melts.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

 

 My garnishes of choice.  Gotta have some Fritos scoops!

Ladle chili into bowls. Serve with remaining cheese and garnish to your liking.

 

 Mmm.  Goes well with a cold beer.

Did you think I was gonna leave you hanging without a final tree photo? I think not!

  

Bottom right hand corner is Tiger, the cat you haven't met yet :)

That pretty much does it!

Lentil & Brown Rice Soup

Am I allowed to say that I served it with Bisquick biscuits?

With all this delicious chicken stock on hand, I thought it only made sense to make a soup out of it. So, I went through all my recipes and picked one of my mom's that she labeled "EASY AND DELICIOUS AND GOOD FOR YOU".  I figured, this couldn't be bad. The only catch was selling it to Brandon, who tends to be wary of exotic sounding legumes and grains, and who also favors the carnivorous side of dining. But, I thought, tough for him, he'll have to try something new.  Plus, the soup only uses pantry staples, so I didn't have to buy a single thing to make it. Thus, the recipe:

Lentil & Brown Rice Soup

3 1/2 cups chicken stock 
3/4 cup picked over, rinsed lentils
1/2 cup brown rice
1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 carrots, diced
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 stalk chopped celery
1 1/2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
1 small bay leaf
1/4 cup minced parsley
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

In a heavy pot, combine broth, 1.5 cups water, and all remaining ingredients except parsley and vinegar.  Bring to a boil.  Simmer, covered stirring occasionally, 45-55 minutes, or until lentils and rice are tender.  Stir in parsley, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Thin, if desired, with additional hot chicken broth or water.

Mmm, soup 

And that's it.  Easy, easy, easy. Brandon loved it, and kept saying how meaty tasting it was.  I told him the only meat was chicken stock, and that *gasp* it was actually healthy. Thanks, Mom :)