Posts Tagged "Appetizers"
Ma’akouda – The Moroccan “French Fry”
It was after a long morning on the beach of Essaouira that we stumbled into the medina to find something for lunch. Well equipped with a list of requests from the rest of the family we found a “snak” stand to place a very large order. It was during this last visit to Morocco that I danced with the idea of vegetarianism having had my fill and then some of meat and chicken. When we went out to eat I was constantly opting for an option without meat. So as we stood placing order after order I glanced into the display case to see what I thought were falafel. My eyes lit up. But when I asked I found out they were not falafel..they were ma’akouda or potato pancakes.
I had never had ma’akouda, nor had I seen them before this visit. I am sure that they can be found in snack shops around the country but for me they will always be synonymous with Essaouira. They were everywhere! Now I have no way of know if this is true but they reminded me a lot of potato latkes, the famous Jewish potato pancake. During the 19th century Essaouira’s Jewish population was about 40% of the total population. There has been a Jewish population in Morocco for the past 2,000 years, reaching 250,000+ people at one point. Israel has a population that is about 15% claiming Moroccan Jewish ancestry. It could certainly be that this was a dish influenced by the Jews of Essaouira.
These potato fritters can be eaten alone or as they are most often, made into a sandwich. They are incredibly easy to make and are sure to please your family. I chose to make this a gluten-free recipe but you can easily make it with regular all-purpose flour.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb Yukon Gold or another soft potato
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1/2 Tbsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder or 1/4 of a chopped onion
- 1 tsp minced garlic or garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup gluten-free flour
- vegetable oil for frying
- 1 cup gluten free flour for dusting
- frying pan
Directions
I like to use a soft skin potato so that I can keep the skin on (that’s where all the nutrients are!). Scrub them well and then place in a pan. Boil the potatoes until soft, remove from heat and allow to cool. Mash.
Add the spices and egg, mixing well. Begin to add the flour slowly, mixing while you go. The dough should be slightly sticky but should not stick to your hands. You may need to add more than the 1/2 cup of flour. Heat the oil to medium. Begin making small balls with the potato mixture. The size is really up to you. Flatten each ball and dust with flour. Add the patties to the oil, making sure not to crowd the pan. Brown on both sides, remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
Eat warm with your favorite condiment (harissa is tasty!) or make into a sandwich. Traditionally the ma’akouda sandwich is made on a baguette stuffed with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, olives, spicy Moroccan mustard and mayo.
A Honey and Cheese Party with My Girlfriends
When we moved back to the Midwest I left behind a lot of really great friends. For many months I really felt like I would never find even a single friend let alone several. But I have been very blessed to meet several ladies that I am honored to call friends. We’ve started a little tradition of having “girls night”, and because all of us are tight on cash (who isn’t?) and have kids (hence why there’s no cash) we have our get-togethers at home. I invited them over to my house most recently for a honey and cheese party. I’ve seen tons of these parties, usually involving wine, but since we don’t drink no wine was in sight.
On the coffee table I lined up all 6 flavors of Honey Ridge Farms honey creme with their own spoon. I picked up several different kinds of crackers and sliced a fresh baguette thinly. Then on a large serving platter I arranged several kinds of cheese.
I almost had more fun picking out the different kinds of cheeses that I thought would go well with each of the honey creme flavors, than I did eating them! I choose a camabert, chevre, iberico, manchego, and fontina. We could call it a taste of Europe! The Honey Ridge Farms flavors of honey creme include;
- Apricot
- Lemon
- Blackberry
- Raspberry
- Cranberry
- Spiced
- Clover honey (I didn’t include this one – see my previous post for a review)
- Pick up several fun flavors of honey – Honey Ridge Farms would be my choice! Remember that over 75% of grocery store honey contains no honey at all. (Source)
- Visit your local cheese shop or grocery store and talk to the deli personnel if you’re unsure about which cheeses might pair nicely. Most employees will be delighted to assist you and most likely you’ll go home with something you would have never thought of. Don’t forget to let them know if you’ve got a budget
- Next hit the cracker aisle and pick some of your favorites. I went with Wheat Thins, Ritz and Triscuits – nothing fancy there! Optionally you could pick out several types of breads in addition to or in place of the crackers.
- To pull it all together choose a space in your home that will allow everyone to access all of the items. A large dining table or even a large coffee table that everyone can gather around works well. I love to use my china plates not because the occasion calls for them but because it makes everyone feel a little fancier!
- Have FUN!!! This is especially great for new friends as it serves as a great icebreaker and a way to start conversation about a topic that is light!
What are some of your favorite entertaining ideas? If you don’t like to entertain, what is it that is not enjoyable?
Tartine with Honey Creme, Chevre and Za’atar
See that? It’s probably one of the most recognizable symbols around the world. I’ve always dreamed of the day I made it to France to see L’tour Eiffel up close and personal. On our way to Morocco we had a 13 hour layover in Paris and there was no chance we were spending it in the airport. (I’m going to do another post at some point talking about long layovers and how to spend them out of the airport.) There were three things that I needed to do in Paris.
1. Eat a great lunch
2. See Notre Dame
3. Take a boat ride on the Seine.
Check, Check AND Check.
The hardest part of my plan was finding the right place to have lunch because it had to be perfect. How many times does one get to have lunch in Paris? We walked A LOT and I couldn’t decide where to stop. Maybe it was because we were so hungry or maybe it was just indecision. Finally when I couldn’t stand walking anymore we just sat down at a small bistro a few blocks from the Eiffel Tower.
It was there I ordered one of the best things I’ve ever had. MarocBaba ordered a dish with organic chicken that was juicy and full of flavor. I ordered a salad with microgreens and goat cheese tartine. A tartine is a French open-faced sandwich that is generally a step up from the American idea of a sandwich. This one was on a thick slab of brioche bread with goat cheese melted on top. Drizzled over the cheese was honey and hidden underneath thyme. I’ve been dreaming of this meal for weeks now! But, it’s hard to find the same great honey that exists in France. American honey is thinner and sometimes has a sugary after taste. But I’ve found a great honey here in the US.
At Eat, Write, Retreat last spring I received Honey Ridge Farms Lemon Creme honey. Love in a glass jar. Now I’ve got all of the flavors to test out and play with. When the box came MarocBaba immediately seized the jar of Honey Creme Clover and swears it’s the best honey he’s had in the US. This coming from a Moroccan whose grown up eating honey just about every day of his life really tells me what a great product this is. There are 7 flavors of honey creme but for this recipe I stuck with the clover honey. (I’m going to introduce you to all of the flavors in a future post). Here’s my version of my Parisian dream lunch.
The salad component can be whatever you like best. But, for the tartine here’s what you will need.
- Good bread a brioche or french baguette will work well
- Chevre (goat) cheese
- Honey Ridge Farms Clover Honey Creme
- Za’atar mix (you can get that here, but essentially a mix of thyme, sesame seeds and salt)
To assemble, spread slices of bread with the honey creme and sprinkle za’atar on top. Next add a layer of goat cheese. Place them under a broiler in your oven or toaster oven until the cheese starts to melt slightly and the bread starts to toast on the edges. In another small bowl melt a few teaspoons of honey creme. Place the bread around the salad and drizzle with the melted honey before serving.
Disclaimer: This post is part of Honey Ridge Farms “Spread the Love” campaign. I was not compensated for writing this post however did receive complimentary products. All opinions are my own.
Pin It Read MoreSpicy Organic Pumpkin Seeds
My kids LOVE pumpkin seeds. Actually they love any kind of seeds or nuts, sunflower seeds, soybeans, almonds, peanuts, squash seeds, you name it and roast it -they eat it. We had two organic pumpkins to carve for fall/Halloween and while I had dreams of roasting and eating the pumpkins the kids had other plans. I had gotten everything ready for gutting and carving including a garbage bag. This was met with cries of disgust. ”Why are you throwing those away? You need to cook them for us!!” Out came the large mixing bowl to save all the seeds.
The kids did most of the gutting and then the seeds were passed on to me to clean and cook.
But what could be better than regular ‘ole roasted pumpkin seeds?
Harissa Coated Roasted Pumpkin Seeds!
I had a jar of Mina Harissa just waiting to be tested out in a recipe. This was perfect. We bring home a new jar of harissa from Morocco every trip. However the harissa we get is usually close to a paste in consistency. From first glance, the Mina harissa has a bright, vibrant red color. The smell on opening is inviting not frighteningly spicy. With a much thinner consistency than what I was used to I wasn’t sure how it was going to turn out. I’m happy to say they worked and tasted really wonderful. Not too spicy but with enough of a kick to know you’ve eaten something with a little bit of a bite. The recipe couldn’t be easier.
Ingredients
- 1 cup organic pumpkin seeds
- 2 tsp Mina harissa
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
- This recipe is to make pumpkin seeds using seeds extracted from a pumpkin. After removing the seeds place into a mixing bowl and clean any excess pieces of pumpkin "guts" from the seeds. Add plenty of water to the bowl to cover the seeds (they will float).
- I allow my seeds to soak for 2-3 hours in the water and add 2 tbsp salt to the water as well. This is optional
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a small bowl mix together the harissa and olive oil. Drain the water from the bowl with the pumpkin seeds and pour the harissa mixture on top of the seeds. Use a spoon to mix, ensuring all of the seeds are covered.
- Pour the seeds out onto a baking sheet in a single layer.and bake for 20 minutes or until the seeds are crunchy.
I really enjoyed Mina Harissa and now you’ve got an opportunity to try it too!! I’ve got one extra jar to giveaway to one lucky reader. Here’s how to win;
Mandatory entry: Leave me a comment and tell me your favorite use for harissa, OR if you’ve never tried harissa tell me why you’d like to!
Additional Entries:
- Like Mina Harissa on Facebook
- Follow Mina Harissa on Twitter
- Tweet about this giveaway (sample tweet): “Roasted Organic Pumpkin Seeds with @harissa – a great fall treat and a chance to win Mina Harissa with @marocmama http://goo.gl/b18rP”
Giveaway ends November 7th and I will notify the winner within 48 hours.
Don’t forget to make yourself some tasty pumpkin seeds with Mina Harissa!
This giveaway has ended.
Disclosure: I was not compensated for writing this review however I did receive a complimentary bottle of Mina Harissa. All opinions are my own.
Read MoreWhite Bean Garlic Dip with Green Olives and Tomatoes
Dips and scoop-able salads are really big at our house. It seems to me that in Middle Eastern/North African cuisine dips are just an excuse to eat more fantastic bread. I’m ok with that. I came up with this dip during Ramadan as a side dish for iftar. It came together out of a bunch of leftovers and a can of great northern beans. When I shop I always try to get a few pantry items that I have no immediate plans for. Then when I’m feeling an itch to make something new I have a bunch of different options. It probably adds $5 to my weekly grocery bills but when I’m in a pinch or just needing to feel creative it’s right there.
I’m curious to know – do you only cook from recipes or do you like to be adventurous too? What’s the best thing you ever made up?
Ingredients
- 1 can of Great Northern Beans
- 4 oz sour cream
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1 roma tomato chopped coarsely
- 1 handful of pitted green olives chopped
Instructions
- In a food processor add the beans, sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper. Pulse until smooth. Place the dip into a bowl and top with the olives and tomatoes. Serve with pita bread, or another chip or bread.
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Lasagna Cups
Maybe you’ve been noticing that I haven’t been posting as much lately. I have to confess I haven’t been here as much as normal. Over the last few months I’ve been struggling with some pretty nasty wrist pain (in both wrists). While I first wrote it off as just overuse when it didn’t go away and got to the point that I could no longer lift a pan of water with one hand, I knew I had to go to the doctor. While I am still waiting for some x-ray results the diagnosis currently is severe tendonitis in both wrists. I spend 95% of my work day on the computer, a good chunk of free time on it as well as plenty of time doing daily tasks almost all of which require use of my wrists. I guess I’m not overly surprised! So for the next month I have to wear braces on both wrists (I look like a boxer) and ease up if I can on my usage. Hopefully that will be the end of it but there is a chance I’ll need steroid injections and even surgery down the road. This is a really long way to say, I won’t be posting as much as before. I won’t be disappearing but odds are I might only make 3 -4 posts a week. I will be actively participating on the MarocMama Facebook page, tweeting on Twitter and pinning like a fool! I hope you won’t mind my reduced posting!
Onto this great recipe. We love lasagna is this house. It’s my favorite comfort food and the kids gobble it right up. But I don’t always want to make a big pan of lasagna only to have lots of leftovers (nothing wrong with that but fridge space is a premium here!) These also are a great and unique appetizer. Did I mention how easy they are?
Ingredients
- Wonton Wrappers
- 8 oz mozzerella cheese
- 8 oz cottage cheese
- 4 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 tsp crushed garlic
- 1 egg beaten
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
- 20 oz of your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 lb ground beef cooked with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt and pepper, chopped basil
- extra mozzerella cheese for the tops
- Greased muffin tin
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together the mozzerella cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, 1 tsp crushed garlic and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Grease the wells of the muffin tins with cooking spray or your favorite "greasing agent" and place a wonton wrapper in each. Press down slightly but don't worry once they are filled they will naturally fill out in the tin.
- For the stuffing you can put the ingredients in any way that you want. I put 1 heaping teaspoon of the cheese mixture first, followed by a 1/2 teaspoon of the meat mixture, then 1 teaspoon or a little more of the spaghetti sauce. I also like to sprinkle a little mozzerella on the very top before baking.
- Once the cups are filled you may want to play with the wonton wrappers a little around the edges. I like to fold mine in where they are sticking out too much just for appearances. This is totally up to you.
- Slide the baking tin into a preheated 350F oven and bake about 10-12 minutes until the edges of the wrappers are changing colors and the cheese on top is melted. Serve hot. These can easily be re-heated to serve the following day.
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Want some Want’ems?
Earlier in the summer I came across this new product and was so intrigued. The name caught me right away and I wanted some! Want’ems are a wonton chip created by some friends in Boston who consider themselves citizens of the world. As soon as I read that I knew that these guys must have made something good if they had the same outlook as I do. Now these are certainly not Moroccan but they are a unique snack for a multicultural market. I was able to try both flavors of chips (original and Asian BBQ) and the three dips that go with them – Sweet Chili, General Tso, and Thai Mango. I didn’t dislike any of them. In fact I was surprised because I expected that the chili and general tso dip would be too spicy for me. Another aspect that I like is that the ingredients are natural. The ingredient list isn’t a mile long!
Now I have tried food all around the world so unique food isn’t hard to win me over on. However, I knew this product was really good when my 70+ year old grandmother tried them out and immediately said “where can I buy these?” Folks if they can win over her they can win over anyone.
Right now Want’ems are only available in the Boston, MA area. If you’d like to get them in your local store there is a request form on the Want’ems website to give to your local grocer. You can also order them online through Abe’s Market Natural Goods. The really good news however you’re going to get a chance to win a bag of chips and dip to try out! Anyone who is a resident of the US is eligible to win! Here’s how;
Mandatory entry: Visit the Want’ems website and tell me which combination of chips and dip you would most like to try.
Additional entries:
- Like Want’ems on Facebook
- Like MarocMama on Facebook
- Follow Want’ems on Twitter
- Follow MarocMama on Twitter
- Tweet about this giveaway (I entered to win @wantems1 with @marocmama – do you want some too? http://marocmama.com/?p=2382)
- Share this giveaway on your Facebook wall and mention the MarocMama or Want’ems fanpage.
Moroccan Flavored “Pizzas”
As promised I continue to delve into the appetizers that I tested out during Ramadan. This recipe came from a group I’m a part of on Facebook but I adapted a little bit while making. The recipe is a little in depth but once you get into a good rhythm it goes fast. You can make the dough and use it right away or freeze it for use later.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 c flour
- 1 tbsp yeast
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 c vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 c milk
- 1 c water
- 1/2 lb ground beef, lamb, chicken or turkey
- 2 tsp sumac
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- shredded cheese (I used Manchego but any cheese will work)
- Other add-ins; chopped onions, cut up olives, chopped green peppers, chopped leeks, etc.
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