Soups and Salads

Moroccan Carrot, Chickpea, Dried Fruit and Almond Salad

I’m so happy to welcome Paula of Vintage Kitchen Notes as a guest blogger today. Paula is one of the uber-talented bloggers I’ve gotten to know through #SundaySupper and a fellow international blogger. Her pictures alone make me want to climb through the screen and into her kitchen. Also, she’s located in Argentina, one of the South American destinations I’m dying to visit, so I guess crawling through the screen might not be such a bad idea? To find more of her great recipes you can connect with Paula on her blog, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Hello from the southern part of the world! I blog from Buenos Aires, the city where I live.

Being here today is exciting because the idea of learning more about different cuisines is very motivating. Moroccan always rings a good bell in my mind, and after meeting Amanda through Sunday Supper and snooping around her recipes, I realized that the mix of dried fruit, the tagines, preserved lemons and spices like cumin are what makes me love this type of food. Titles like lamb and eggplant tajine, zaatar flat bread and sesame honey cookies make me swoon, and just shows what a talented cook this girl is.

I like to explore different food cultures. What foodie doesn’t right? In my case my heritage is a lot of Italian and regional, so growing up there were a lot of empanadas, grilled meats with chimichurri and dulce de leche.

When Amanda asked for guest posts, specifying that she needed Moroccan dishes, I jumped at the opportunity. Spices and dried fruits are my middle name, and this carrot, chickpea and dried fruit salad fit the bill perfectly.

It´s the middle of winter here, but most of you who read this blog are under scorching temps, so a salad with pungent flavors was the perfect recipe for today. And anyway, the years have brought us milder winters, making salads a common appearance year round, not just during the warmer seasons. Salad is good for you, and this one is packed with healthy ingredients, it´s nutritious and colorful, the perfect lunch really.

Ever since I made this zucchini mint salad, ribbons are my favorite way to cut some vegetables when I use them raw in salads. Carrots are one of them, and they are not only visually attractive, but they give volume to the plate and I love that. Food is, after all, very visual. Not just for a blog picture, but in real life.

Most salads in general are very easy to adjust to personal taste. My choice here is a marked spice flavor, especially cumin which I love when it´s toasted and ground with a mortar and pestle. And then sliced, toasted almonds clearly change the final result. That crunch and nutty flavor goes extraordinarily well with the dried fruit and vegetables.

Back when I was a kid, chickpeas didn´t come in a can, at least not in this country. They were soaked overnight in cold water and boiled the next day until tender. I like to do it once in a while now, but nothing beats opening a can of already cooked chickpeas for a quick bite.

As it usually happens, I made the salad, took the pictures, ate half for lunch and the rest went into the fridge. It turns out that I particularly like the way the dressing macerates and softens the carrots when left to chill for a few hours. So this is a salad that can be prepared a few hours before. But add the chopped herbs and almonds at the last minute.

MOROCCAN CARROT, CHICKPEA, DRIED FRUIT AND ALMOND SALAD

barely adapted from 101Cookbooks

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

For the dressing:

1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2-3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

For the salad:

2 large carrots
2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed if they´re from a can
6 dried apricot halves, sliced
4 black dried figs, sliced
¼ to 1/3 cup sliced, toasted almonds
Fresh mint and dill, coarsely torn or left whole

Directions

For the dressing:

In a skillet, heat seeds over low heat for 1 or 2 minutes, until fragrant. Transfer to a mortar or grinder and coarsely grind.

In a jar mix the rest of the dressing ingredients and add the ground seeds. Reserve in the fridge while making the salad.

For the salad:

Peel carrots, and with the vegetable peeler, make long ribbons, letting them fall onto the serving plate. Add chickpeas, a few tablespoons of the dressing and mix lightly with your hands, mounding a bit.

Scatter the dried fruits and herbs on top, drizzle more dressing, add toasted almonds and serve.

Want more easy Moroccan recipes? Click the link!

Vegetarian Moroccan Harira

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 14 Comments

For Moroccans, harira soup is a Ramadan ritual. Every evening families sit down to bowls of steaming harira – even when daytime summer temperatures soar about the 100F mark. I love soup, but the last thing I want to do is leave my stove on for hours during the hottest part of summer. Instead, I created this quicker version to satisfy the Ramadan ritual but keep my house at a tolerable temperature.

Traditional harira is made with dried lentils, dry chickpeas, rice, vermicelli noodles, a potpurri of herbs and spices, vegetables, and meat – most often lamb. If you’ve ever cooked with dry chickpeas you’ll know this part of the cooking process can take hours, just to soften the beans. I really prefer this soup without meat (but that’s kind of every food lately!), and omitting meat automatically cuts off cooking time. My next shortcut is to use a pre-made broth and canned chickpeas.

Recently I filmed an episode for a series called Chez Benali that is airing on NPO2 (Dutch national TV). The recipe I shared was this one for my version of gluten-free, vegetarian harira. You can catch the episode I’m in below. The entire series is really good and isn’t all in Dutch so don’t worry!

I wasn’t sure how this short-cut soup was going to be received but surprisingly MarocBaba actually preferred this version to others that I have made. I know that this is one recipe I’ll be holding onto for a long time to come. When the temperatures drop I’ll be wanting a big giant bowl of this harira to warm me up.

This dish is not only vegetarian but it’s a vegan Moroccan harira soup. I use brown lentils as they are easy to find in Morocco and inexpensive but you could also make this with red lentils, just add them a little bit later as they don’t take quite as long to cook.

This soup takes 45min to 1 hour to make. Traditional harira takes several more. You might not be making this every night, but by making one big pot you’ll be guaranteed leftovers.

To preserve, transfer soup to smaller sized, freezer safe containers and allow to cool completely. Cover the containers, and pop into the freezer. When you want to use it again, transfer to your refrigerator until the soup can be removed from the container. You could also submerge it part way in warm water. Heat through in a pan on the stove top.

Moroccan Vegetarian Harira

Ingredients

1 large onion
3-4 cloves garlic
1 Tablespoon olive oil
5-6 medium tomatoes
1 cup cubed raw beef, lamb or chicken (optional)
1 palmful chopped Italian parsley
1/2 palmful chopped cilantro
6 oz tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 Tbsp turmeric
1 Tbsp paprika
a pinch of saffron (optional)
1/2 cup garbanzo beans soaked overnight)
1/4 cup brown lentils washed and soaked
1/2 cup broken vermicelli or long grain rice
1/4 cup all purpose flour
6 cups water
food processor

Instructions

Heat olive oil in large stockpot.
Puree onion and garlic in food processor. Add to pot and sauté with the oil.
Add meat, if using, and brown until almost cooked.
Puree tomatoes with parsley and cilantro and add along with another tablespoon or so of olive oil.
Season soup with salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric (and saffron if desired).
Add water and the tomato paste.
Bring the soup to a boil and add lentils and garbanzo beans. Cover and cook until tender.
The length of time will vary but should take about 25 minutes.
Once beans are cooked, add the pasta or rice and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes.
When the lentils, beans and pasta/rice are cooked through it’s time to thicken the soup.
In a separate bowl whisk together our and 1 cup of warm water until it is a thin consistency. There should be no lumps. Begin to stream the our water into the harira. The soup should begin thickening almost immediately.
The final consistency will be between a soup and a stew.

Notes

Harira is typically served with dates, boiled eggs, and chbekiya during Ramadan but it also can be accompanied by lemons to squirt onto the soup and extra salt, pepper, and cumin to season.

This is often served alongside dates, boiled eggs and chbekiya on a traditional iftar table during Ramadan but you could simply have some fresh bread or even a salad alongside to lighten things up.

Some other Moroccan vegetarian recipes you can find on MarocMama include;

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Moroccan Carrot Salad

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 2 Comments

Do your kids cringe at the sight of cooked carrots? One of the easiest and most delicious Moroccan salads is this cooked carrot salad served at room temperature and dressed with a simple vinaigrette.

When I was growing up I, like many other kids, wasn’t too fond of cooked vegetables. But, fresh vegetables well that was another story. Every summer my grandpa grew a huge backyard garden. He left one corner for my sister and me to plant our own garden. He grew row after row of carrots, beans, tomatoes, rutabaga (which I didn’t even realize was a turnip until recently), sweet corn, and peppers.

He had a good friend who had a much larger farm and planted even more produce. My grandparents happened to live on the major highway that went through our small town. So, every summer grandpa had tables set up on the front lawn to sell whatever was ready to pick. He also went out and picked wild fruit, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries all summer long.

In the backyard apple and pear trees were picked and the fruit sold, as well as stalks of rhubarb. I used to love spending the morning sitting with grandpa and selling produce. Me and my sister got to eat whatever we wanted, just pulling it off the table. Grandpa would wipe it off on his shirt and peel or cut it with his jack-knife on the spot. When we were ready to go home, grandpa walked us across the highway and we peddled our bikes the few blocks to our house. We had so much space to roam, and to think this was only 15-20 years ago!

When I began shopping in Moroccan markets for produce it immediately brought back these memories of summer with my grandpa. Carrots stuck with me. I used to grab a carrot from the table, dip it into the water “wash” bucket and wipe it off to eat. Raw of course. I make this carrot salad by under cooking the carrots. MarocBaba always asks for them to be cooked softer but I like them to have a bite, to bring back those childhood memories.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Yield: 4 small servings

This is a very simple Moroccan carrot salad often served with several other salads before the main meal.

Ingredients

1/2 lb carrots, peeled
1/4 cup vinegar (any kind will work)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp crushed garlic

Instructions

Peel the carrots and remove the ends.
Boil a pot of water and add the carrots. Cook for 12-15 minutes until carrots are soft to bite through but not mushy.
Drain the hot water and immediately put carrots into a bowl of cold, ice water.
In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
Cut the carrots into rounds of similar size.
Dress the salad with the dressing. They should not be swimming in liquid, only add enough to lightly coat the carrots.
Serve cold or at room temperature.

Loubia {Bean} Salad in Tomato Sauce

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 6 Comments

If you asked my mom, she would probably tell you I wasn’t a very adventurous eater when I was a child. I liked all of the things every other Midwestern child liked. Hot dogs and hamburgers, casseroles, and of course heavy doses of starches like pasta, bread, and potatoes. It’s what we ate. It’s what I loved – and I still do. My palate was small but well tested.

I always knew there was more out there.

There were more tastes, more ingredients, more flavors that were waiting for me in the cities and countries I visited in my imagination. The first time I tasted something new it was a glimpse into that world. I ate whatever I could, but always thought “fancy” food was where the real tastes were; the food you would have in big name restaurants and carried hefty price tags. But, along my journey I learned something.

Simple is best.

The food that has really stuck with me are the simple meals with minimal ingredients but bursting with flavor. They also carry a story, and every bite brings back that story, be it good or bad, funny or sad. This salad brings back one of those stories. It’s a simple story, for a simple dish. Sitting in a restaurant in Morocco, with my dad and my little sister.

We ate the same kind of tajine for days and the only reprieve I had was the variety in the salads offered. Even though it was almost 10 years ago now, I still see us sitting at that table and eating this with fresh bread. I smile because it makes me think of this very special time I had with my dad (don’t worry he’s still with us – we just don’t live nearby). He’s always made me laugh, and even when the most difficult circumstances were brought up, he offered whatever he could, a hug, a comforting thought, or just a phone call. Simple things.

Loubia {Bean} Salad in Tomato Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

This simple Moroccan dish makes a great salad served cold, or an appealing vegetarian meal served hot. Just don't forget the bread!

Ingredients

1 cup dried cannellini beans (also known as Great Northern Beans)
2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup tomato sauce
1/2 onion chopped finely
handful of chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley
2 cloves of crushed garlic
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper

Instructions

*Soak the cannellini beans overnight in 3-4 cups of water - this will make cooking much quicker. Alternately you can use canned cannellini beans.
If you are using dry beans, place them in a pan and fill 3/4 with water. Place on a burner and cook the beans until they are tender.
In a large pan or skillet add the vegetable oil and turn the heat to medium. When the oil has warmed up add the chopped onions and saute 4-5 minutes until onions are translucent.
Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and stir. Mix in the crushed garlic, turmeric, salt, cumin, and red pepper. Keep the heat on low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the beans to the tomato sauce. Cook for another 10 minutes. Mix in the parsley and remove the pan from the heat.
This salad is served at room temperature and can be stored in the refrigerator. It's even better the next day when all the flavors have had a chance to mix together.

Moroccan Potato Salad

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 9 Comments

My favorite part of a Moroccan meal isn’t the main dish. I have never really loved meat and, at least with my mother-in-law, most of the meals are pretty heavy in that department. No, my favorite part of the meal is the salad assortment that comes out first. I think my love of tapas in Spain and cicchetti in Italy inspire my love of the salad offerings.

Truthfully, I’d be happy to just eat these and nothing else. I used to think that there was a specific salad served with each main dish, and while this can be true, often times salads are prepared based on what is on hand. I once made an orange and salty black olive salad, and while it was delicious, I learned that simply wasn’t done. So let’s just say traditionally speaking there are a lot of unspoken “rules” about what can go together and what doesn’t.

This salad is super simple and it’s a good break from the traditionally heavy, mayo-based American potato salads. I really like to use a good yellow potato like Yukon Gold as they seem to cook quicker and not turn to mush as easily. I would serve this salad with a savory tajine like one of these;

Lamb and Artichoke Tajine

Moroccan Fried Chicken

Beef and Chickpea Tajine

Moroccan Potato Salad

Yield: 4-6 small servings

Ingredients

1 pound yellow potatoes, peeled
1/4 cup vinegar (any kind will work)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
several stalks of chopped fresh cilantro

Instructions

1) Place a large pot, half-full of boiling water on the stovetop and boil.

2) Peel and place potatoes in the water whole.

3) Boil until the potatoes are tender but don't fall apart when you poke them with a fork.

4) Drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool. Once you can handle them, cut them in half horizontally and in half again so that you have 4 slices. Cut into strips, and then cube in 1/4" size chunks,

5) To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the vinegar and oil, as well salt, pepper, and cumin.

6) Gently toss the potatoes with the vinaigrette using 3-4 Tbsp of the mixture. You will want to coat the potatoes but don't want them to be swimming in it.

7) Finally, top the potatoes with the chopped cilantro.

This salad can be served cold or at room temperature.

Notes

The dressing made for this salad will be much more than you need to dress the salad. I make this as a base vinaigrette and save it to use for other salads.

A Vegetarian Eid al Adha Soup for Your Table

10:00 am by Amanda Mouttaki 4 Comments

Eid al Adha is right around the corner (Sunday) and is perhaps most well known as the “sheep holiday”. Muslim families purchase a live ram and on the morning of Eid sacrifice the animal. This is done as a remembrance of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son on God’s command. At the last minute God replaced Ismail with a ram. After the sacrifice families separate the ram into three parts; one for themselves, one to share with friends or family and one to donate to the poor.

Many women pride themselves on creating a wonderful meal on Eid, making many dishes that only make an appearance for this holiday. One obvious staple is plenty of sheep. This year we’re not making our own sacrificing but allowing a relative in Morocco to do the sacrifice for us. We’ve consciously cut out a lot of red meat from out diet and neither MarocBaba or I would eat enough of the meat over the year to warrant buying one. Frankly, I’m still pretty full of meat from our trip last month. This got me thinking about others who are either vegetarian or just don’t like mutton. There generally aren’t a lot of options for them on the Eid table.

I created this very healthy and filling soup to fill the void. I used Saffron Road broth to speed up the cooking time and add a really great flavor. I love Saffron Road because all of their products are halal and completely natural, but also many of them are gluten free. I stopped using canned or boxed broths awhile ago because of the high sodium levels and blah taste but Saffron Road broths are really different – so much flavor.

There is a little bit of prep work to make this recipe but it’s well worth it.

eid soup — Pre-cut all vegetables (love the purple potatoes don’t you)

ricotta gnocchi — Gnocchi can be made ahead of time and frozen until ready to use.

[tasty-recipe id=”29790″]

Follow Saffron Road on Twitter and Facebook for updates and new product releases. Visit their website to find your local grocery stores that carry Saffron Road products.

Pick up Saffron Road Broth on Amazon and have it directly shipped to you – Eid made easy!

What’s on your menu for Eid? Do you have other meat-free ideas to share with other readers?

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