TAGINES
Do you know rfissa? Rfissa is a kind if chicken tagine served with thin stripes of pan fried bread similar to msemen – called trid – and then topped with lentils. Because making trid is relatively time consuming, when we make rifssa at home in Morocco, we usually buy the trid from the souk or a local bakery.
It's been a while since I've last posted a tagine recipe! Well, this mainly proves one thing: Moroccan cuisine is not only about tagines, don’t you think? Not that I don't love love love our yummy stews but Moroccan food has so many other treasures to offer, like bastila, almond briouates or maakouda!
It’s that time of the year again (already ?), yay!
Supermarkets and stores are filled with gigantic pumpkins and all you can do is give in to their appealing and cheerful orange hue and pick your favourite one.
There are so many things we can do with pumpkin such as vegetarian hamburgers, pumpkin pie, pumpkin jam (we do that a lot in Morocco!) and of course a scary jack o’lantern.
Never start a new TV show before going to bed, it’s the worst! When the show is good, you can’t help but press play for the next episode and the next thing you know, it’s 3 am and your brain is navigating somewhere between auto-pilot sleepiness and excitement for “who is the murderer?”
This past weekend was the sunniest of all weekends in London, it really felt like summer. We went to the park and had a picnic with Laelia for the first time. She was very intrigued by the ducks and the baby swans but she was also very scared of the grass. Do all babies get scared of the grass? We ate chocolate chip cookies and stuffed batbouts with chicken, preserved lemons and olive tagine. I can’t wait for the weather to be sunny again and prepare more picnic friendly recipes. It was so much fun.
Spring is here, yay! It makes me unreasonably happy. I am so grateful for spring this year because last year, I didn’t really get to make the best out of the “spring” weather and food. This time last year, I was almost 9 months pregnant and pretty much stuck in bed. Then, our w o n d e r f u l Laelia arrived but you know what followed: sleepless nights and no time to cook or shower. Our situation is very different this year and I’ve got so many exciting food related plans for spring. My belly cannot wait.
This year, I really don’t feel like roasting my turkey. Do you?
I am not saying that because my secret mission is to “tagine” everything, I am saying that because sometimes it’s nice to do things differently and also because surprising your guests with unexpected meals always makes you feel *cool*.
We all have a go-to weeknight recipe, rather it’s something simple such as pasta or a quick stir fry, we always go back to it because it’s easy and satisfying. My typical go-to midweek meal is this quick fish tagine served with vegetables and couscous.
A traditional Moroccan fish tagine is usually prepared with a large whole fish - a sea bream - cooked under sliced potatoes and vegetables. This means that the cooking time is quite long which makes this traditional dish pretty challenging to cook on a weekday after work and between FaceTime sessions and laundry chores.
As a child I used to hate quince, my parents loved it and every time of the year quince would make its appearance, it would magically end up in my mom’s tagine. As a result I never showed any interest in quince and made sure I stayed away from them. Urgh.
Hello from Rabat! I would love to say sunny Rabat, but the weather has been so inconsistent these pas days, I don’t think it would be fair to make such a statement. That said, it’s been sunny and breezy today so hopefully the heavy, sticky, sand stormy and cloudy days are behind us. Fingers crossed!
Let’s have a batbout party!! Batbout is a type of flatbread Moroccans fill with pretty much everything yummy! Batbout is like an improved version of the pitta bread; it’s fluffier and richer but it is also very airy and tasty!
Batbouts comes in different sizes, but the most common ones are the small ones (aka my favourite ones). Moroccans usually fill batbout with anything savoury or sweet and serve them as a snack or an appetizer. That said keep in mind that batbout is like any type of bread: you can enjoy it anytime; breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also, batbout is very easy to prepare and a lot of fun to bake! It cooks and puffs in seconds in a simple pan.
Yay! The legendary Moroccan meat tagine with caramelised prunes is finally on the blog. What took me so long!?
I barely had squid this summer, maybe once or twice. So I felt like making something fancy with it but also:
• easy
• tasty
• and healthy *
If you like squid and are interested in all the above this recipe is definitely for you!
Moroccan cuisine is famous for it’s delicious stews; the legendary tagines. But what do we mean by tagine, the pot or the dish? What is actually a tagine and how does it work? Is it important to use a traditional tagine pot to make a Moroccan tagine? What’s the difference between a Dutch oven and a tagine pot?
Let's find out!
Also, last time I was in Morocco, I went to a tagine factory, Al Amal Poterie in Rabat, and took lots of pictures. It’s finally time to share them with you!
Finally a fish recipe on the blog and what a tasty one!
I love this tagine, it’s so fragrant, lemony, vibrant, healthy and super easy to prepare. Get your veggies and your fish, take 3 minutes to make chermoula and let it do the job for you.
Really, chermoula works like a flavour bomb! It is a type of paste or marinade that is very common in North Africa and goes very well with fish, meat, poultry and vegetables. Pretty much with everything savoury.
Today I am sharing a slightly ‘jazzed up’ version of the classic Moroccan fish tagine.
Have you ever tried a tagine that was fragrant, spicy, smoky and fruity at the same time? Well, if you haven't, take a look at this recipe because this tagine will seriously tingle your senses!
It’s simply one of my favourite. Really and not just because I am posting it today.
A while ago, when I was still a student, every time I would go back home to visit my parents my mum would welcome me with this tagine. I couldn’t possibly leave my home country without having had had this tagine at least once.
Shakshuka is a very common dish in North Africa and Middle East and is originally from a country that has had a persistent passion for eggs and tomatoes. Tunisia.
The Moroccan version of the shakshuka includes kefta meatballs and in Morocco we don’t call it shakshuka but simply "kefta and eggs tagine", but isn’t shakshuka just too cute?
It’s back to school season and I couldn’t be happier about it! To celebrate, we’re making a traditional and comforting meal: “tagine dial kefta bil matecha” and we’re going to give it a little 2021 update with some more ingredients such as pickled onions and a jalapeño yoghurt sauce. These extra ingredients/toppings mean a little bit more work, but they also make the tagine even more irresistible!