April 17 | Morocco
It’s been three weeks since our last Around the World in Quarantine, but we’re back! The past few weeks have been busy as I’ve been working with a client on a virtual event through Perfectly Priest Presents and planning upcoming travel. For this edition, I chose Morocco. We hadn’t had an African country represented since New Year’s Eve, so it was time to circle back.
Color Scheme: Purple and Teal
Tablescape
Menu
First Course: Zaalouk and Khobz
Our first course consisted of zaalouk, an eggplant and tomato dip full of spices, and khobz, a crusty and fluffy bread. While making this recipe, I ran out of cumin and paprika, AND I had a bad eggplant (all the misfortune!), but it still turned out great. It was still full of flavor, and I would definitely make it again. The khobz served as a scoop for the zaalouk. Midway through the first batch, I realized my yeast was as active as it needed to be. After the first bread baker rookie mistake, the second batch turned out perfect. This bread has a hard outer layer and a very fluffy inner layer. It was a great pairing with the zaalouk.
Second Course: Fish Chermoula and Couscous
For our entree, I made fish chermoula and couscous. It was entirely too much (good) food. The chermoula sauce on the cod and on the veggies underneath is something I hope to incorporate into my weekly meals. Words can’t describe how good it is. Though it doesn’t LOOK like what it was supposed to, the fish chermoula was delicious. Making the couscous was a bit of a challenge, but I was able to engineer my way to make it happen. The recipe calls for the couscous to be cooked in a couscoussier. Not having one, I used a steam basket wrapped in aluminum foil and sat it on top of my pot. It worked like a charm! The process to make this recipe was not for the faint of heart. It’s a 2.5-hour process with many steps. However, I’m always up for a challenge in the kitchen, and it turned out great. The balance of the couscous, vegetables and the sweet tfaya topping consisting of caramelized onions and raisins was perfect. Though I’m glad I experienced making it, I would definitely buy it from an authentic restaurant in the future.
Third Course: Ghoriba
These babies are a delicious shortbread-ish cookie featuring ground almonds and sesame seeds. They remind me of pecan sandies. Donnell kept mentioning how he thought they had peanut butter in them, but they don’t. I believe that was the ground almonds shining through. If you do try these, make sure you do knead the cookie dough for every bit of how much is required! I don’t bake enough to have a mixer with a paddle attachment, so I attempted this by hand. After 10 minutes of kneading the khobz, I was tired, and I skimped a bit. Though they were delicious, I know they would’ve been even better if followed all directions. Lessons learned!
Beverages: Mint Tea
According to my research, mint tea is Morocco’s national drink. This mint tea consisted of gunpowder tea, mint and sugar. It’s a very simple and delicious recipe. We enjoyed the tea warm, but I would consider adding ice when making it again.
Final Reflection
Morocco and all African countries we’ve experienced thus far (Kenya, South Africa and Nigeria) have been some of the best. The food is always so flavorful. I can’t express this enough. For Morocco specifically, this meal is notable not only because it was delicious but because it took the longest of any before. Nonetheless, it was completely worth it!
