Moroccan Fish

This can be spicy (peppery) depending on the quantity of hot pepper and hot paprika you put in the pot.
4-5 slices fillet of fish (Nile fish, Tuna, or Halibut)
A little oil (smear a little lemon juice and salt and let sit 1/2 hour)
2-3 cleaned red peppers and cut in slices
1/2 hot pepper (pungent pepper) not chopped (for children its possible to make without)
3 tomatoes peeled and sliced
3 cloves garlic peeled and cut in half
4 tablespoons coriander chopped
Sauce:
1/4 cup oil (and put into the oil) - 1 big teaspoon paprika
For sweet - 1/2 teaspoon paprika + 1/2 teaspoon salt + 1/2 teaspoon chicken soup powder + pinch black pepper
Mix spices well into oil
In a pot with 3-4 spoons of oil, arrange in layers - sweet red pepper with skin down, on top of this - hot peppers (clean out seeds in the middle) with skin down, sliced tomatoes, clove of garlic.
Put on low flame and allow the pepper and tomatoes to produce juice and become soft. After 1/2 hour put the fish fillet on top of the pan, washing off the salt and lemon juice mixture. Pour the sauce on top, then one half a cup of boiling water. Seal the cover almost entirely; leave a small opening to let out steam. After, continue to cook for 45 minutes then add chopped coriander, and after 10 more minutes the dish should be finished.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. (about 700 g) fresh carrots
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon cumin
salt
pepper

Preparation:

Peel the carrots and cut off the tops. Cut the carrots into small cubes about 1/4" thick. Wash the carrots and drain them.
Place the carrots in a pot, cover them with cold water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the carrots about 10 minutes, or until desired tenderness.
Drain the carrots, then immediately cover them with cold water to stop further cooking. Allow the carrots to sit in the water for a minute, then drain again.
When the carrots have cooled completely, mix them in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to mix, cover tightly, and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.
Prior to serving, taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired.

Moroccan Beet Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. (about 1 kg) red beet roots
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt
pepper
minced or slivered red onion, to taste (optional)

Preparation:

Rinse the beet roots. Place in a pot or pressure cooker, and cover with water. Boil or pressure cook the beets until tender. This can take up to an hour and half when boiling, and up to 40 minutes when pressure cooking. How long depends on how large the beets are.
Drain the beets, and slide the skins off while the beets are still warm. Allow the beets to cool, and then cut the beets into 1/4" cubes.
Mix the cubed beets in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Cover tightly, and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.
Prior to serving, taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired.

Moroccan Potato Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs. (about 1 kg) firm potatoes
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
salt
pepper

Preparation:

Peel the potatoes and cut them into evenly sized cubes. Traditionally, the cubes should be quite small, about 1/4". Wash the cubed potatoes in a bowl of water to remove the starch, and drain.
Place the potatoes in a pot of cold salted water, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the potatoes until tender, about 7 to 9 minutes. Test the potatoes frequently to avoid overcooking.
Drain the potatoes, then immediately cover them with cold water to stop further cooking. Allow the potatoes to sit in the water for a minute, then drain again.
When the potatoes have cooled completely, mix them in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to mix, cover tightly, and refrigerate at least an hour or overnight.
Prior to serving, taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired.

Moroccan Green Bean Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. (about 1/2 kg) fresh green beans
1 small roasted red pepper, seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
salt
hot paprika, cayenne pepper, or black pepper

Preparation:

Remove the ends from the green beans and cut them into 1/2 inch pieces. Wash and drain the beans, place them in a pot, and cover with cold salted water.
Bring the beans to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover the pot, and simmer the beans about 10 to 12 minutes, or until they are crisp-tender.
Immediately drain the beans, and cover with cold water to stop further cooking. Allow the beans to sit in the water for a minute, then drain again.
When the beans have cooled completely, gently press the beans to squeeze out excess water. Put the beans in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients, and season to taste. Toss gently to mix, cover tightly, and refrigerate several hours or overnight.
Prior to serving, taste the salad and adjust the seasoning if desired.

Moroccan Rice and Tuna Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1/4 to 1/2 cup finely chopped colored bell peppers (or other vegetables)
1/4 to 1/2 cup tuna
4 tablespoons vegetable oil (or use the oil from the tuna, if desired)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preparation:

Cook the rice according to the directions. (As a general rule, one cup of rice can be gently simmered, covered, in 2 1/4 cups water for about 25 minutes, until the water is absorbed.) Allow the rice to cool thoroughly before mixing the salad.
Place the cooled rice in a large bowl with the tuna and vegetables. In a small bowl, mix the mayonnaise with the oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper and add it to the rice. Gently stir to mix everything well. Refrigerate the salad for about two hours before serving.

Baklava recipe

Use walnuts, pecans, or other nuts in this delicious baklava.
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound frozen phyllo sheets
1 cup melted butter
2 cups finely chopped walnuts or blanched almonds
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup honey
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preparation:

Directions for baklava Thaw phyllo pastry and separate sheets according to package directions. Keep pastry not being used covered with clean damp dish towel to keep it from drying out. Place half of pastry sheets in a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan, one by one, brushing each sheet quickly and all over with melted butter. Combine nuts, 1/2 cup sugar, and cinnamon; sprinkle over buttered pastry. Place remaining sheets on top, brushing each with melted butter. Cut baklava pastry into 2-inch diamonds. Bake at 400° until brown and crisp, about 30 to 35 minutes. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine remaining 3/4 cup sugar, honey, 1 cup water, and lemon juice; bring to a boil. Boil baklava syrup for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until syrupy. Cool and pour over baklava.

Sfenj recipe

Sfenj are Moroccan doughnuts made by deep frying a sticky, unsweetened yeast dough. Serve them warm, either plain or dusted with sugar, for breakfast or tea time.
The dough for sfenj should be quite sticky. Allow 3 to 4 hours rising time.
Yields 8 to 10 three-inch sfenj.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup warm water
-------------------------------
vegetable oil, for frying
sugar, for garnish (optional)

Preparation:

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside.
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add the water and yeast mixture, and stir vigorously with your hand or a spoon until smooth. The dough should be too sticky to knead or shape, almost like a batter.
Cover the bowl, and leave the dough to rise for three to four hours, until double or triple in bulk.
In a wide pot, heat an inch or more of vegetable oil until hot. Dip your hands in water, and pull off a piece of dough about the size of a small plum. Use your fingers to make a hole in the ball of dough, stretch the hole wide to make a ring, and place the dough in the hot oil.
Repeat with the remaining dough, wetting your hands as necessary to keep the dough from sticking as you work with it.
Fry the sfenj until golden brown, turning once or twice. Remove the cooked sfenj to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
Serve the sfenj hot. If desired, dip the sfenj in sugar to sweeten them.

Ma'amoul - Nut Filled Cookie

Ma'amoul is a cookie like, nut filled pastry. It can be filled with a variety of nuts, but is best made with walnuts, pistachios, or almonds. This recipe is not only easy, but delicious! Ma'amoul is normally served during celebrations, but I sneak it in in my home several times a year because they are just so good!

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup semolina
2 sticks salted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon orange blossom water
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup chopped nuts (pistachios, walnuts, or almonds)
powdered sugar for dusting
2 tablsespoons milk
Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees.In a medium bowl, combine flour and semolina. Set aside. In a smaller bowl, beat together butter for 30-45 seconds. Slowly add in flour mixture untill combined. Stir in milk, allspice, and orange blossom water. Roll dough into 12 pieces. In a small bowl, combine nuts and sugar. Set aside.Grab your dough and push into 2 inch circles onto parchment lined cookie sheet. Place about 1 teaspoon of nut mixture on top of dough. Fold and press dough together to seal the filling. Repeat with remaining dough and nut mixture.Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Seffa recipe

Seffa Medfouna is a famous Moroccan dish which features saffron chicken, lamb or beef hidden within a dome of steamed couscous or broken vermicelli (chaariya). The couscous or vermicelli is sweetened with raisins, butter and powdered sugar and decorated with ground fried almonds, cinnamon and additional powdered sugar.
Seffa may be prepared without the meat and served as a follow-up course to a main dish. Both are popular on holidays or when entertaining.

Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

----- For Preparing the Seffa -----
2 lbs. (about 1 kg) dry broken vermicelli or couscous
3 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup golden raisins, soaked in water for 20 minutes
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup powdered sugar, or to taste
----- For Cooking the Saffron Chicken or Meat -----
1 whole chicken, cut into pieces (or 2 lbs. - about 1 kg - cubed lamb or beef)
2 large sweet onions, chopped medium
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 sticks of cinnamon
1 teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
----- For Decorating the Seffa -----
1/2 to 1 cup almonds (blanched, fried and ground)
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Preparation:

Steam the Couscous or Broken Vermicelli (Chaariya)
Fill the base of a couscoussier with ample salted water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer, and proceed with steaming the couscous three times (add the raisins for the final steaming), or the broken vermicelli four to five times (add the raisins for the fourth steaming). If unfamiliar with this process, follow steaming directions in How to Steam Couscous orHow to Make Seffa Medfouna.
Cook the Saffron Chicken, Lamb or Beef
While you're steaming the couscous or broken vermicelli, also prepare the meat.
Mix the chicken, lamb or beef with the onions, spices, butter, oil and cilantro in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Gently brown the chicken or meat over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
If cooking chicken, don't add water as the chicken will braise in its own juices. If preparing lamb or beef, add enough water to just cover the meat.
Cover the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender. This will take about 1 hour for the chicken, but may take longer for the lamb or beef. Avoid scorching the meat, and add a small amount of water to the lamb or beef during the cooking if necessary.
When the chicken or meat has been cooked, reduce the liquids until a thick sauce has formed. Discard the cinnamon sticks, and taste for seasoning. If desired, remove the chicken from the bones.
To Serve Seffa Medfouna
Gently toss the steamed broken vermicelli or couscous with the butter and powdered sugar. Place about 1/3 of this mixture on a very large serving dish.
Arrange the chicken or meat in the center, and cover with the sauce. Pile the rest of the couscous or vermicelli on top of the meat, using your hands to shape a dome.
Decorate the mound of seffa in a vertical pattern with the cinnamon, ground almonds and powdered sugar. Serve immediately, with small bowls of powdered sugar, ground almonds and cinnamon on the side.
It's Moroccan tradition to gather around a single plate of Seffa Medfouna, with each person eating from his own side of the dish and adding additional almonds, cinnamon or sugar as desired.

Shebakia recipe

The shebakia is one of the most popular Moroccan cookies.it is made of simple ingredients and it taste great.to make it look's nice and attractive it is little difficult.if you want to make the shebakia looks pretty, you have to follow the right direction process.the key to success is to cut the dough into the right sizemake 6 cuts inside with a special tool roller with teeth put it frying in a border tool, you have to put it careffuly into the frying pan. follow the instruction bellow.

Recipe for 50 shebakia

Ingredients:

1/2 Kilo Flour (2 pounds Flour)

100 gram Margarine or Butter

10 gram backing powder

1/4 glass (50 gram) Vegetable oil

1/2 glass of bear (100 gram)

water as needed to make the dough

Decoration after frying:

3 glasses of sugar (1 pound)

3 glasses of water Juice from 1/2 fresh lemon

more for decorating:

1 pounds Sesame seedsor mix colored tiny candiesInstructionsput all the ingredients (Flour ,Margarine ,backing powder, Vegetable oil, bear, water as needed to make the dough , into a paste, knead the dough soft and gentle not sticky and not hard.leave the dough covered for 15-30 minutes to let them rise (strike, pat). Take a walnut-sized piece of paste and roll it out very thin. with rolling pin flatten the dough and cut it to pieces size 10 centimeters by 10 centimeters. make 6 cuts inside of each piece with serrated roller. see the picture bellow.

if you make the cuts in different sizes you will get different shape. the roller metal cut typically found in Morocco.Deep-fry the cookies in big frying pan with boiling oil just to be golden brown.you can use a round metal border tool also found in morocco. and maybe in cookies tools store.this make all the shebakia in the same size.when you put the shebakia into the frying pan you have to hold it alternately 1 yes and 1 no so you hold only 2 or 3 stripes. now you put it inside the metal border careffuly and let it fry.after about 15 seconds you turn over the shebakia to the other side that not fried yet. out from the metal border.then you can take the next shebakia to fry. make the shebakia only gold not brown.

you can also make the border metal tool by your selfwhen it fried 2 sides lift the shebakia with slotted spoon that let the oil drop back to the frying pan.put the fried shebakia into big aluminum trayyou can put them also on white paper to absorb the oil.so minimum oil will be left on the shebakia.

let the shebakia dry and cold in room temperature,

How to make the sugar syrup home made honey:

boil the 3 glasses of water and 3 glasses of sugar. after boiling squeeze 1/2 fresh lemon into the boiling sugar. you have to get fluid sugar.
put the shebakia for about 15 seconds into the boiling sugar. and lift it into the serving tray. sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds, or scatter some colored tiny (grain) candies.

it is not recommended to move the shabakia from this place after it is covered with honey or sugar only for eating because it can break and loose it's beauty.
Then you serve a good fresh shebakia to your guests.

Notes: you can store the shebakia in big plastic box in the refrigerator for quiet long time even 2 months.

Moroccan White Bread Recipe

Moroccan bread is called khobz, and is characterized by a round, somewhat-flat shape and a slightly coarse texture. Although often referred to as flatbread, Moroccan bread is often a full inch thick when baked. The disc shape allows for lots of crust, which is ideal for dipping and scooping up tagines, salads and other Moroccan dishes.

Allow 1 hour rising time. Yields two 8" to 9" round loaves.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups white flour
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 cup warm water
additional flour for kneading
cornmeal, semolina or oil for the pan

Preparation:

Prepare two baking sheets by oiling the centers, or by dusting the pans with a little cornmeal or semolina.
Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Make a large well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the yeast.
Add the oil and the water to the well, mixing to dissolve the yeast first, and then stirring the entire contents of the bowl to incorporate the water into the flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and begin kneading the dough. If necessary, add flour or water in very small amounts to make the dough soft and pliable, but not sticky. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each portion into a smooth circular mound. Place onto the prepared pans, and cover with a towel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
After the dough has rested, use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough into circles about 1/4" thick. Cover with a towel, and leave to rise about one hour, or until the dough springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.
Preheat an oven to 435°F (225°C).
Score the top of the bread with a very sharp knife, or poke the dough with a fork in several places. Bake the bread for about 20 minutes – rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time – or until the loaves are nicely colored and sound hollow when tapped. Transfer the bread to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool.

Pita Bread recipe

Batbout is one of my family's favorite Moroccan breads. This recipe yields a soft and chewy bread with a pocket that can be stuffed like pita. It's perfect for making sandwiches of all kinds, and especially good with grilled meats. Moroccans also serve batbout at breakfast and very small batbouts as appetizers.

Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups white flour
2 cups semolina or wheat flour
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon yeast
2 cups water (approximate), divided

Preparation:

Activate the yeast by mixing it with 1/4 cup of warm (not hot) water and a teaspoon of sugar. Set aside the mixture until it's frothy, about five to 10 minutes.
Blend the flours, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl. Add the yeast, the oil and the rest of the water, and mix to form a dough.
The dough should be soft but not sticky. If it's too sticky to work with, add a little flour one tablespoon at a time. (Remember the dough will absorb a bit more flour if you knead it by hand.) If the dough feels a bit stiff, work in additional water, a tablespoon at a time.
Knead the dough in a mixer with a dough hook, or by hand on a lightly floured surface, for about 10 minutes or until smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough into smooth balls and leave them to rest, covered, on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes.
Roll out each ball into a thin circle about 1/8 inch thick. Set the rolled out dough on a clean, dry towel and cover. Leave to rise for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat a very lightly oiled cast iron skillet, griddle or other non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the batbout, turning several times, until golden brown on both sides. The browning will be a bit uneven since the bread puffs up as it cooks, but that's okay.
Transfer the cooked batbout to a rack to cool. It's okay to stack them while they're warm.
Batbout will keep fresh for two days at room temperature. They freeze well, and can be heated in a microwave directly from the freezer. Just be careful not to overheat them or they'll dry out.

Moroccan Wheat Bread

Moroccans who make bread at home are very inclined to use a mix of flours. This recipe for Moroccan Wheat Bread – Khobz dyal Zraa' – calls for half whole wheat and half white flour, which yields a rich flavor and light texture. Replace some of the white flour with more wheat if you prefer a denser consistency and heartier grain taste.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon yeast
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 or 2 tablespoons honey
1 1/4 cup warm water
additional flour for kneading
cornmeal, semolina , barley grits or oil for the pan

Preparation:

Prepare two baking sheets by oiling the centers, or by dusting the pans with a little cornmeal, semolina or the barley grits.
Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. Make a large well in the center of the flour mixture, and add the yeast.
Add the oil, honey and the water to the well, mixing to dissolve the yeast first, and then stirring the entire contents of the bowl to incorporate the water into the flour.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and begin kneading the dough. If necessary, add flour or water in very small amounts to make the dough soft and pliable, but not sticky. Continue kneading for 10 minutes, or until the dough is very smooth and elastic.
Divide the dough in half, and shape each portion into a smooth circular mound. Place onto the prepared pans, and cover with a towel. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
After the dough has rested, use the palm of your hand to flatten the dough into circles about 1/4" thick. Cover with a towel, and leave to rise about one hour, or until the dough springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.
Preheat an oven to 435°F (225°C).
Score the top of the bread with a very sharp knife, or poke the dough with a fork in several places. Bake the bread for about 20 minutes – rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time – or until the loaves are richly colored and sound hollow when tapped. Transfer the bread to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool.

Farina Bread

Ingredients:

1 kilo/2.2 lb. flour (preferably bread flour) I use AP flour 3-4 cups of water (I use 3 cups only)50 grams/1.8 oz. yeast (I use 50 fresh yeast)1 Tablespoon salt1 Tablespoon sugar

1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and gradually add thewater as you work.

2. When you have a soft dough, put it on a floured board or counter and wait 10 minutes until the dough becomes very soft, flexible, and a bit sticky.

3. Shape the dough into a ball. Roll in flour, cover with a cloth and leave standing for one hour, until the dough doubles in volume. Punch the dough down again, kneading the edges back into the center for three minutes.

4. Shape back into a ball, cover with a cloth and let stand for half an hour.

5. Knead again, folding edges back to the center again. For even better results, do this again after another half hour.

6. Put the stones in a baking pan and heat at maximum temperature for half an hour.

7. Divide the dough in four, flatten each quarter between your hands to about one centimeter/half inch in thickness, and place on heated stones. You may brush a beaten egg on top, for a golden crust.8. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the bread is a golden brown.