I bought that tube of Harissa as well, and found it quite salty or something. I have kept the Sortun Harissa, always covered with olive oil in the fridge, for as much as 3 months. We do go through it fairly quickly.
Cookstr won’t give me access without me going them my email address, so I can’t compare.
There is a “close” button on the email pop up window, you need to look carefully though.
That is Ana’s recipe, along with a recipe for making the Ras el Hannout. Love Urfa peppers.
there is a problem with that recipe though, which is what makes up that ras el hannout? Another one of those components that every family does it differently.
Anyone here made their own from individual spices? Any favorite recipes?
I need to update my bag of ras el hanout- its been years. Though it still smells pretty darn good,.
I use Ana Sortun’s formula which I like tremendously. And look, she has shared it with the world here.
This formula isn’t too bitter and has a lovely overall flavor. I use freshly ground cinnamon since I think it makes a tremendous difference.
To be clear:
The subject is Moroccan cuisine. Please do not confuse it with Tunisian, which is a different and far inferior cuisine, IMHO.
Thanks.
I’ve re-read the thread and can’t see that there’s any mention of Tunisian cuisine (other, of course, than the mention of a Tunisian harissa which is what’s generally available here) That’s probably my own lack of knowledge about North African food so, to help me, could you point me towards the posts that concerned you. Thanks again.
You know to go lightly on the harissa for Moroccan cookery; Tunisian and some Algerian cuisines are far more firey. Moroccans are very proud of their complex spicing and think their neighbours overuse harissa.
I live in Montréal where there are many Moroccans, whether of Muslim or Jewish backgrounds. My favourite butcher’s is a halal Moroccan (good for everything but pork, obviously, but the Jean-Talon market also has Porc meilleur).
Tagines are more typically consumed with bread, but do whatever you want!
I am very fortunate to have Moroccan friends both here and in Paris who are splendid cooks.
Cross post with the “What’s for Dinner” thread:
Yesterday I made a Moroccan style lamb shank braise in the morning. After it cooled, I pulled the meat from the bones, leaving it in big chunks and defatted and reduce the sauce. Preserved lemons and olives stuffed with lemon were garnished at the table. Served with something called pastina, which wasn’t what I was expecting at all. It was miniature stars, clearly for soup.
No pictures since this was dinner with the grand-scallion and she was not being totally cooperative. Amazed that at 16 months old, she was popping pieces of preserved lemon in to her mouth like candy!
The flavor was quite subtle but the two adults really enjoyed it tremendously. Leftovers will be tomorrow night’s dinner. Will try to get a photo then.
Here is a link to the recipe.
Tonight, I made Wohlfert’s Bulgur Pilaf with Toasted Noodles which became the base for the Moroccan Lamb Shank braise leftovers.
[Need to amend in order to double post.]
Lamb merguez, the spicy Moroccan sausage, is a favorite of ours. D’Artagnan sells them in packages. Some time ago, they changed from 6 to a package to 5 and also reduced the spiciness quite a bit. I’m guessing people found them too spicy though we didn’t. I grill them (though they can be fried in a pan). Couscous is a perfect accompaniment.
I am making some of these next week. They are almost my favorite sausage in the world. And since I make my own harissa, I can decide how spicy I want my sausages.
I love merguez as well - I made some of my own a few months ago but we gobbled them up in no time flat. Time to get out the grinder and stock the freezer.
Taijine tonight! So finally I can use my pot that was gathering dust in the garage.
Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and green olives - تاجين الدجاج مع الليمون المحفوظة والزيتون الأخضر
I have made this dish before with another recipe, but this one is the best, the chicken rub includes saffron, fresh parsley, coriander, fresh ginger, turmeric, preserved lemon and lemon juice. The yogurt sauce was quite refreshing with mint. Sided with rice cooked with salty water and butter.
What a handsome tangine. I have not been able to justify a purchase in my “little” mind, but I think the shape is one of the most elegant things in the world. Maybe I should look for an affordable used one. Oh, and then find a place to store it. I do not have a garage and the basement is full.
Beautiful tangine. Beautiful dinner.
Thank you. It took me a while to justify this purchase, when I saw it on sale online, couldn’t resist it anymore. I have an Algerian friend told me, real cooking in tagine, you need an unglazed tagine with an open fire. This Staub has a cast iron bottom (I have only induction cooktop) and the top is ceramic glazed exterior and unglazed interior, I wonder if this makes some difference if used a lot. I have to agree with you, it is pleasing to the eye.
Harira as supper last night. An hearty tomato beef soup. Recipe again from Jeff Koehler.
There are numerous recipes of Harira, this one uses stewing beef. Other ingredients include celery stalks, onion, parsley, cilantro, butter, ginger, ground cinnamon, tomatoes (can), chickpeas, vermicelli, tomato pasta, lemon juice, salt and a lot of black pepper. The biggest challenge was to cook separately the chickpeas and the pasta in the same pot but apart. DH hates chickpeas and isn’t too fond of pasta in soup. I ended cooking a bit too much pasta, still delicious.
We got ourselves some bread from an oriental shop. It was very light (in weight) compared to the French bread.
Fluffy and airy with a thick, slightly crisp crust.
Your Harira is very different than mine! In case it would amuse, here is the one I have developed, grabbing this and that from different websites. I generally use some of my home made Marquez sausage as the meat, though traditionally it is made with lamb chunks.
http://www.pepperplate.com/sharedrecipe.aspx?id=de5b7944-85f4-4952-8f0c-2df5be62aa33
