The Ultimate Winter Couscous

Growing up in Morocco, couscous became a weekly dish cooked by the eldest woman in every household on Friday for lunch. I remember my mom always making 2 plates that day, one for our family and one for the unknown hungry stranger that may or may not knock on our door that day looking for a meal.

Since our new Supper Club is hosting a Ladies Let's Lunch event where 40 ladies will be introduced to my cooking, I decided to make a Moroccan menu where I cook the most popular recipes passed down from my favorite cook: my mother.

                               

They are many ways to make couscous but my favorite is the one with seven vegetables. It's so savory, colorful and healthy.

First things first. You have to figure out what veggies are available from your local market. As long as the vegetables compliment one another, you can't go wrong. When it comes to winter couscous, there are a few vegetables I would never personally use, like peppers, beets, asparagus, and potatoes. I have always preferred sweeter items like carrots, pumpkin, acorn and butternut squash. This creates an aromatic broth that over powers other mild vegetables like: zucchini,  cauliflower and turnip.  Now you’ve got yourself a medley of savory flavors.

My favorite combination of cooking is savory and sweet so right before I serve my couscous I add caramelized onions, raisins and garbanzo beans...yummm, just the thought of that makes me want to stop writing and start cooking!!!

Regardless of beef, chicken or lamb, you can choose whatever meat you have available for a winter couscous but if you want to kick it up a notch, add bone marrow. I call it Couscous on steroids!!!The taste is subtle and offers a creamy nuttiness, sometimes a bit sweet, always extremely rich.

When I was little, my great aunt would call me to the kitchen before lunch and give me a little dish with bone marrow and ask me to eat it and not tell anyone. That was the ultimate expression of love for her favorite niece.

I am very excited about cooking for the ladies in few weeks and I truly hope everyone enjoys each and every one of my traditional Moroccan dishes.

For the recipe of a seven vegetable couscous please follow the link bellow minus the cinnamon and harrisa: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/seven-vegetable-couscous-recipe/index.html 
you can also follow our daily feed on Facebook   

Taste of Morocco

A Taste Of Morocco

We are happy to announce that our first event "taste of Morocco" at Mi Casa Supper Club is sold out...We will be sharing with you all the delicious dishes we will be serving on the Jan 23...But keep in mind that we will be hosting an other Moroccan supper sometimes in March with all new fabulous dishes...BTW, just finished preserving our Moroccan lemons for 2013 and here is a step by step on how to make your own preserved lemons. 

                                           STEP #1 CLEAN IT

I prefer Meyer lemons because they are thin-skinned and a bit sweeter and mellower than common supermarket lemons. But either variety of lemon will work. Washing, scrubbing, and drying the lemons well is important because that’s the part of preserved lemons that you eat.

STEP #2 QUARTER IT

From my experience, cutting them into quarters, leaving about 1 inch of the bottom of the lemon intact, so that you can pack the lemon well with salt. I do this by holding the lemon upright, then slicing it in half lengthwise, stopping about 1 inch from the bottom. I then rotate the lemon and do the same thing (creating an X). Then I gently pull the quarters slightly apart, being careful not to detach it at the base.

STEP #3 SALT IT

Some recipes pack the whole jar with copious amounts of salt. However, I find that filling the cavity of each lemon with about 2 tablespoons of kosher salt is enough to cure the lemons in about six to eight weeks and avoids making them overly salty.

STEP #4 CONTAIN IT

Rub and squeeze each lemon over a bowl, grinding the salt into the flesh of the lemon to get the juices flowing. Place the lemons into a clean 1-quart glass jar and pour any of the accumulated salt and juice into the jar with the lemons.

                                        STEP #5 SUBMERGE IT

Juice a bunch of extra lemons until you have about 1½ cups of lemon juice. (You’ll need to juice around 8 lemons to get this much.) Pour the lemon juice over the salted lemons until they are submerged, and gently press them down. Cover the jar with the lid to seal tightly and place the jar in the refrigerator.

 STEP #6 CURE IT

Now be patient and wait. The lemons will soften, deflate a bit, change texture, and begin to glisten. When the lemons are ready (start checking around six weeks) they should look like this. If not, put them back and let them cure a little longer. As they deflate and become softer, the lemons might start to float above the liquid. This is fine; just shake the jar occasionally to rearrange them so the same bit isn't always above the surface.

                                              STEP #7 USE IT

When I’m ready to put a little to use, I first remove the flesh and pith with a knife and use just the rind. Some folks I know like to use all parts of the lemon; experiment and learn what you like. To rinse or not to rinse is another personal preference; rinsing gives a slightly cleaner flavor. Lastly, I slice the preserved lemon rind into thin strips or mince it, depending on the dish. Use as much or as little as you like; I find a quarter of a lemon adds just the right touch of flavor to a vinaigrette or pan sauce.