Moroccan Food

When you travel whether it be the first time or something that you have done a lot of. Your senses explode, I still remember the first time that I left my small regional town and traveled overseas.

First time of being on a plane, first time experiencing something truly out of this world.

After the first trip, I had the travel bug and I wanted more. So, that is what I did. Six months after arriving home I booked a trip to Spain; I was nervous but it was exciting. I arrived in Spain and started my trip.

After six days of travelling Spain and surrounding areas, I was talking to other travelers and they told me about Morocco, that night I researched and booked a trip from Spain to Morocco.

Arriving in Morocco, my senses were overwhelmed. I traveled from Fez, to Tangier which is at the most northern point of Morocco close to the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean and only fourteen kilometres away from Spain.

Here, the food was influenced by a mix of Spanish, Berber and Jewish cultures that gave you a mouth-watering Beef and Apricot Tagine and Chicken Rfissa.

Chicken Rfissa is a stewed chicken dish with onion, lentils and served on a bed of shredded msemen, pastry or bread with a fragrant broth poured over it all.

The chicken is either quartered or left whole and, in the pot, goes onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, ginger, and Turmeric. There is also a spice Ras el Hanout put some use Msakhen instead depending on what they like. Msakhen seasoning includes herbs and an element of heat.

While Chicken Rfissa is easy to make it does take prep time and organisation. As it is better to marinate the chicken over night and to soak the Fenugreek.

Now, to cook the lentils. Take your lentils and soaked fenugreek seeds (these are the ones you soak overnight) drain them and add them to the pot with your lentils. Take a thread and a half of Saffron and heat gently and then crumble add fresh Cilantro and parsley your water and Moroccan butter (I have used this at home and have use organic butter and find that it still works).

Once this is cooked serve on a bed of shredded Msemen or day-old bread.

The other recipe that I tried and loved was Beef and Apricot Tagine.

Take your beef, onions, garlic, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron crumbled and your turmeric, take a cinnamon stick olive oil, add to a pot to brown the meat. Add water and cilantro over high heat to bring to a fast simmer.

You can use several types of cooking methods for the meat, A clay or ceramic tagine, pressure cooker, a heavy based pot depends on your preference.

While the meat is cooking put apricots into a small pot and cover with water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Once tender add honey, cinnamon and half cup of meat reserved liquid, continue simmering for fifteen minutes until thick syrup.

Place cooked meat in a bowl and service with a spoon of apricots and syrup. You can garnish with fried almonds if you wish.

For me as I am a mom of three young kids, I like to introduce different foods and experiences, there have been many meals that I have cooked that the kids will not try but this one they love. As long as they have extra broth. Most seem to like the extra broth so just increase the liquids by one and a half this will give you the extra broth.

With my years of travelling, learning the cultures and foods were some of the best experiences I ever had. Many of the food recipes that I loved and the locals were happy to share I kept and still use today.

Even having the ability to share with my children is something that I treasure. I have always loved to experience life as I call it and the travelling and meeting the people and learning the cultures and experiencing the different foods is something that I treasure deeply.