Sour Potatoes

Close your eyes for a moment (and then open them so you can read this) and imagine with me a world where all the members of your family come home for two hours everyday to eat lunch, made from scratch (with loving hands, I might add), where it’s safe for children to walk over an hour to school and the tv doesn’t even work until 6pm because until then there’s nothing on (not lame Incredible Hulk rerun nothing on, literally, nothing on.). Such is the world my husband grew up in in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco on the very northern most tip of Africa.

When I first met Adam’s family, I was concerned about the fact that they were always yelling at each other. One day I asked him about it and was informed that they were not yelling but that is, in fact, the way it sounds when Moroccan people communicate with one another in their native tongue. I had a lot to learn about the big world…still do.

I don’t know what this was, some sort of Moroccan style crepe, I think. It was delicioso!

Let me say this…Moroccan food is good. Very good. It’s very, very good. My adorable mother in law hails from the city of Fez, which is apparently where the very best Moroccan fare derives from (or at least that is what I was recently told by a North African tourist, also an excellent cook) and I have been lucky that she is extremely forthcoming with both her recipes and technique. Moroccan foods run the gamut in taste and flavor, with some regions using dried fruit or pickled lemons in their meat recipes for a lively, sweet, piquant combination, and others taking more of savory approach. My mother in law makes more of the savory variety, with most of her dishes being of a deep, rich, meaty flavor with vegetable, grain (rice), or pasta (couscous) compliments, lots of texture and always a bit of bread. The following recipe is my own, adapted from what I have seen my mother in law do. My husband assures me it is not authentically Moroccan…nonetheless, I present for your taste enjoyment:

Mo-Rockin Couscous with Chicken or Beef

Serves 6 Adults and 2-3 Munchkins…I often serve this without any meat for a vegetarian twist.

• 3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3 Tablespoons Cooking Oil (I use Canola)
• 2 Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon, chicken flavor or 4 cups chicken stock or broth
• 3 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into large cubes OR 1.5 lb. beef cut into 3″ pieces
• 1 White Onion, cut into wedges
• 3 Cloves of Garlic, minced
• 2 Small Handfuls of Baby Carrots, halved
• 2 Medium Sized Russet Potatoes, peeled and 1/2″ diced
• 1 (19 oz) can Garbanzo Beans AKA Chickpeas
• Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
• Finely Chopped Fresh Cilantro
• 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
• 5-6 Strings of Saffron or a pinch of ground Saffron (mostly for coloring)
• Salt, to taste
• Black Pepper, to taste

Couscous

• Couscous, 1 cup per person
• Chicken or Beef Broth, 1 cup per cup of couscous
• Cling Wrap

This version, made by Adam’s best friend’s Moroccan mama, uses chickpeas and beef…SO good!

Heat oils, garlic, onions, and a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat. When the pot is hot add in beef and sear on both sides. If you are not using beef you don’t need to add the meat yet. Add Better Than Bouillon, saffron, and 4 cups of warm water and simmer for about 3 minutes, then add in chicken, carrots, potatoes, and chickpeas, if you’re using them.Add parsley and cilantro. Cover entire concoction with water and cover. Cook approximately 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked through. You can make this right before your guests arrive but it is really one of those dishes that tastes better the longer you let it sit. You can make this in the morning or even the night before and reheat it right before you want to eat. When you’re ready to serve dinner place dried couscous in a large mixing bowl (1 cup per guest) and cover with cling wrap and then fold back half way. In a sauce pan, heat 1 cup of chicken or beef broth per cup couscous to a just boiling. Pour both into couscous and cover with cling wrap. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve in a large bowl with veggies and meat stacked up in an artistic pyramid shape…or just put it on top of the couscous. Spoon some of the sauce over the whole dish and divide the rest into small dishes and place around the table. Snarf down with warm crusty bread.

B’ saha (With Health to You!)