Memories of Marrakech

Courtesy of my baby brother, who very kindly drove his borrowed work van full of internet purchases all the way to Bardies for me, we are now in possession of two fabulous cast iron Moroccan fire baskets. Not only will they take the chill off cooler nights dining on the terrace or under the trees, but they will also enable us to cook authentic tagines on the cast iron griddle plate that sits on the top, and many other dishes besides. I'm like a child with a new toy! Food tastes so much better in the open air and the smell of Moroccan spices wafting on the night air at Bardies will remind us of the culinary joys of the Djemaa el-Fna.

I use Moroccan spices often, especially whole cumin and coriander seeds tempered in a skillet over a medium heat until you can smell the release of their heady aromas. I then grind them fine with a pestle and mortar to add to any number of dishes or to make a 'chermoula' paste with which to marinate fish, chicken, lamb or even duck [ideally, for 24 hours]. It works better if you slash the skin first to allow the spices to penetrate the flesh.

CHERMOULA

2 tsp cumin seeds tempered and ground with 2 tsp coriander seeds
handful each fresh coriander and flat parsley leaves, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried or freshly grated ginger
1 red chilli, seeds removed and finely chopped
juice of 1 lemon and 1 lime
100 mls olive oil
sea salt, ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper [optional]

Blend together in a large pestle and mortar [or a food processor, using the 'pulse' button to stop the ingredients becoming too paste-like, and use to marinade liberally. You can add other ingredients to the ground paste for extra 'texture' and a heftier marinade. Chopped black or green olives, finely chopped red or white onion, sliced spring onions or some chopped preserved lemon for an extra kick make great additions. The addition of preserved lemon is particularly good with fish and chicken.

Cook on the brazier, turning often.

SIDE DISHES

WHITE ONION, BLACK OLIVE AND LEMON SALAD

I romaine lettuce, washed and roughly torn
2 onions, finely sliced and marinated for at least 30 minutes in the juice of 2 lemons
20 black olives
handful of flat leafed parsley leaves, roughly chopped
shards of lemon peel, pared with a vegetable peeler and all pith removed
half teaspoon freshly tempered and ground cumin
half teaspoon paprika
4 tbs good quality extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the lettuce, drained onions, olives and parsley leaves into a salad bowl. Whisk together the remaining ingredients, including the discarded lemon marinade from the onions, and pour over the salad when ready to serve.

WATERCRESS, GREEN OLIVE, ORANGE AND ONION SALAD

You can, of course, also use black olives and substitute watercress with wild rocket.

Large bunch watercress, thoroughly washed
5 oranges, peeled, pith removed and cut into wedges
20 green olives
2 red onions, sliced into fine rings
juice of half a lemon
4 tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil
half teaspoon freshly ground cumin
half teaspoon paprika
pinch ground chilli powder, or cayenne pepper
handful flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Put the salad ingredients into a bowl, then whisk together the spices, olive oil and lemon juice and pour over when ready to serve.

CARROT AND CORIANDER SALAD

500g carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
4 cloves garlic, peeled
4 tbs good, extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs cider or white wine vinegar
1 tsp freshly ground cumin
1 tsp ground paprika
sea salt and black pepper
handful fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Cook the carrots with the garlic cloves until 'al dente'. Drain and remove the garlic cloves. Put the carrots into a warmed serving dish. Crush the garlic cloves and add these to the other dressing ingredients. Whisk together, pour over the warm carrots and leave at room temperature to infuse for 30 minutes. When ready to serve, sprinkle some fresh coriander leaves over the top to decorate.

CHICKEN TAGINE

The smell of a warming tagine cooking in the open air is one of the great joys of life. It has become something of a tradition at our 'Blues at Bardies' festivals, where Aline and her helpers spend the whole of Saturday afternoon slaving over massive authentic tagines while our guests immerse themselves in the music. Hers is a fragrant lamb tagine, served with masses of cous-cous and home-made flat bread. This chicken recipe is improvised from a beautiful cookery book called 'Feast Bazaar' by Barry Vera. It's light and summery and very easy.

Serves 8-10

2 whole Gers corn fed chickens, cut into 8 pieces each
120 ml olive oil
3 onions, finely chopped
5-6 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch saffron threads
1 tsp ground ginger
500 mls fresh chicken stock
2 tbs lemon juice
large bunch coriander leaves, chopped
large bunch flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
peel of 2 preserved lemons, pith removed, rinsed well and roughly chopped
about 30 green olives
2 large jars, or tins, artichokes in brine [800g], rinsed well and cut into quarters
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat the olive oil gently in a tagine over the brazier, being very careful that the heat from the wood is not so excessive as to shatter the tagine. Add the onions and gently saute until soft. Add the garlic, saffron and ginger and stir together to coat. Add the chicken pieces and chicken stock and season to taste. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken breast pieces and continue to cook the rest of the chicken pieces for another 15-20 minutes, until tender, then return the breasts. Add the lemon juice, herbs, preserved lemon and olives and simmer for a further 5-8 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly. Stir in the artichokes and heat through. Scatter with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

LAMB TAGINE

Serves 6

1 tbs olive oil
500g lamb, cut into 2 cm cubes
1 onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed
half teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
half teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 tbs fresh lemon juice
375 ml homemade chicken stock
50g dried apricots, soaked in warm water
60g raisins
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in the tagine over a medium heat. Add the lamb pieces and cook for 7 or 8 minutes, until browned on all sides. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the onion is soft. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice and cook for 1 minute.

Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil. Put the lid on the tagine and simmer slowly for at least an hour, until the meat is tender. Drain the apricots and add them to the pan with the raisins. Stir through, adding more water if necessary. Simmer for a further 20 minutes, making sure to skim off any scum that may appear on the surface. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve immediately, scattered with finely chopped flat leaf parsley.

COUSCOUS

Couscous is one of the essentials of Berber cooking, made from semolina, water and flour, and it takes a lot of work! In comparison, our supermarket versions take 5 minutes and a kettle of boiling water. The combinations of flavourings are endless, with the simplest just requiring lots of fresh herbs, some good olive oil and good home made stock. Always read the instructions on the packet. I generally use medium sized grains but it doesn't really matter. I always put the dried couscous into a large bowl, add water that is on the boil and a splash of good olive oil, and cover it immediately with a clean teacloth, which I remove after 5 minutes, when I fluff up the grains with a fork.

You can add:

a tray of roasted Mediterranean vegetables
toasted pine nuts
a tin of chick peas
red peppers, roasted dry in the oven, de-skinned and de-seeded, and sliced
sun dried tomatoes
pomegranate seeds
masses of fresh mint, coriander and/ or flat leaf parsley
feta cheese
chopped raw courgette
chopped fresh tomato
chopped cucumber
chopped spring onion
raisins, sultanans, dates or chopped dried apricots
grated carrot
chopped celery
chopped fennel

.....the possibilities are endless! For the dressing, I like to add some ground cumin and coriander, and harissa paste, to the olive oil, along with fresh lime or lemon juice, sea salt and freshly ground pepper and lots of finely chopped herbs. You can also make a warming winter couscous with the addition of warm vegetables, such as celery, carrot, onion, garlic, lentils, tomatoes or chickpeas.