Moroccan-born writer Kitty Morse gives home cooks an inside look at the cuisines of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria (known collectively as the Maghreb) in her cookbook, “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa” (Chronicle, $22.95), and her coming book “Cooking at the Kasbah,” (to be published in 1998).
“There are many family recipes in my cookbooks,” Morse said in her unique accent, an amalgam of her mother’s French and father’s English. “They are based on ancient traditions, rarely written, but handed down orally from mother to daughter.
“And there’s a tradition of meatless cooking. So many vegetables and fruits are grown in Morocco, it’s not difficult to be a vegetarian.”
She rattled off a laundry list of 30 fruits and vegetables sold at the market, from muscat grapes and sugary little tangerines to Swiss chard and tiny artichokes.
“And, oh, the olives from Tunisia. Some hot, some pickled. Black. Green. Big. Small. Dates, fresh herbs and spice blends too.”
Morse distributed small decorated glass cups of mint tea. “Throughout the Maghreb, mint tea is the most popular drink,” Morse said. “It’s served as a sign of welcome. You can leave only after you drink three glasses.”
Morse prepared couscous, a dish made with semolina flour rolled into tiny grainlike pellets, then combined with a variety of tasty ingredients. She embraced a huge, shallow, glazed earthenware bowl called a gasaa.
“A gasaa is indispensable in a Moroccan kitchen. It’s used for forming the couscous, but you can buy instant couscous at almost any supermarket in the pasta and rice section,” Morse said. “So you can skip this step.”
She sprinkled water over the freshly ground semolina. Moving her hands in a couscous ballet, she raked, rolled and sifted it until tiny pellets formed. In the United States, they sell medium-sized granules, but in Morocco, they prefer smaller granules–peewee pellets the “size of ant heads,” according to 13th Century scholar Ibn Razin Al-Tujibi.
From-scratch couscous steams in a keskes (Arabic) or couscoussier (French), a large soup pot topped with a tight-fitting colander (where the couscous steams). The seam between the colander and pot is sealed with a strip of damp cloth so all the steam goes into the couscous.
Morse combined the made-from-scratch couscous with a chicken-beef mixture and moved her attention to a much simpler version made with instant couscous and sea bass, a popular dish in Tunisia.
Instant couscous is presteamed and dried. It plumps to four times its dry volume when hydrated with hot liquid and allowed to steep, covered, for four to five minutes. Morse says that when you use the instant variety, couscous is just a process of assembly. One: Cook the flavorings. Two: Steep the instant couscous. Three: Assemble on a platter. Easy.
“Good spices are essential,” Morse said as she heated olive oil, sweet paprika, ground cumin, turmeric and black pepper in a large pot. “Buy spices at a store that has a big turnover: health-food stores, Middle Eastern markets or Indian markets.”
“It’s an old Arab proverb: `First you eat with your eyes,’ ” Morse explained as she arranged carrots and zucchini sticks in a spoke pattern on top of the couscous. “In Tunisia, the ingredients are mixed with the couscous, but in Morocco, they’re arranged.”
After ladling a little broth on top, the fish couscous was served with extra broth and harissa on the side. Harissa is a fiery sauce made with chilies, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and tabil, a Tunisian spice blend. Harissa is sold in cans or jars in Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets.
The couscous parade continued with a sweet couscous. This luscious mixture combined instant couscous with butter, shallots, Spanish saffron, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, dates and almonds. It can be used as a side dish or stuffing.
SWEET PEPPER TART
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
This is Morse’s great-aunt’s specialty. A glorious blend of roasted red peppers, ripe tomatoes (from a local farmers market), garlic and black imported olives is encased in flaky pastry. It’s from “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa,” by Kitty Morse.
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening
1/4 cup cold water
Filling:
4 red bell peppers
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, coarsely diced, see cook’s note
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
12 kalamata or nicoise olives, pitted, sliced
Salt, freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
Vegetable oil or butter, for greasing pan
1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
1. Mix flour with salt in medium bowl. Using two knives or a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water gradually until pastry is just moist enough to hold together. Separate dough into 2 equal balls. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.
2. Heat broiler. Place peppers on lightly oiled baking sheet; broil about 3 inches from heat, turning carefully with tongs until skin is evenly charred. Place peppers in paper or plastic bag or bowl and seal. When peppers are cool, peel, seed and cut into strips. Place in colander to drain.
3. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat olive oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and olives. Cook, uncovered, until most of the liquid evaporates. Add peppers. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne, if using. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to almost a jamlike consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.
4. Lightly grease 8-inch pie pan with vegetable oil or butter. On a floured surface, carefully roll out the dough into 2 (10-inch) circles. Line bottom of pan with 1 circle of dough. Fill with pepper mixture. Cover with second sheet of dough. Trim off excess dough; crimp edges to seal. With a sharp knife, make 4 slits in the top crust. Brush lightly with beaten egg. Bake until golden brown, 20 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories … 655 Fat … 43 g Cholesterol … 55 mg Sodium …… 610 mg
MOROCCAN MINT TEA
Preparation time: 5-8 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
In Morocco, tea is served very sweet. Decrease the amount of sugar if you prefer. From “The Vegetarian Table: North Africa,” by Kitty Morse.
2 tablespoons Chinese green tea or Chinese gunpowder tea
5 cups boiling water
1 large bunch fresh mint
1 cup sugar, or to taste
1. Place tea in teapot. Pour in boiling water. Cover and steep 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Wash mint under running water and add to pot. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar. Serve in mint tea glasses or small cups.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories … 190 Fat … 0 g Cholesterol … 0 mg Sodium … 1 mg
FISH COUSCOUS
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 30-44 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
From “Come With Me to the Kasbah: A Cook’s Tour of Morocco,” by Kitty Morse.
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons each: ground cumin, ground turmeric
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 cups chicken broth or fish stock
20 sprigs each, tied with string: fresh parsley, cilantro
6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
4 large carrots, peeled, cut into sticks
2 large turnips, peeled, cut into 4 to 6 wedges
6 medium zucchini, cut into sticks
2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, cut into strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced
3 pounds sea bass or red snapper fillets
2 cups instant couscous
Harissa hot sauce, optional, see note
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat in large pot. Add paprika, cumin, turmeric and pepper. Cook, stirring, until spices are heated, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Add broth, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, carrots and turnips. Cover and heat to boil on medium-high heat. Cook until carrots are tender-crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add zucchini and peppers; cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Transfer vegetables to an oven-proof dish with slotted spoon, and keep warm, covered, in oven. Discard parsley and cilantro. Keep broth simmering on stove.
4. Cut fish into 3-inch pieces. Heat remaining olive oil in medium skillet and cook garlic on medium heat until golden. Discard garlic. Cook fish fillets, 1 to 2 minutes on each side.
5. Add fish to broth and poach until fish loses its translucency, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer seafood to oven-proof dish with slotted spoon. Cover and keep warm in oven.
6. Prepare couscous according to package directions. To serve, mound couscous in the center of large, shallow platter. Set carrots and zucchini sticks on top of couscous like spokes of wheel. Set seafood and peppers around dish. Spoon remaining vegetables on top. Ladle a little broth over couscous. Serve with extra broth and harissa on the side.
Note: Harissa is a fiery hot sauce made with chilies, garlic, cumin, coriander and caraway. Harissa, in cans and jars, is sold in Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories … 535 Fat … 16 g Cholesterol … 120 mg Sodium … 940 mg
