Moroccan Theme Party

I hosted a Moroccan Theme Party for my Husband last weekend, and seems the food was a big hit... So this week I decided to share the recipes of all the Moroccan Food I cooked for the party along with the tips on Yummy food corner.. So everyone enjoy cooking and share your ideas...


Appetizers
1. Moroccan Cooked Tomato and Green Pepper Salad - - Taktouka
Serves four. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
6 ripe fresh tomatoes (peeled, seeded and chopped)
2 or 3 large fresh green peppers (roasted, peeled, seeded and chopped)
3 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons cumin
Pinch of cayenne or red pepper (optional)
1/3 cup olive oil

2. Moroccan-Spiced Carrot Dip
Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 pound carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into 1-inch chunks
1/4 cup water
2 to 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly chopped parsley for garnish (optional)
Preparation:
Place the carrots and water in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. As soon as the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and steam the carrots until they are very tender, about 15 minutes.
In a food processor, immersion blender, or regular blender, puree the carrots. Add the garlic, ginger, paprika, cinnamon, coriander, and lemon juice, and continue to process until the mixture is smooth.
Drizzle in the olive oil, and process just until it is well-blended.
Transfer the carrot dip to a serving dish, and allow to cool. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley just before serving, if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled with pita chips, crusty bread or crudites.
Carrot dip will keep, well covered in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days.


Main Meal
1. Moroccan Black-Eyed Peas (Cowpeas) Recipe - Ful Gnaoua
Serves 4. Prep Time: 0 hour, 10 minutes Cook Time: 0 hour, 40 minutes
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups (250 g) dried black eyed peas (cowpeas), soaked
2 tomatoes, grated
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped or pressed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Preparation:
Drain the soaked black eyed peas, and mix them with the remaining ingredients in a pressure cooker or pot. Add 3 1/2 to 4 cups of water, and bring to a simmer.
Pressure cooker method. Cover, and cook on pressure over medium heat for about 35 minutes. Check to see if the black eyed peas are tender. If not, add a little watter if necessary and cook for another five minutes with pressure.

2. Moroccan Vegetarian Tagine
Serves 4 as a side, or 2 to 3 as a main dish. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 2 hours
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil or argan oil
1 onion, sliced into rings
4 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/8" thick planks
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4" thick
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
pinch of saffron threads, crumbled (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or cilantro, for garnish
Preparation:
Mix the spices with the potato slices, and set aside.
Pour half of the argan oil or vegetable oil into the bottom of a tagine, and then layer the vegetables in this order:
the onion rings
the tomato slices
the carrot slices
the potato slices
Drizzle the remaining oil over the potatoes. Rinse the spices from the bowl which held the potatoes by swirling one cup of water in the bowl. Add this water to the tagine, and cover.
Place the tagine on a diffuser over medium low heat, and bring the tagine to a simmer. It's normal for this to take 15 or 20 minutes, so stay patient.
Once you hear the tagine simmering, adjust the heat to the lowest temperature necessary for maintaining a simmer. Allow the tagine to cook undisturbed for about an hour and half. Check to see that the vegetables are tender, and reduce any excess liquid if desired.
Garnish the tagine by sprinkling the chopped parsley or cilantro over the potatoes. Serve warm directly from the tagine with crusty bread.

3. Moroccan Pilaf
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup blanched whole almonds
1 cup small diced onion
1/2 cup small diced carrot
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup long grain rice
3 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup golden raisins
2 teaspoons orange zest
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 whole roasted chicken, cut into quarters
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Preparation: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil a 1 1/2 quart oven-proof casserole dish. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and saute the almonds until they are golden and become fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the onions, carrots and cinnamon and stir well, cooking for 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring to make sure all the kernels are coated with oil. Add the stock, raisins, orange zest and cayenne pepper and bring to a boil. Place the mixture into the casserole dish and bake for 45 minutes. Remove the rice from the oven and place on a large platter. Place the roasted chicken on top of the rice. Garnish with chopped chives.

4. Spicy Moroccan Wraps
Roasted vegetables mixed with spicy harissa sauce and served wrapped in tortillas
Preparation Time: 25 minutes, Cooking Time: 30 Minutes, Serves: 4
Ingredients
-Tortillas Habenero Lime
- 2 medium Yellow capsicums, 1/2 inch squares
- 1 large Onion
- 2 tablespoons Olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon Paprika flakes
- Salt to taste

Preparation:
To make harrisa sauce, soak red chillies in one cup of water for ten minutes. Dry roast coriander seeds, caraway seeds and cumin seeds till fragrant and grind them with the red chillies. Transfer the mixture into a bowl, add garlic, vinegar and salt and mix well. Preheat the oven to 180º C. Marinate zucchini and yellow capsicums in a mixture of olive oil, paprika flakes, salt, black pepper powder and mixed herbs for ten minutes. Roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for twenty minutes. Add olives, sundried tomatoes and parsley to the roasted vegetables and mix. Stir in the harrisa sauce. Spread the mixture equally over the tortillas and roll them up. Serve immediately.

5. Vegetarian Couscous Primavera with Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 cup couscous
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen vegetable mix
2 tsps canola oil
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:Cook couscous in water for about 15 minutes or until done. Or, microwave couscous for 4 to 6 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Heat vegetable mix until hot. Combine couscous with vegetables and stir in remaining ingredients. See also: How to Prepare Couscous