Last day of cooking class

It's already the last day of cooking class. After we discussed the menu and the ingredients we needed to get, we headed to the market. People at the market started to recognize me because it's my third day there. I felt like I was semi-local.

When I was making Mssamen two days ago, the assistant Moroccan girl was laughing at me because the way I was kneading the dough wasn't right. We had lots of baking today, so, it was my opportunity to show her that "I can do this!" The way she kneaded dough was very different from regular bread dough kneading. But that's the way all Moroccans do it. So, I really wanted to nail it.

I still felt a little uncomfortable kneading the dough in the Moroccan way. But I noticed that she was laughing less today and started to nod sometimes. So, I kept doing it. Eventually, she let me alone. Usually she stays with me and takes it over because she can't keep watching me doing it wrong... I guess, she trusted me now!!!


Batbout

This is another Moroccan bread

                              It looks like pupusa (without filling) but it actually tasted like a pita


Beef Tangia

The beef was marinated the day before with spices, Moroccan ghee, preserved lemon and sugar. After we transferred the beef to the tangia (pot shown below), we went outside.

The instructor took us to the back room of a hammam (traditional public bath). There was a man who takes care of the coals that warm the bath. Traditionally, the heat in the room has been used to cook tangia. The heat is pretty low so that it's suitable for slow cooking. Because this is a man's job, tangia is considered as men's food. It was an amazing sight. I was so glad that we could experience something like this.

            After cooking for almost 8 hours in such low heat, the meat completely falls off the bones.



Lamb kefta

Freshly ground lamb meat at the market in the morning is mixed with spices and seasoning. The sauce is cooked separately although the ingredients are pretty much same. It seems that's the way it is supposed be.

Finished with eggs. The eggs are not beaten before adding, instead, I broke the egg yolks with a fork and spread them out on top of the kefta.

[Added in May, 2020 - Lamb Kefta cooking video]

Harira

Harira is a traditional Moroccan soup that is particularly popular during the month of Ramadan.

We prepared this yesterday. A whole chicken would be in the soup. We cooked the chicken for a half day, then shredded the chicken meat

Lots of meat, beans, vegetables, spices, herbs.... A very rich and hearty soup. Excellent! Any soups that I've had here have been fabulous.



Pumpkin Chutney

Stewed Eggplant

This looks almost same as the pumpkin chutney above. In fact, the ingredients other than pumpkin / eggplant are pretty much the same. The stewed eggplant is less sweet, though. The eggplant is parboiled and therefore it's very soft. I liked this a lot.


Zucchini salad, pumpkin chutney, mashed sweet potato and eggplant with honey and salt
   (from upper left - clockwise)

Ghoriba

                                              I would say this is the Moroccan version of a macaroon.


Fekkas, Krachal and Ghoriba

                    Fekkas is Moroccan version of biscotti and that was my favorite dessert.


It is very difficult to spell out Arabic with the Western alphabet. All the names on my notes are based on what I heard. So, before I write them down on this blog, I Google just to make sure I get the right spelling. But there are too many variations.... So the spellings I have here are just one of the many spellings available online.


At the end, I asked the instructor how to make preserved lemon. Preserved lemon is not something you can make in a day or two. So, we did this at the end of the class. It was quite simple. Just cut the lemon into quarters leaving one end attached. Then, push as much salt as you can into the crevices. That's it. She said I could add lemon juice later if it's too dry. No, spices or herbs. Just lemon and salt. I'm a big fan of fermented food. And I like the distinctive fermented flavor of preserved lemon.


I can't believe how many dishes we made in 3 days. This was totally worth it!!!