Moroccan Cuisine: Healthy Eating: Mediterranean Diet Month

Moroccan Spiced Mince with Couscous

Link for recipe above: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1725/moroccan-spiced-mince-with-couscous

In honor of National Mediterranean Diet Month I am featuring a different cuisine from the area each week. My blog is very focused on the food of Italy; lately, I have given you a taste of French cuisine. Today I want to put the spotlight on a cuisine that is fairly new to Americans: the food of Morocco. The first time I ever ate in a Moroccan restaurant was in Paris. I still remember the incredibly fufilling chicken stew I ate that was served over a simmering plate of couscous.

Cumin, coriander, saffron, chiles, dried ginger, cinnamon, and paprika are the most common seasonings from this area. Harissa, a paste of garlic, chiles, olive oil, and salt, makes for firey dishes that stand out among the milder foods that are more the Mediterranean norm. Couscous, is central to Morrocan cuisine and is often cooked with spices, vegetables, nuts, and raisins. It makes a meal in itself or is topped with rich stews and roasted meats.*

Lamb is a principal meat -- Moroccan roasted lamb is cooked until tender enough to be pulled apart and eaten with the fingers. It is often topped with raisin and onion sauces, or even an apricot puree.*

Meat and fish can be grilled, stewed, or cooked in an earthenware tagine (the name for both the pot and the dish). Savory foods are enhanced with fruits, dried and fresh -- apricots, dates, figs, and raisins, to name a few.*

Lemons preserved in a salt-lemon juice mixture bring a unique face to many Moroccan chicken and pigeon dishes. Nuts are prominent; pine nuts, almonds, and pistachios show up in all sorts of unexpected places. Moroccan sweets are rich and dense confections of cinnamon, almond, and fruit perfumes that are rolled in filo dough, soaked in honey, and stirred into puddings.*

*Source: http://www.cuisinenet.com/glossary/morco.html

Some of my favorite Morcoccan inspired recipes are:

Moroccan Chicken With Kale and Roasted Squash

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/moroccan-chicken-roasted-squash-00100000068400/index.html

Moroccan Lamb Sausage Patties

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tori-ritchie/moroccan-lamb-sausage-patties-recipe/index.html

Butternut Squash with Couscous and Chutney

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/butternut-squash-couscous-chutney-10000001025471/index.html

WEEKLY MENU PLAN:

Sunday: Puree of Root Vegetable Soup with Rustic Bread

Meatless Monday: Escarole & Beans over Pasta

Tuesday: Italian Breaded Chicken Breasts with Zucchini and Provencal Olive Fougasse