Core Moroccan Lentils (Vegan) - Moroccan Cooking School

Serves: 6 as side dish 

Difficulty: Easy 

Ingredients:

• 250g dry brown lentils (the whole round ones, not the split ones) or 2 cans of lentils, drained and rinsed (personally, I don't like canned lentils, they are mushy, salty and lack the flavour and texture of dried lentils)
• 1 large onion, diced small
• 3 cloves of darlic, diced
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 4 TB tomato paste
• 1/4 cup diced coriander
• 2 TB diced Italian flat parsley
• 2 TB Moroccan spices
• water
• Salt Pepper

Method:
Put lentils in a heatproof dish and add boiling water to about 2 cm above line of lentils. Put lid on and stand for about 2 hours. Alternatively, use 2 cans of lentils, drained and rinsed.
Spray a large nonstick fry pan with oil and fry the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes.
Add chopped tomato, lentils, 3/4 cup water, tomato paste, herbs and simmer for 30 mins, stirring several times and adding a little more water if they start to stick. (Canned lentils, cook for 5 mins)

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 10pts, or 1.5 pts serving 6

Core Chermoulla Fish Tagine - Moroccan cooking school

Chermoulla is the Moroccan term for "mixed spices". So this is just fish and vegetables cooked with spices

This dish is commonly cooked by Moroccans when they go camping, or to the park.

What fish? Any firm white fish will work. In my cooking class, we all had to use different fish and then had to taste them all at the end. Some were: mackeral, whiting, snook, mulloway, sardines, garfish, dory, whiting, basa, snapper, trevally, king fish, bonito, garfish and barramundi. All were good, with subtle differences.

Pots and methods:
Stovetop = large fry pan or stock pot with lid. You need about 3ocm wide and about 10cm high, more if you add more vegies.

Oven = lidded casserole dish, around 4 litres. Glass would be best to show the layers. If you don't have a lid, cover tightly with alfoil

Slow cooker = no problem. Use about 1/4 less water

Note - there is no reason this can't be scaled down to individual or couple sized serves by using smaller cookware.

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into neat slices just under 1cm
• 2-3 large carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into neat slices just under 1cm
• 2 large brown onions, peeled and cut into neat round slices just under 1cm
• 3 or 4 tomatoes, cut into neat slices just under 1cm
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 750g firm white fish
• 1.5 TB olive oil
• 1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leaved parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 a preserved lemon (or 2 grated rind of 1/2 a lemon + 2 tsp salt)
• juice of half a lemon
• 2-3 TB Moroccan spices
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 2 cloved of garlic, chopped fine
• 8 kalamata olives, chopped
• Optional - a grilled capsicum, sliced fine

Method:
In your pot, you need to build neat layers of the vegies in this order: tomato, potato, carrot, onion, peas.
Then lay your fish neatly over the top with small gaps between the pieces. For large thick fillets like barramundi, slice across the fillets to make steaks about 3 cm wide.

Now we made the chermoulla.
In a non-metallic dish, mix cori, parsley, garlic, oil, Moroccan spices, preserved lemon, oil, salt.
The add lemon juice and 3/4 cup water.
Ladle the chermoulla over the fish dish slowly, making sure lots of the green flecks stay on top of the fish.
Add another 1/3 cup water to the bowl, swish to get remaining spices and pour down the side of the dish, trying not to wash down any herbs. The fluid level should be a little below the fish layer.
Sprinkle with olives and grilled capsicum if using.
Put onto stove on medium heat until you start to see bubbles.
Turn down to low, put lid on and leave for 20 mins. Shake pan once or twice with lid on.
Open lid and baste the fish with some of the juices.
Cook another 20-30 mins until vegies are done
Oven - put into warmed oven at 180*C for 45 - 60 mins, baste at half way point
Slowcooker - on low. Would probably need about 3 hours on low. Or use boiling water in the chermoulla and low 60 - 90 mins. Baste at half way point

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 19.5 pts or 3.5 pts each, serving 6

Moroccan Carrot Dish with Salad, Side Dish or Dip Options - Moroccan Cooking School

No more "boring" carrots!

Versatile Carrot recipe which can be served as a hot side dish or cold salad or hot or cold dip!

Pictured is side / salad

Serves: varies as to use

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 500g peeled and boiled carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped fine
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• fresh parsley, about 2 TB chopped
• fresh coriander, about 3 TB chopped
• 3TB lemon juice
• salt and pepper to your taste

Method:
Heat a nonstick frypan coated with oil spray.
Add the garlic and fry on medium for about 3 mins until it is very aromatic
Options:
Side or salad - halve cooked carrots (quarter enormous ones) and slice to 5mm
Dip - mash carrots with no added moisture
Add carrot to fry pan, along with remaining ingredients and warm through for a few minutes.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 0! Yes, not a single point smeaked in here!

Almost Core Lamb Tagine with Prunes and Apricot - Moroccan Cooking School

Dried fruit and cinnamon make a wonderfully sweet tagine.

Serves: 6 -8

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, sliced
• cooking spray
• 1kg of lean diced lamb
• * 100g dried apricots, cut into 4 or 6 pieces each
• * 200g dried prunes, cut into 4 or 6 pieces each
• lemon juice
• 1tsp cinnamon
  Note - cinnamon goes stale in a few months. Take a sniff and if smell is not very strong, go get some fresh cinnamon as it will have no flavour.
• 1 heaped TB of Moroccan spice mix
• fresh parsley, about 3 TB chopped
• fresh coriander, about 3 TB chopped
• * 2 TB sugar (you can also use honey)
• saffron or artificial saffron colour (Hoyts in the refill bags)
• salt
• pepper

Method:

Heat a large soup saucepan to medium-high
Spray with oil and add onions and diced lamb and stir for about 2 or 3 mins.
Turn heat down to low and add 2 cups of water, parsley, coriander and moroccan spices.
Also add a few strands of saffron or about 1/8 tsp of the colouring.
Note - through this recipe you will need to monitor the liquid level and add more water as needed. You need somewhere between enough so it doesn't stick on the bottom and to just covering the contents, depending on how wet you like your "stews". I prefer mine to be thicker, while others prefer very waterey so the rice can soak up the fragrant sauce. Your choice, but keep adding water as needed.
Keep simmering for about 30-40 mins, stirring and checking water level.
Add salt and pepper, a good squeeze of lemon (about 1/4 cup) and dried fruit and simmer for a few minutes.

Serve on rice or couscous (points do not include)

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 39.5 pts, or 5pts serving 8

On Core you need to add the points for the starred ingredients, totalling 9.5 pts for the recipe or 1 pt each serving 8.

Core Moroccan Vegetable CousCous

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 carrots
• 1 turnip
• 1/4 cabbage, shredded fine
• 2 zucchini
• 500g pumpkin (3 cups)
• 1 large onion
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1 cup couscous
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, chopped fine
• 1 TB Moroccan spice blend
• colouring agent - either 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Hoyts artificial saffron colouring (sold in the racks of spices in bags for refilling jars) or a few strands of saffron
• coriander, about 3 TB chopped fine
• parsley, about 3 TB chopped fine
• 2 TB olive oil
• salt and pepper
• water

All of the vegies need to be chopped fairly chunky, like 1 cm thick by 3 cm wide.
You can also bulk this out by adding more vegetables, sorting them into hard (potato) and soft. If you count points, don't forget to account for any added vegetables which have points.
Pumpkin and sweet potato count as 'soft'

Method:

In a large soup or stock pot, add 2 TB of olive oil and the onion and cook for several minutes on medium.
Add the hard vegies (not the pumpkin) and about 1/2 cup water and cook for about mins
Add the cabbage and tomatoes and turn to lowest heat setting.
Add a pinch of salt and pepper, Moroccan spices and ginger.
As you are simmering, check the water level in the pot and add more if and when needed. You need about 1/2 cm in bottom of pot. Stir every few minutes
After another 10 mins, add the zucchini and saffron/colour.
At this point, we need to prepare the couscous. Add 1 cup couscous to heatproof bowl with 1 cup boiling water, allow to absorb for 5 mins and fluff with fork.
Simmer until vegies are done to your preference (test with a knife or fork)
Make a ring of couscous on the plate and serve the vegetables in the middle.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 17.5 pts or 4 pts each serving 4

Core Moroccan Salad with Chickpeas and Tuna/Salmon - Moroccan Cooking Class

Serves: 1

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 medium tomatoes, diced to about 5mm or 1 medium tomato and 6 halved cherry tomatoes (more visually appealling, but still use 1 tomato as you need the tomato 'juices' to help with the dressing)
• 1/4 small green capsicum, diced small (or use red if that is what you have)
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped very fine
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced very fine (or use white, but red looks better)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• fresh coriander, chopped, about 3 TB
• fresh parsley, chopped, about 2 TB
• lemon juice, a 'squirt'
• 1 small tin of good quality tuna or salmon in spring water, drained
• 1/2 cup tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Toss all and eat.

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 3.5 pts for tuna, 4.5 pts for salmon

Want a bit more?
Add another tin of tuna for an extra point, or another quarter cup of chickpeas for another point.

Core Moroccan Eggplant Dip - Moroccan Cooking Class

Serves: makes about 2-3 cups

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants, diced to about 1.5cm
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp Moroccan spice mix
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• fresh coriander, about 4 clumps, cut fine
• 1 cup diced tomatoes (Sugar Bello style tomato puree is fine - the ones in the really tall jars)

Method:

Boil eggplant on medium heat for about 30 mins.
Drain.
Add all to pot and simmer on lowest setting for 15-20 mins, stirring every few minutes.

Serve hot or cold with bread or as a side dish

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 0 pts, not counting bread

Core Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives - Moroccan Cooking School

Pictured with eggplant added

This traditional Moroccan meal can be cooked on the stovetop in about an hour or in the slow cooker for about 4-5 hours. You do not need an expensive tagine pot.

Instructions given are for stovetop with slow cooker timing in [square brackets]

Optional - you can bulk this out with other vegetables if you wish.

Hard root vegies like carrots and sweet potato go in with potato, cut chunky.
Soft vegies like eggplant, zucchini go in 15 mins from end [SC 30-40 mins from end]

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 2 onions, sliced
• 1/2 bunch or 5 'clumps' of fresh coriander, roots removed, leaves and stalk chopped fine
• 1 TB or Moroccan spice mix (note as spice mixes vary, you may wish to taste towards the end and add more if needed)
• 1 TB olive oil
• 12 small chicken drumsticks, skin removed (or 12 'lovely legs' = drumsticks with skin and the 'handle' removed)
• 2 TB cooking or sea salt
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Hoyts artificial saffron colouring
  This is sold in the racks of spices in bags for refilling jars. Be careful with this powder as it is very strong and stains big time - I have 3 yellow fingers - and use it sparingly in your cooking. It is much cheaper and more effective than saffron for getting that lovely exotic orange-yellow colour
• 600g potato, cut to 1.5 - 2cm chunks
• kalamata olives, 12-18 pitted or unpitted
• 1/2 preserved lemon, chopped fine - I will be posting a recipe to make your own soon!
• 2 cups frozen peas
• Optional - extra vegeatables

Method:
In a large soup or stock pot, add the oil, onion and coriander and cook on medium until it starts to wilt a little [SC on high for about 20-30 mins]
Meanwhile, remove the skin on the drumsticks by scoring around the ankle with a sharp knife, insert knife under skin to loosen and pull.
Soak chicken in a tub of water with a couple tablespoons of salt for 10 mins and wash (why? Try it and see all the gunk that comes off that you are not eating!)
Add Moroccan spice and yellow colouring.
Stir, then add chicken drumsticks and enough water to about 1cm below chicken line.
Simmer on medium heat for 30 mins, giving occasional stir [SC high for 1.5 hours, no stir]
Add potato, olives, preserved lemons and frozen peas (yes, this early - Moroccan-style mushy peas) and cook for a further 20-30 mins on low, giving occasional stir [SC high for 1-1.5 hours, no stir]
Taste, adding more Moroccan seasoning or white pepper.

Serve with cooked rice or couscous

Not on Core? The total Points for this recipe is 20 pts, or 5 pts each serving 6

If serving with rice, don't forget to add the points for rice - 1/2 cup cooked rice is 1.5 pts