BESSARA

DRIED PEA SOUP WITH CUMIN AND ARGAN OIL

With thanks to Sam and Sam Clark of Moro Restaurant www.moro.co.uk

from their second cookbook Casa Moro
Of the great choice of street food to eat in Morocco, two soups are almost always on offer. The first is the famous harira, of which we have a summer version on page 63, and the other is bessara. It is made from either split green peas or dried shelled fava (broad) beans and flavoured delicately with cumin, and both versions are magical considering their simplicity. Fava beans are available from Middle Eastern shops, especially Lebanese or Turkish shops, and the split green peas from supermarkets and Moroccan shops. We like to finish this soup with a drizzle of argan oil (made from the nuts of the argan tree, which is indigenous to Morocco) to give it a more complex, nutty flavour.

Serves 4

300g split dried green peas or dried shelled fava beans, rinsed well
1.75 litres cold water
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons cumin seeds, lightly pan-roasted and roughly ground
1/4~1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried red chilli
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh coriander
1/2 tablespoons argan oil mixed with
1/2 tablespoon olive oil, or 2 tablespoons olive oil sea salt and black pepper

Bring the peas or fava beans to the boil with the water and skim off any scum that appears. Simmer for between 40 minutes and 1 hour. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sweet and golden. Now add the garlic and cumin and fry for another 2 minutes until brown. Remove from the heat and add the dried chilli. When your beans are cooked they should be soft. Mix in the onion mixture and simmer for another 5 minutes. If you like a very smooth-textured soup, whizz with a hand-held blender or in a food processor. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the fresh coriander. If the soup is too thick, simply add more water and adjust the seasoning (it should be the consistency of double cream). Ladle into bowls and drizzle the argan/olive oil mix on top.
 

RECIPE FROM ANNA HANSEN
The Providores Restaurant

TOMATO, TOASTED PECAN, AND RAGSTONE
GOATS CHEESE SALAD with POMEGRANATE
MOLASSES and ARGAN OIL DRESSING

Salad ingredients
5vine ripened tomatoes, cut into wedges
50mg pecans, roughly chopped and lightly toasted
1 small red onion, finely sliced
100gm. Ragstone goats cheese, crumbled into chunks
2 handfuls of rockeet

For the dressing
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
3 tablespoons extra virgin Argan oil
the juice of half a lemon
3 drops of orange oil or the zest of half an orange
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation
Place the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify. To assemble the salad, put the tomatoes, pecans, red onion, rocket, and ragstone in another bowl.
Pour over the dressing and lightly toss the salad.

RECIPE FROM ANTONY WORRALL THOMPSON
Saturday Express - 28 July 2001

SALAD OF GOAT'S CHEESE, PEAS AND BROAD BEANS

Salad Ingredients
2 x Crottin or other small goats cheese salt and ground black pepper
1 bunch of watercress, leaves only
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon of flat leaf parsley
2 spring onions, finely sliced
85 gm. podded pease
85 gm. podded broad beans (skinned)
4 Tablespoons Argan oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated parmesan

Preparation
Preheat the grill. Season cheeses and cook under grill until the top starts to melt, 3-4 minutes.
Toss herbs with spring onions, peas, broad beans, Argan oil, lemon juice and Parmesan. Season to taste with salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Place salad on two plates and top with goats cheese. Serve with chunks of crusty fresh bread.
 

ANTONY WORRALL THOMPSON
MOROCCAN LAMB TAGINE

Serves 6-8
 

Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lamb shoulder, knuckle removed and cut into 5 cm/2 in pieces - you’ll need 1.25 kg/2 1/2 lb in total
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp Argan oil
2 large onions, grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
100 g/4 oz ready-to-eat apricots, cut in half
50 g/2 oz ready-to-eat dates, cut in half
75 g/3 oz flaked almonds
50 g/2 oz sultanas or raisins
1 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp saffron strands, soaked in a little warm water
600 ml/1 pint tomato juice
600 ml/1 pint fresh lamb or chicken stock (from a carton is fine)
400 g/14 oz can chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Jewelled couscous, to serve (page 000)

Preparation
1 Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2; fan oven 130C from cold. Place the ginger, black pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl and mix to combine, then tip half into a large bowl. Add the lamb pieces and toss until evenly coated. Cover with plastic film and chill overnight if time allows.

2 Heat a large casserole dish and add one tablespoon of the olive oil and one tablespoon of the Argan oil. Tip in half of the lamb and cook over a fairly high heat until evenly browned, then tip on to a plate. Repeat until all of the lamb has been cooked. Add the remaining olive and Argan oil to the casserole and stir in the remaining spices and the onions, then cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are softened but not browned, stirring.

3 Add the cooked lamb pieces to the casserole with the apricots, dates, almonds, sultanas or raisins, honey, saffron mixture, tomato juice and lamb or chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then transfer to the oven and cook for 1 hour. After an hour, stir in the chopped tomatoes, and return the casserole to the oven for another hour or until the lamb is completely tender but still holding its shape and the sauce has thickened. To serve, transfer the lamb to a tagine or large serving dish and sprinkle over the coriander and parsley. Serve hot with the jewelled couscous. http://www.awtonline.co.uk/

**Ruth suggests drizzling more Argan oil over the dish before serving**



 

    

RECIPES FOR RUTH FROM PROVIDORES

SASHIMI WITH ARGAN OIL, YUZU, TRUFFLE AND UMEBOSHII DRESSING WITH SHISO CRESS, SERVES 6.

Ingredients
600 gm fresh fish such as sea bass or organic salmon
100 ml Argan oil
120 ml yuzu juice
150 ml lime juice
100 ml white truffle oil
100 ml vegetable oil
150 ml mirin
6 umeboshi, stone removed, finely choped
1 punnet of shiso cress

Whisk together the Argan oil, yuzu and lime juice, truffle and vegetable oil, mirin and umeboshi to emulsify.
Slice the fish across its grain to a thickness of 5 mm. Divide in to six lots and arrange on a plate. Generously drizzle the dressing over the fish. Sprinkle some shiso cress over the fish and serve immediately.


ALMOND, HAZELNUT, ARGAN OIL AND HERB SALSA

Ingredients
100 gm toasted almonds
100 gm toasted hazelnuts
2 handfuls of chopped mint
2 sprigs of tarragon, chopped
2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
½ cup Argan oil
Maldon sea salt

Blitz the nuts in a food processor until they are the size of large breadcrumbs. Mix in all other ingredients and season to taste.

This salsa is great with chicken or on a goats cheese sandwich with oven dried tomatoes.
 www.theprovidores.co.uk


ANTONY WORRALL THOMPSON

JEWELLED COUSCOUS

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
600 ml/1 pint fresh chicken or vegetable stock (from a carton is fine)
500 g/1 lb 2 oz couscous
grated rind of 1 lemon
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
50 g/2 oz toasted flaked almonds
100 g/4 oz ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
50 g/2 oz sultanas, about 4 tbsp
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
2 heaped tbsp chopped fresh coriander
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation
1 Heat the stock in a pan until boiling. Pour the couscous in a thin, steady stream and then stir in the lemon rind. Cover with plastic film and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the grains to swell. Remove the plastic film and fluff up the grains with a fork so that they separate.

2 Return the couscous to the heat and drizzle over the olive oil. Cook gently for a few minutes, stirring with the fork to fluff up the grains, then remove from the heat - you could also do this in a large steamer, lined with a piece of muslin or a couple of new J-cloths. Fold in the almonds, apricots, sultanas, parsley and coriander and season to taste.

3 Tip the couscous into an ovenproof dish, cover with plastic film and chill until ready to serve. You can keep this warm in the bottom of a moderate oven, covered with foil for up to half an hour until ready to serve. Alternatively, pierce the plastic film all over with a fork and heat on high in the microwave for 2-3 minutes or according to manufacturer’s instructions. Serve at once.

Salade d'Oranges aux Olives
Orange Salad with Olives

Reproduced with kind permission of Claudia Roden from 'The Book of Jewish Food' from Viking press.

Serves 6

This famous Moroccan salad is best made with slightly sour or bitter oranges - though sweet ones will do - and with the rare Argan oil. Argan oil, which the Jews of Essaouira traditionally use, gives the oranges a distinctive taste.

Ingredients
4 oranges
juice of 1 lemon or 2-3 tablespoons
3 tablespoons Argan oil  
3 garlic cloves, crushed in a press or finely
chopped salt
a handful of black olives I teaspoon cumin (optional) I teaspoon paprika pinch of cayenne or chilli powder
(optional)

Preparation
Peel the oranges, removing the pith. Cut them into slices and then into pieces. Dress with a mixture of lemon juice, oil, garlic and salt and add the olives. Serve sprinkled with cumin (if using), paprika and cayenne pepper.
Variation
For an orange and radish salad, mix with a bunch of sliced radishes and dress as above.


SAFFRON CAKE
With thanks to Sue McMahon

Large pinch saffron strands
2 tablespoons boiling water
500g (1lb) strong plain flour
1/2 level teaspoon salt
125g (4oz) butter
90g (3oz) caster sugar
2 sachets yeast
1 medium egg, lightly beaten
150ml (1/4 pint) milk
125ml (4floz) water
90g (3oz) currants
90g (3oz) sultanas
30g (1oz) cut mixed peel
1kg (2lb) loaf tin, lightly greased

Set the oven to cool gas mark 1 or 140°C/275°F.
Place the strands of saffron in a small ovenproof dish and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes to dry the saffron. Remove from the oven and allow the saffron to cool slightly, then crumble to fine powder. Pour over the boiling water and allow the saffron to steep for about 1 hour, or overnight.

Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and then rub in the butter. Stir in the sugar and yeast. Mix together the egg, milk and water and stir into the flour and mix together to form a soft dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 8-10 minutes to give an eladstic dough, then knead in the currants, sultanas and peel. Return the dough to the bowl and cover lightly with a sheet of oiled cling film. Leave the bowl in a cool place for about 1 hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Turn the dough out again onto a lightly floured surface and knead again for a few minutes before shaping and placing in the loaf tin. Cover again with cling film and place in a warm place until the loaf is risen, and springs back with lightly pressed.

Set the oven to fairly hot gas mark 6 or 200°C/400°F.
Place the loaf in the centre of the oven and cook for 20 minutes and then reduce the temperature of the oven to moderate gas mark 4 or 180°C/350°F and cook for a further 20-30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when it is turned out of the tin and tapped on the base. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Serve thickly spread with Cornish clotted cream.
The cake will keep for up to a week if kept in an airtight container, but if it appears too dry, try toasting it and serving with cream or spread with butter.

To freeze: Wrap the cold cake in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month.