Cooking in Morocco is a delight.
Everything is fresh—no additives or preservatives. Fresh fruits, vegetables, meat and eggs are plentiful and relatively inexpensive. Staples like flour, sugar, butter, baking soda, baking powder, salt, vanilla sugar, yeast and pasta are readily available. Quite a few spices can be found at any souq (market). Two great investments for someone who likes to cook are a pressure cooker and an oven. The pressure cooker speeds up cooking time and has a very thick bottom that distributes heat evenly and prevents burning. A later section covers pressure cooking in depth. An oven allows you to bake multiple dishes and provides an even temperature for consistent baking and even in the bled you can find the “normal” one-piece stovetop with the oven on bottom. If you’re the parsimonious type, then a few pieces of equipment that will become very important to you are the couscousier and the mjmar.
Couscousiers/kisskess are used primarily for the preparation of couscous, but they can be used as a general pot. The bottom is used for cooking the meat, vegetables and sauce for the couscous. The top of the couscousier is basically a steamer and can be used with its lid over a regular saucepan to steam vegetables, fish or meat. It also makes an excellent strainer for fruits and vegetables. The lid can be used for steaming and for all other purposes. Try to find a skillet to fit it.
Mjmars are charcoal braziers made of clay—the Moroccan grill. You will need to buy charcoal and a wire grate in order to use this for cooking.
Broiling meat The charcoal must be dry. It will absorb moisture so keep it well-wrapped if you’re going to keep it on hand. Paper placed under the charcoal in the mjmar will help start the fire. Begin by placing the charcoal in a cone shape in the mjmar. After it has caught fire nicely, spread the coals around and place some new charcoal on top. Let the coals burn down to a grayish color as red hot coals will char the outside flesh of meat without cooking the inside enough.
MOROCCO FLAVOR
General overview of Moroccan spices
Allspice, noioura: This reddish-brown berry has a rich flavor combination resembling cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon and is used in chicken and kefta recipes as well as some old recipes for couscous and pastilla.
Cinnamon: There are two kinds, Ceylon cinnamon, dar l’cini, light tan and delicate; and cassia cinnamon, qrfa, reddish brown, which usually comes from Saigon and has a stronger flavor. Cinnamon is used frequently in Morocco in soups, salads, pastilla, couscous and desserts.
Cloves, Lqrnfl: Appears in century old recipes of couscous.
Cumin, kamun: An indispensable spice in Morocco. Used in fish, chicken or kefta dishes, on brochettes, meshoui and eggs. Cumin seeds smell like old hay, but when they are ground, the released aroma is sensational. Grown all along North African coast and also in Mexico where the taste is the same but the aroma different.
Turmeric, xrkum: Turmeric comes from the root of a tropical plant of the ginger family and has a clean, bitter taste. In Moroccan cooking it is sometimes mixed with saffron to extend the quality of the taste.
Ginger, skinjbir: Ginger has a sweet, peppery flavor and is used in many Moroccan dishes, especially tajines, harira and dishes with a makalli sauce.
Black pepper, lbzar: This spice, so familiar and so good, is always added early in Moroccan cooking so the coarse taste has time to blend and mellow.
Paprika, tHmira: There are many varieties of paprika throughout the world, but Hungarian paprikas are among the best. Spanish paprika is also quite good, readily available in America and the most common variety used in Morocco. Great in tajines, salads, meat and egg dishes. The best quality paprikas are a rich, red color with a full-bodied flavor; however, they become stale easily and turn dark into shades of brown. Always check for freshness by smell and taste. Store in a cool, dark place in a jar with a tight-fitting lid. A special paprika mixture called fefla Harra is made up of equal parts sharp paprika, cayenne, and long peppers and is used in dishes featuring lentils.
Sesame seeds, jinjlan: Cultivated in Moroccan and Far Eastern countries as a source of oil. Used in many Moroccan dishes, breads and desserts.
Secondary Aromatics and Flavorings
Aniseed, naf3a or habbt helawa: Most popular is green aniseed from Spain, which has a strong, warm flavor tasting like licorice. Used in breads, cookies and some fish dishes.
Caraway, karwiya: It is not often used but can be found in harissa sauce and in the famous snail dish called boubbouche.
Gum Arabic, mska: A popular spice with a strong scent, it is used in pastries and milk and egg dishes. Fenugreek, Helba: A nice, pungent spice popular with Berbers. Smells a little like celery and has a burnt sugar taste when heated. Berbers traditionally use it in the making of their flatbread therfist and believe it makes their women pleasingly plump.
Licorice, 3rqsus: Used in squid recipes and boubbouche.
Saffron, zafran: A very small amount of saffron will totally change aroma, flavor and color of a dish and happily, only a small amount is needed since saffron in the most expensive spice. (To harvest one ounce, one needs to raise more than 5,000 crocus flowers, as each supplies only 3 tiny threads of stigmas of saffron.
Collecting crocus stigmas was once a specialty of the Moroccan Jewish community.) Saffron threads should be brittle before pulverized, else some of their potency will be lost and they will give a bitter taste. To make them brittle, place in a flat pan over boiling water or dry in a warm oven. Pulverize with mortar and pestle or in your hand before using. Some Moroccan recipes call for “saffron water.” Soak ¼ t pulverized saffron threads in ½ c hot water. This will keep for about a week in the refrigerator if covered. If a recipe calls for a pinch of saffron, you can use 2 T of the water instead.
Honey date, nabka: Reddish sweet-tasting seasoning found in Central Morocco, usually turns up in lamb tajines.
Orrisroot, amber l’dor: White rhizomes that taste a little like coffee when roasted and are sometimes used to sweeten the breath. Used as an aroma and color preservative when drying herbs and flowers.
Ras el hanout: This collection of spices, literally called “top of the shop” may contain as many as 30 different spices, blended for the best flavor and aroma possible to enhance Moroccan dishes. It is used in game dishes, lamb tajines with raisins, honey and almonds, hashish candy called majoun, rice and couscous stuffings, and even in the traditional pigeon pastilla recipes. Ras el hanout may contain all or any of the following: allspice, ash berries, anise, belladonna leaves, bergamot, black cumin seeds, black peppercorns, cantharides, cardamom, cayenne, cassia cinnamon, cloves, Ceylon cinnamon, coriander seeds, cubebe pepper, earth almonds, galingale, ginger, grains of paradise, long pepper, lavender, mace, monk’s pepper, nutmeg, rosemary, orrisroot and turmeric. Ras el hanout mixtures vary from shop to shop and are dominant in certain strong flavors. Some are even like pumpkin pie spice. Smell and taste the difference!
See Translations for more definitions.
Herbs
Many important herbs are used in Moroccan cooking on a daily basis. Fresh parsley m3dnus and cilantro qzbur are routinely used together in soups, tajines and other main dishes. Mint n3n3a and verbena lwiza are the most popular teas made daily; however wormwood shiba is also a favorite tea. Rosemary grows in abundance throughout Morocco and flavors meat dishes nicely. Z3Tr is a blended mixture of thyme, oregano and marjoram. More varieties of fresh and dried herbs are available in the larger cities.
Fragrant Waters
Moroccans use both orange flower water and rose water in cakes, confections, tajines and salads and as a refreshing body splash after traveling or dining.
It takes approximately 4 kilos of rosebuds or Bergamot orange blossoms to make about 1 gallon of fragrant waters. Orange water is more popular in Fés, while people in Marrakech favor rosewater. Roses grown in the Valley de Dadés can be found in souqs around Morocco and the fragrant waters are exported throughout the world.
Olives
An olive’s color depends upon the moment in the ripening cycle that it is picked. As it ripens on the tree, it turns from pale green to green-tan to tan-violet to violet-red to deep wine red to reddish black and finally to coal black. After that it loses its glistening appearance and begins to shrivel in the sun.
A freshly picked olive is inedible; it must be pickled or cured, and the way this is done will determine whether it is tangy, bitter salty, lemony, or sweet. Other variables affect its final flavor, including the size of the pit, its shape, its meatiness, and the conditions of the soil and the climate.
Basically three types of olives are used in Moroccan cuisine.
Green, cracked olives: Used in the “smothering” dishes; so unripe when the olives are picked that they must be soaked in a strong brine to draw out their bitterness. You must wash, drain and boil them at least three times to get rid of the excessive bitterness. To use them in salads you must also pit them and then marinate them for a few hours in a sauce that contains lemon juice, a clove or two of slightly crushed garlic, some chopped fresh herbs (parsley and coriander), paprika and cumin in a ratio of 2 to 1, cayenne, and salt to taste.
The amounts depend on the type of olive—a very bitter Nafpiou, a less bitter Agrinon (both of which are sold cracked), or the Spanish or California unripened green olives, which you can crack yourself. Use a good-sized olive, but stay away from American jumbos and colossal—they are too big.
Ripe or “midway” olives: These can be green, but the best ones are tan, russet, violet or deep purple. Recommended are Italian Greek Kalamatas, and Greek Royal-Victorias, which are a little more pungent.
You can even use the enormous brown Alfonsos from Spain, but stay clear of Italian colossal and Spanish and American ripe green olives—though excellent for eating, they just don’t work in Moroccan tajine.
You don’t have to do anything to these ripe olives except rinse them before adding them to the pot. If you buy them by the quart from barrels, drain them and then store in a solution of the juice of 3 lemons, 1 cup olive oil, a little salt, and sufficient water to cover for 1 quart of olives. I am advised by fastidious Moroccans that under no circumstances should you reach into this brine; they claim that fingers will spoil the brine and that the olives must be removed with a spoon. My favorite recipe comes from Hassan in Ain Leuh, who combines the ripe olives with hot sauce, fresh coriander and parsley, harissa, a few preserved lemons and lots and lots of garlic chunks. Eaten with cheese, it’s like pizza!
Cured, black olives: These are readily available and, as a matter of fact, the salt-cured, shriveled olives sold under the house name of a famous Italian food packager are actually from Morocco. In the olive stalls you often find these olives either partially coated or totally covered with the hot relish called harissa.
Oil
Salad, vegetable or peanut oil is used mainly for cooking and olive oil for cold dishes such as salads. One of the best oils is homemade by Berbers, who extract it from unripened green olives. When scented with wild thyme, this green olive oil is exquisite.
Some dishes (with tomatoes and other vegetables) have all liquid cooked away until only oil is left in the pan. This procedure follows a principle of Moroccan cooking: the vegetables have been thoroughly stewed, are allowed, in the final min, to fry, producing a firmed texture and a crisper taste.
In the Souss region (the southwest) the people often cook with an oil extracted from the nuts of the Argan tree, a plant unique to that region and famous for its attractiveness to goats, who literally climb up into its branches. Argan oil can be mixed with almond paste and honey (fresh walnut oil maybe the closest available substitute) to make a delicious almond butter called amalou, or kneaded with grilled wheat germ and honey to make a breakfast gruel called zematar.
Argan oil also works well in stir-fries, as a compliment to olive oil for dipping, and as a salad dressing.
Milk Products
Moroccan zebda (a kind of fresh country butter) is pungent but should not be confused with even more potent smen (a form of preserved butter that is prepared like the Indian butter-oil called ghee), or the rancid butter called boudra. Leben, or buttermilk, is the product of churned milk. During the churning process, butter particles will settle and the remaining liquid is leben, a thirst quencher or delicious when eaten with couscous.
Couscous Grain
The best-tasting couscous is sold loose and if kept in an airtight container, can be kept for years. Two types of couscous, smeeda and dshisha, are available in Morocco as well as a variety of other pre-packaged and “instant” products.
Chickpeas
The chickpea is popular throughout the Middle East, especially in the form of hummous, and in Morocco it appears over and over in couscous dishes, harira and tajines. As for peeling chickpeas, it is not necessary, but for aesthetic reasons can be done, especially if you use chickpeas that are canned. Dried chickpeas are soaked in water and then drained and rubbed against the sides of a reed basket to facilitate the removal of the skins.
COOKING AND BAKING HINTS
Beans
Regular cooking: Wash beans in cold water, and soak overnight in three times the volume of water to beans (take out beans that float—they're rotten); or bring the beans and water to a boil, cover tightly and let sit for 2 hours. Simmer beans, partially covered, adding water if necessary, for about 2 hours, depending on the type of beans and consistency you want. Do not add salt while cooking, as this will increase cooking time. If you want to mash or purée the beans, you will want to cook them until quite soft.
Pressure cooking: Pressure cooking gives you a more tender bean. Soaking or precooking save a little time but with pressure cooking it is not necessary. Bring the washed beans and 3 to 4 times their volume in water
to a boil. Cover and bring to pressure. Cook beans for 25 to 45 min. Cool immediately. When cooking beans that end to foam, such as split peas, chickpeas, fava beans and lentils, take care to notice that the steam release valve is not clogged. Clean it periodically.
Roasting: Cook beans by one of the above methods for a firm bean. Spread the beans on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt, if desired, and bake at a med oven for about an hour, until they are well browned. When they are hot, they will be crunchy outside and tender inside. When they are cool, they will be hard and crunchy throughout. You can also roast the beans in a lightly oiled frying pan over med heat on top of the the stove. Stir constantly. Soybeans, when roasted, or when chopped or ground in a blender, can be eaten alone. They make a garnish to be sprinkled on a variety of dishes; or use them when nuts or nutmeal are called for.
Beef
Cook meat thoroughly to ensure that any contaminates have been killed. For braised meats, allow 20 min per pound. The liquid should be calculated at 1 c for the first pound and ½ c for each additional pound.
All meats (except seafood) can be pressure-cooked with very little liquid. Brown the meat first, then add liquid to keep it from sticking. For a standard cooking time of 30 min, generally allow 1½ cups liquid. Early salting of the meat brings the juices of the flesh to the surface and into the pan. These juices, which are themselves quite salty, are retained if the meat is seared before seasoning. Searing is done by 'scorching' each side of the meat at a high temperature to seal in the juices. You then cook the meat normally—most effective on lgr, boneless cuts of meat like steaks, roasts, etc.
Ground beef can be “stretched” by adding some grated raw potato to it.
Generally, the quality of beef in Morocco is decent. Most Moroccans like to cook with a lot of fat and bones—watch what the butcher is giving you. Other ways of to accentuate flavor of meat include rubbing meat with garlic, onion, herbs or spices or to insert slivers of garlic or onion near the bone of the roast. In meat heavy with fat, pour off any excess grease after the first half-hour of cooking.
About cooking tough meats: Tenderness in raw meats depends not only on the comparative youth of the animal but also on the strain of cattle to which it belongs and the way it was fed.
Toughness is due to the presence of connective tissues and lack of fat in the muscle. The best way to convert stringy, tough meat to a tender, less-chewy state is by very long and very slow covered cooking in the presence of moisture (ex: pressure cooking).
Any meat can be made more palatable by seasonings and by added fats and dressings. Pounding and scoring are a help in cuts that are normally treated by dry heat methods, like pan-frying and searing. Another favorite technique is marinating, although it sometimes involves nutritive losses that can be recaptured if the marinade itself is subsequently used in making up the dish.
Bread
Save leftovers for bread crumbs, bread pudding, croutons or animals.
Bread crumbs: Place in a med oven until dry (or in the sun if you don't mind flies!) Place dry bread in heavy plastic bag. Crush with rolling pin or mallet into very sm pieces.
Croutons: Cut bread into ½” slices and spread one side with softened butter. Cut into ½” cubes. Sprinkle with chopped herbs, grated Parmesan cheese or spices, if desired. Place in ungreased heavy skillet. Cook over med heat, stirring frequently 4 to 7 min or until golden brown.
Coating meats: Place desired seasonings and bread crumbs in a plastic bag. Add a few pieces of meat at a time; shake until evenly coated.
Cheese
A vinegar-soaked cloth wrapped around cheese will prevent mold growth. Cheese also stays good for 2 to 3 days in a mika as long as the weather is not extremely hot.
Chicken
In Morocco there are two kinds of chicken: the country or “bildee,” which forages for itself and requires a longer cooking time and the grain-fed “romi,” which is tender and cooks quickly. A “bildee” is more flavorful and, generally, is more expensive. If you buy a “romi”chicken, remove it from the sauce and allow the sauce to continue cooking. Reintroduce the chicken to the sauce just before serving, allowing enough time for it to warm up.
How to prepare a chicken: Wash the chicken well in cold water. Remove any feathers or quills still attached. Wash the inside, checking to be sure all the innards have been removed. Dry the chicken well before attempting to cut it. You'll need a very sharp knife with at least a 4”blade. Placing the breast side down, cut out the oil sack at the tail. Sever the neck close to the body of the bird. Pull a wing back from the body and cut where the joint is ( it will crack when you pull it back). Snip the sm wing piece off, if you want. If the feet are still on the bird, cut them off before you cut off the thigh and drumstick. You can see where they join the leg. Pull the thigh back as you did the wing, and cut it away. When the legs and wings have been removed, you'll have the back and the breast remaining. Before you cute the breast, lay the chicken on its back, following the line of where the breast joins the back, cut through along this line with a diagonal cut.
Now, carefully server the breast bone and flatten it. Cut it into two. You can separate the thigh and drumstick for faster frying. Pull it apart and cut at the joint. For bigger pieces, cut slits in to the flesh to cook it more thoroughly. Giblets: Throw away the lung, the kidneys and the gall bladder (a green sack—be careful in disposing of it, its contents are very bitter). The liver should be firm; throw out a yellow liver, unless you know that the bird is one year or older. Cut the membranes around the heart away along with any protruding veins. The gizzard has a sm sack inside it that is removed by making a sm slit along the curved part of the gizzard. Push and it should pop out. Chicken is cooked when the meat is not longer pink near the bone.
Eggs
Fresh eggs will lie flat in a pan of water. Old, but edible eggs stand vertically. Rotten eggs float. To make hard-boiled eggs easier to peel, plunge them into cold water immediately after boiling (5 to 7 min).
Separating eggs: Crack room-temperature egg. Slip egg back and forth between shell halves over a bowl, allowing the white to drop into the bowl. Place yolk in a separate bowl. Any yolk remaining in whites will keep them from whipping stiffly.
Fish
Buying: When buying fish, smell it. Eyes should be bright, clear and not sunken. Look at the gills to see if they're red; they should never be brown. The scales should shine and the body feel firm and spring back when pressed.
Cleaning: When cleaning, was the fish under cold, running water. With knife or fingernails, scrape toward the head. Next, on the underside, split the fish from tail to head to remove the entrails Clip the fins off of the fish body. Remove the head, if desired. To do so, place the fish on its back and cut just under the gills. Some fish have a boney structure on top. Cut on the top side the length of the fish next to the bone. Take hold of it at the end and give it a quick pull. Wash again and dry.
Some smaller fish such as sole are skinned rather than scaled. Cut the spiny part from the top and bottom. Make a split all round the fish by the head, behind the gills, Gently pull back the skin all the way around. Now, pull as if you're removing a tight glove. Cut off the skin and tail. There are also worker at the fish market who will clean your fish for only a few dirhams!
Cooking: Fish cooks very quickly in comparison with chicken and red meats. Avoid overcooking or fish will be dry and tough. Baste often and frequently with the fish's own juices, butter or sauce. Cook until the fish loses its opacity and/or flakes easily with a fork.
Flour
There are a variety of flours in Morocco that can be used for baking bread and pastries. The all-purpose white flour that we use in the States is not available in Morocco, but you can create a substitute by mixing available flours. The type of flour that you use to make breads or pastries affects how your breads will look, taste, and handle. Breads need to be made from flours that contain gluten, which is a stretchy substance that allows dough to rise, while pastries need very little gluten.
White pastry flour- dgig forS- This flour contains very little gluten and therefore needs to be combined with another flour if being used for breads. Is best used for pastries, although you may find your cookies a little flat if you use it alone.
Yellow corn flour- dgig gmH- This flour can be used by itself to create breads but works best if combined with the white pastry flour. It works well in pastries, pancakes, and sweet breads if you combine it with white flour (use it to replace either ¼ or ½ of the total flour called for in the recipe).
Wheat flour- dgig kaml- This flour can be used in breads and contains a lot of gluten, which makes it unsuitable for pastries. Wheat flour needs to be combined with white flour in order to result in an elastic and soft bread, you can use wheat (or other kind) flour for at least half of the amount called for in a recipe with the rest as white flour. When used by itself, your breads will become too thick.
Other - Many Moroccans actually make their own flour by buying the whole grains from the souq and taking them to a flour grinder (referred to as makina in Arabic) to be ground into flour. You can use these grinders to make specialty flour from oats, rice, barley, soy, chickpeas, wheat, etc. and specify the size of the grind (very fine to coarse).
Flour Combinations To Try:
all white pastry flour- sweet breads, delicate pancakes
½ white pastry flour and ½ yellow flour- white bread, pizza dough, bagels
½ white pastry flour and ½ wheat flour- wheat bread
¾ white pastry flour and ¼ yellow flour- pastries, pancakes, crepes, sweet breads
Grains
Regular cooking: Wash the grains in cold water. Bring stock or water, equal to twice the volume of the grains, to a boil (for millet or buckwheat, use three times the volume). Put in the grains, bring to a boil again, lower the heat and simmer (covered) for 30 to 45 min, until all the is absorbed.
Pressure cooking: Instead of simmering the grain, bring to pressure and cook for about 20 min. Cool under very cool water when cooking time is up. You may wish to vary the amount of water in order to create the texture of the grain you prefer. If you have trouble with sticking, here's a trick: Place about 1” water in the bottom of the pressure cooker. Put the grain in a stainless steel bowl that will fit easily into the pressure cooker (such as a steamer basket that should come with your pressure cooker purchase). Add water to about
¾” above the level of the grain. Put the bowl inside the cooker, cover and begin cooking. This method is also handy when cooking grains and beans at the same time.
Sautéing: This method is most frequently used in cooking bulgur wheat (herbir) and buckwheat oats, but can be used with any grain to produce a nutty flavor. Wash the grains and put in a dry saucepan or pressure cooker over low heat. Stir until dry. Add just enough oil to coat each kernel. Sauté, stirring constantly, until all of the grains are golden. Stir in boiling water or stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and simmer 30 to 45 min; or, if using a pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook 20 min. Cool cooker immediately.
Nuts and Seeds
Roasting whole seeds or nuts: Place in a dry pan and roast over med flame until they have the desired brownness; or spread them on a baking sheet and toast them in a med oven. Use the seeds whole, or grind them in a blender, a few at a time, or with mortal and pestle. Add salt if desired.
Roasting or toasting ground seeds or nuts: Buy the meal, or to make it yourself, grind the seeds or nuts in a blender or with a mortar and pestle. Then roast the meal in a dry pan, stirring constantly, adding salt if desired. Or spread the meal on a baking sheet and bake at med flame, stirring often.
Nut and seed butters: It is easy to make your own fresh nut and seed butters if you have a blender or mortar and pestle. From whole roasted or raw seeds and nuts, grind as for meal, adding a little oil to 'start' the butter; continue adding as many nuts or seeds; stir a little oil, and honey if desired, into the meal and you will have a creamy nut or seed butter.
Rising Agents
There are a few different types of ways to make bread and other baked goods depending on the type of rising agent you want to use. Here is an outline of the different ones used in this book.
Yeast (xmira) – Yeast takes more time that the other methods because the dough must be left to rise (usually at least 1 hour). There are two main types of yeast, live active and dried yeast. Live active can be found in most hanuts in Morocco, is stored in the refrigerator and comes in a large block (you can ask the hanut owner to cut you a smaller portion since the block is big). It is very fickle depending on time and temperature and does not keep for very long (6 months at the most). To check if the yeast is still good, first stir the amount needed into a small amount of warm water, after about 10 minutes it should start foaming and this means it is still good and you can add it to your dough. If it does not start foaming this means it is past its due date and you will need new yeast.
The other type of yeast is dried and is much more user-friendly but not always as easy to find (usually in larger hanuts, ask for xmira dyal khubz en poudre, most common brand is rafia). This is the type that comes in an air tight package and can be kept in the refrigerator for much longer. In recipes use half the amount if substitiuing dried yeast for fresh yeast, that is if your recipe calls for 1 T fresh yeast, you can use ½ T dried yeast and vice versa.
Baking Powder (levure chemeque, xmira dyal hlwa) – Using baking powder does not require the bread to rise, so you can make it only shortly ahead of eating. You can find baking power in almost every hanut, it comes in small packets and you can ask for it by its French name, usually printed on the package, or ask for xmira dyal hluwa, yeast for sweets.
Baking Soda (bicarbonate de soude) – Another quick leavener that does not require time to rise as yeast. It can be found in the pharmacy under its French name, bicarbonate de soude.
Starches
Pasta: One oz of dried pasta will generally yield approximately ½ c cooked pasta. Always cook pasta at a fast boil, putting a bit of salt and a little oil in the water to keep the noodles from sticking (the salt enhances the flavor).
The pasta should move freely in the boiling water to promote even cooking. Water should be boiling before adding pasta to cook. Put a lid on water to expedite boiling water. If you're at a high-altitude and water will not boil properly, water heated on a high flame for a half-hour will cook the pasta.
Pasta should be tender, but firm to the bite. Do not overcook pasta to a mushy or a pasty state. Pasta is usually rinsed after cooking if to be used in a salad.
Rice: For standard rice, bring water to a boil, add rice, seal, and cook for 6 to 7 min. Brown rice will take approximately 18 min. For pilafs, heat oil in cooker and stir rice until it take on a nutty brown color (add vegetables if desired at this point and fry until softened). Add water or broth, bring to a boil, and cook for 6 to 7 min. If presoaking brown rice, reduce cooking time to about 12 min and reduce liquid by ½ c. Note: brown rice is higher in fiber, protein and vitamins—so give it a try.
Vegetables
Once again, the pressure cooker is the most efficient way to cook vegetables. How? By steaming them. Use the steamer basket (or a trivet or metal bowl placed in the bottom of the pressure cooker) whenever possible to keep the vegetables out of the water, so that the vitamins are not washed away in the water. An additional benefit to pressure cooking is the fact that fewer nutrients are lost from evaporation due to the sealed container.
· Vegetables cook very quickly, so watch the time closely and keep the cooking time to a minimum, usually ⅓ the regular amount of time. Remove from heat, and use immediately for best results.
· When steaming vegetables, always use the least amount of water necessary and bring the water to a boil
before sealing to avoid overcooking.
· It is best to distribute the vegetables evenly in the steamer basket to insure even cooking. (If possible, place a lettuce leaf over other vegetables. Don't know why, but veggies taste better!)
Peeling tomatoes: Place tomato in boiling water for 30 seconds; remove with a slotted spoon and plunge into cold water. The skin will slip off easily.
PRESSURE COOKING
Pressure cookers are energy-efficient; reducing cooking temperatures and time spent cooking. Invest (especially you bleddies) in a lg pressure cooker to heat up bath water in min!
Pressure cooking has a tenderizing effect, which enables you to utilize low-cost cuts of meat efficiently. Because of reduced cooking time, fewer nutrients are lost and less fat and oil are needed due to the steaming effect, using less butagas—saving money as well as time.
Tips
· Be sure to use the minimum amount of liquid required.
· Never exceed the fill line on your pressure cooker. Generally at ⅔ full.
· Make sure your lid is on properly and locked into position. If it is not on properly, steam will release around the edges of the lid instead of at the pressure valve.
Generally bring the mixture to a boil before sealing, cooking at a high to med high heat. This helps bring the cooker up to pressure faster, which helps prevent burning. Once the pressure cooker reaches the desired pressure, it is necessary to reduce the heat (to the lowest possible setting) until the valve no longer releases steam, but shows pressure. After this point, you should begin to count your time but it is not necessary to watch the pot.
When the cooking is complete, remove the pressure cooker from the heat. Release the steam by pushing the release valve or by removing the valve-this generally takes about 30 seconds. The lid cannot be removed until all the steam is released. Another option that is popular for food that have a tendency to sputter (beans, rice, applesauce, etc.) is to run cold water over the lid to allow it to come to pressure naturally, which takes between 3 to 20 min. Note: If for some reason the lid won’t budge, it probably means there is vapor lock. If this happens, return the pot to heat for a short while, and then try to release the steam and remove the lid again.
When cleaning your pressure cooker, make sure the valves are not clogged and periodically check rubber gaskets to make sure they are not worn. If scorches get stuck on bottom of pan, add soapy water to the pressure cooker, seal and heat water. The scorches should cook right off.
Always store the lid of your pressure cooker upside down to save on gasket wear and tear. Don’t place the lid on a hot stove or over a burner because the heat may damage the gasket.
A general rule for high-altitude pressure cooking is to use the same cooking time but increase the pressure ½ lb for every 1000 ft above sea level (if your cooker has a specially calibrated gauge).
Adapting your own recipes
Cut cooking time down to ⅓ the original cooking time.
Allow ½ c liquid for each 10 min cooking time. If you exceed 30 min cooking time, increase liquid by ½ c. Make sure that you do not exceed the maximum fill line with your total food volume.
Heat oil and brown meat slowly over med heat to avoid burning.
HIGH ALTITUDE COOKING
People who live in a high-altitude area, 3500ft or higher, face some unique cooking challenges. Air pressure is lower, so liquid evaporates faster and water has a lower boiling point. Recipes must be adjusted.
Unfortunately, trial and error is the only way to make improvements because no set rules apply. The following guidelines will be of help:
1. Foods that require boiling, such as vegetables or eggs take longer to cook.
2. Meats cooked in boiling liquid or steam can sometimes take up to 50 to 100 percent longer. Large meat cuts such as roasts cooked in the oven also need more time.
3. Most baked goods leavened with baking powder or baking soda (not yeast) will be improved by one or more of the following adjustments: increased temperature, increased liquid, decreased leavening, decreased
sugar, and/ or a lgr pan size. For very rich recipes such as pound cakes, decreasing the fat will improve results. Quick breads and cookies usually require fewest adjustments.
4. Yeast and dough rise more rapidly at high altitudes and can over-rise easily. Allow dough to rise for a shorter time, just until doubled. Flour rises out more quickly at high altitudes. Use the minimum amount the recipe calls for, or ¼ to ½ c less than the total amount.
5. Boiled candy and cooked frostings (sugar mixtures) become concentrated more rapidly because of the faster evaporation of water. Watch cooking closely to prevent scorching.
Use the cold water test for candy (instead of thermometer), by dropping mixture in water to see if little balls form (and if they’re ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ ball).
FOOD SURVIVAL
With the exception of oranges and bananas, fresh fruits and vegetables are seasonal. The availability of produce during the winter is unpredictable. It varies from year to year and by region, but for the most part consists of potatoes, turnips, onions, carrots, and tomatoes.
1. Potatoes, onions, garlic, apples and pumpkin keep for 3 months or more if stored in a cool, dry place. The potatoes may sprout, but just remove the sprouts.
2. Carrots and turnips can be kept for 2 weeks to a month. Carrots are best kept in plastic bags, which let in a little air. Even if they sprout, they are OK. Turnips can be stored out of the fridge for a month or so as well.
3. Buy fresh herbs (i.e., dill or parsley) in season. Tie together with a string and hang upside-down to dry.
4. Stock up on beans, rice, pasta, flour, sugar and canned goods like tomato paste and tuna.
WHERE THERE IS NO FRIDGE
1. An opened tomato can be protected by carefully scraping the contents down from the sides and coating it with a good layer of oil. Add 2 days by adding salt or a clove of garlic. Always completely cover everything—small peaks extending above the oil will mold.
2. Cucumbers, squash, onions, watermelon: Cut off what you will use and immediately place the fresh cut of that portion not to be used on a plate, in a cup or in a bowl. Dehydration from the cut will seal the veggie to the object. Good for two or with luck three days.
3. Always use the worst veggies first. Do not store veggies in a plastic or sealed container. Store veggies out of the light. Before leaving, sort your fresh food stocks. Buy food often and in small quantities.
4. Can't use a whole kilo of squash? Submerge in water until you can—up to 3 days if you change the water.
5. Keep your kitchen clean to avoid marauding ants.
6. BUT remember—Better to throw it out than to throw it up!
Throw out: cans that bulge, slimy cheese eggs, gray tomato sauce, fungusy anything. These are serious mycrotoxins.
DEFINITIONS
Baking: This means to cook in an oven above the flame, as does roasting. It is different in usage, but not technique, that one bakes a cake but roasts a turkey.
Baste: basting is to pour liquid over something that is in the process of cooking in order to keep it from drying out. Either the juices from the food itself have collected in the bottom of the pan or extra liquid such as water or wine may be indicated.
Beat: To mix all the ingredients vigorously with a spoon, fork, whisk or beat mix until smooth.
Blanch: Plunge food briefly into boiling water to preserve color, texture, and nutritional value, or to remove skins from fruits or nuts.
Blend: Mix ingredients until they are very smooth and uniform.
Brown: Whether browning is the first step or the last step in the cooking process (the recipe will indicate which) it simply refers to the color of the food. In reference to meat or poultry, this means to cook until the outside is a brown color. Most often, this is the initial step in the cooking process and is achieved by putting the meat in a little fat in a skillet on top of the stove and cooking on all sides until it is brown. The rest of the cooking, aimed at cooking the meat thoroughly, is then done. In relation to casseroles, on the other hand, browning means to cook in the oven, either under the flame or as directed, until the top is a golden color.
Broil: This is cooking in the over under the flame.
Caramelize: To melt sugar slowly over low heat until it becomes brown in color.
Chop: To chop is to cut into pieces. The size of the pieces is usually indicated by “finely chopped,” or “coarsely chopped.”
Creamed: 1) One or more foods worked until soft and creamy, using a spoon, fork, or other implement. 2) Applied to foods cooked or served with a white cream sauce.
Crush: Grind into fine particles; for example, crushing a clove of garlic with the flat side of a chef’s chopping knife, a garlic press, or a mortar and pestle.
Cube: To cube is to cut into sm pieces the shape of a cube.
Dice: This is the same as to cube except it indicates the pieces should be even smaller.
Dredge: To dredge is to coat with flour. If the direction is to dredge in seasoned flour, this means flour to which salt, pepper, and seasonings have been added. Crumbs, such as bread crumbs or cracker crumbs, may be indicated in place of the flour.
Dust: This is to coat very lightly with flour or sugar or a similar substance.
Flake: To separate into pieces with a fork, as in flaking a fish.
Fold: This is used in the sense of folding in an ingredient, i.e. adding it not by stirring but with a few gentle overlapping strokes.
Fry: To cook on top of the stove in a skillet with fat of some kind.
Garnish: To decorate the food served with additional foods that have distinctive colors or texture, such as parsley, fresh berries, or carrot curls.
Glaze: To brush or drizzle a mixture on a food to give it a glossy appearance, hard finish, or decoration.
Grate: This involves rubbing the food against a grater so that it is shredded into very tiny pieces.
Grill: This is the same as to broil, but usually over an open flame.
Jullienne: To cut fruits, vegetables, or meats, into thin, match-like strips.
Knead: To manipulate with a pressing motion accompanied by folding and stretching to uniformly blend ingredients.
Marinate: To soak food in some liquid, the liquid being referred to as the marinade.
Mince: To chop very fine.
Mix: Combine ingredients in any way that distributes them evenly.
Pan-fry: To cook in a skillet on top of the stove without fat or with a very minimal amount of fat rubbed on the pan and then discarded.
Parboil: This indicates that the food is to be cooked first in boiling water and then cooking will be completed in another form. For instance, roast potatoes are often parboiled first and then put around a roast in the oven to complete their cooking.
Pare: Cut off outer covering with knife or parer; to peel.
Poach: When a food is cooked gently in just enough liquid to cover it. Reduce: Boil liquid uncovered to evaporate liquid and intensify flavor. Roast: To cook in an oven.
Sauté: To cook it gently, over med to low flame on top of the stove in a minimal amount of fat.
Scald: Heat liquid to just below the boiling point.
Score: Cut surface of food about ¼” deep with a knife to facilitate cooking, flavoring, or tenderizing. Sear: This is rapid cooking in a preheated skillet over a high flame and is an initial stage in cooking meat, when indicated in order to seal the juices.
Shred: To shred is to cut into narrow strips.
Simmer: This is gentle, slow cooking, with the food itself or the liquid in which it is being cooked not quite bubbling or bubbling occasionally.
Soften: Let food such as margarine, butter, and cream cheese stand at room temperature until soft. Steam: To cook by steam with or without pressure. The steam may be applied directly to the food, as in a steamer or pressure cooker or pot, with a sm amount of water allowing steam to cook the food. Nowhere near as much water as used for boiling.
Stir: Mix ingredients with circular or figure-eight motion until uniform consistency.
Stir-fry: A Chinese method of cooking uniform pieces of food in a sm amount of oil over high heat, stirring constantly.
Thicken: To add an ingredient to a mixture that will change it from a thin liquid to one of the consistency of soup or gravy. Flour, cornstarch, arrowroot, and egg yolk are frequently used as thickening agents. The directions to cook until thickened means that the thickening agents are already present and the mixture will become less liquid as it is cooked and stirred. Usually the transition is quick! If adding thickening agents stir frequently to avoid clumping.
Truss: To truss is to tie the legs and wings of a turkey or chicken, or other fowl, close to the body with a piece of string.
FOODS YOU CAN BUY IN LARGE CITIES
In many large cities are some stores where you can buy many of the ingredients you may appreciate having. Several large chains that appear in most cities are: Marjane, Acima, and Askwaq Salam. In Rabat, the underground shopping area at Place Petrie (the flower market) has vendors selling everything from salami to chorizo, brie cheese to blue cheese to capers to canned corn. The ‘health food store’ in Rabat, which carries oatmeal and raw sugar (works like brown sugar in recipes), is on the same block as the Milano café. You can find spices in the medina, even dry red beans.
Here is a list of some things you should consider stocking-up on for future pleasures!
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