#216 - Cooking at the Kasbah

Kitty Morse is the author of several cookbooks, including Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen, The Vegetarian Table: North Africa, A Biblical Feast, Edible Flowers, and her newest cookbook, Couscous. Kitty prepared several wonderful Moroccan dishes. If you have any questions about these recipes, or would like more information about Kitty's cookbooks, please visit Kitty's website at www.kittymorse.com.

Roasted Red Bell Pepper with Cumin and Garlic

Serves 4

2 red bell peppers

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

You can grill peppers over charcoal, over an open flame, or under the broiler. For the broiler method, turn the oven to broil. Set the peppers on a baking sheet. Roast, turning with tongs and watching carefully until the skin blisters and blackens, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer the peppers to a plastic bag or bowl, and seal. Let stand 10 minutes. Peel, derib, and seed. Cut into strips. Combine with the garlic, salt, cumin, lemon juice, and olive oil. Serve at room temperature.

>From The Vegetarian Table: North Africa by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books)

Crostini of Tomato Salad with Preserved Lemons

Serves 4

4 medium, vine ripened tomatoes, peeled and cubed

2 teaspoons diced preserved lemon rind, or to taste

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon rice or balsamic vinegar

Slices of toasted baguette bread

Chopped parsley for garnish

In a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, lemon rind, salt, vinegar, and olives, if using. Spoon over toasted baguette. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve at room temperature.

>copyright Kitty Morse 2000

Tagine of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Artichoke Hearts

Serves 4

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 chicken thighs, skinned

1 onion, finely diced

1 cup chicken broth

8 threads Spanish saffron, crushed

10 fresh cilantro sprigs, tied with cotton string

20 sprigs parsley, tied with cotton string

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon preserved lemon pulp

1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, whole or quartered, drained

Rind of 2 preserved lemons

Cilantro leaves for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium Dutch oven or enameled casserole over medium-high heat, combine the olive oil, paprika, ginger, pepper, and chicken. Cook, stirring to coat, 1 to 2 minutes. (Do not overcook or the spices will turn bitter.) Add the onion, broth, saffron, cilantro, and parsley. Cover tightly and transfer to the oven. Bake until the chicken is tender, 50 to 55 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to an ovenproof dish, leaving the sauce in the pan. Discard the parsley and cilantro. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees F, and keep the chicken warm. Bring the sauce to a simmer on top of the stove. Add the lemon juice, lemon pulp, and artichokes. Stir gently until the artichoke hearts are heated through, 4 to 5 minutes. Cut the preserved lemon rind into thin strips, and stir them gently into the sauce. Mound the reserved chicken in the center of a tagine dish, and surround with the artichoke hearts. Spoon the sauce over the dish. Garnish with cilantro leaves.

>From Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books)

Couscous Mango Mousse

Serves 6

1 cup water

3/4 cup couscous

4 tablespoons sugar

2 juice oranges, preferably Valencia

2 tablespoons Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur

1 ripe mango (about 1 1/4 pounds)

1 cup heavy (whipping) cream, chilled

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

One 8-ounce container vanilla yogurt

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil. Add couscous in a stream. Stir once. Remove from the heat. Cover and let stand until the couscous is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Cover tightly and set aside. Scrub one of the oranges under running water and pat dry. With a vegetable peeler, remove the zest, being careful not to peel away any of the white pith. Finely mince the zest. Set aside. Squeeze the oranges to obtain about 3/4 cup of juice. Strain through a medium meshed sieve into a small saucepan. Over medium heat, boil down the juice until it has reduced to about 2 tablespoons, and has the consistency of molten honey, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the Cointreau. Set aside. Peel the mango and cut the flesh away from the seed. Cut half into thin wedges and coarsely dice the rest. Set aside. In a chilled metal bowl, whip the cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the vanilla and the remaining sugar. Refrigerate one cup of the whipped cream for serving. In a medium bowl, combine the rest of the whipped cream with the yogurt, and the diced mango. Refrigerate. Before serving, combine the yogurt-mango mixture with the couscous. Spoon equal amounts into 6 parfait glasses or small bowls. Top each dessert with a generous dollop of the reserved whipped cream and top with mango wedges. Drizzle with orange-Cointreau sauce, sprinkle with minced orange zest, and serve.

>From Couscous: Fresh and Flavorful Contemporary Recipes by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books)

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