Day 54 Morocco

The destination of my dreams- I have a romantic fixation with the culture and heritage of this North African country. Call it the "Casablanca syndrome"if you please, but one day I hope to find myself in a corner of a crowded Souk in Marrakesh or Tangier, breathing in it's spice laden air, tasting local delicacies or smoking a hookah perhaps! Meanwhile back on planet earth I had a menu to plan, but it was easy. The quintessential Chicken Tagine was a no-brainer.

The Tagine was relatively easy. I started with a roasting chicken cut into pieces. Red onions were diced and sauteed followed by garlic and ginger pastes, and finally the chicken. According to instruction, I used a large pot so that all the chicken browned evenly. Cinnamon powder, saffron strands soaked briefly in water, chopped parsley and cilantro were thrown in. This was simmered in chicken broth and seasoned.I also added in some chopped preserved lemon peel (bought on a trip to Dubai a while ago). The last step was to add in a can of drained and rinsed chick peas.
As I looked for a good Tagine recipe, a Classic Casablancan Coucous recipe caught my eye and it was hard to resist the temptation. The couscous was made in minutes with the box instructions, but it was the toppings that made it so delectable. I had the last of my garden zucchini and eggplant and cut those length wise along with onion, red peppers and tomato. A few slivers of ginger and smashed garlic along with a couple of sprigs of rosemary were scattered over. Then a generous drizzle of olive oil, honey, salt and pepper and into the oven where they roasted till golden. This is spooned willy nilly over the couscous and served.

The final verdict- best Cous cous recipe! Jessica and David ate dinner with us and agreed.

Nigeria - next up....