Orange Saffron Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients

• 3 large oranges whole (organic)

• 200g almond flour

• 50g whole wheat flour

• 300g coconut sugar

• 200ml of extra virgin olive plus more for coating the pan

• 4 eggs

• 0.5 grams of saffron

• 6g of baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

  Cake Topping:

• 1tbsp olive oil

• 2 tbsp honey

• 1 cup Golden raisins or figs

• 1 cup sliced roasted almond

• 1 cup roasted walnuts

Method

1. Put the oranges in the blender with half of the saffron and turn into a thick puree.

2. In a bowl mix the olive oil, the saffron. Gradually add the oranges. then the coconut sugar.

3. Add the four eggs one at a time.

4. In a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder, and salt and whisk until all dry ingredients are combined.

5. Mix dry and wet ingredients together until well incorporated.

6. Use a cake pan or a cast iron skillet and oil it very well. Lightly coat it with coconut sugar. Pour the cake batter and bake at 372F for 40min.

For the glaze:

Lightly warm honey and add soaked golden raisins, and roasted nuts of your choice.

Brush the top and sides of the cake with the honey and top with the roasted nuts and raisins.

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Pickled Harissa Picholine Olives

Ingredients

• 1 jar of Picholine Olives

• 1 Garlic clove (grated)

• 1 tbsp Harissa

• 1/4 of a Preserved Lemon (skin only)

• 1 Napa Cabbage Leaf (diced)

• 1/4 Onion (chopped)

• 1 cup of Parsley and Cilantro (mixed)

• 1/2 tsp of Kefta Rub

• 2 tbsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or more to your liking)

Method

Drain the olives and remove the bay leaf, garlic and preserved lemon from the brine.

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Enjoy as a salad. Add to sandwiches or serve as an appetizer.

Rose Onion Pickles

Ingredients

• 1 red onion

• 2 tbsp raisins

• 1 tsp sumac

• 1 tsp rose water or 1 rose bud

• 1/2 cup vinegar

• 2 tsp salt

• 1 tsp sugar

• 1 tbls extra virgin olive oil

Method

1. Thinly slice the onions and scatter them onto a shallow plate. Sprinkle the salt and the sugar. Add the raisins and the rosebuds or rosewater and mix with your hands to ensure the onions are fully coated.

2. Let sit for 5 mins. Add the vinegar and mix again.

3. Let sit for at least an hour at room temperature and add olive oil and garnish with sumac before serving.

Picholine Olives with Harissa

Ingredients

• 1jar Picholine Olives

• 1tbls Harissa

• 1tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1tbls Cilantro

• 1tbls Parsley

Method

Finely chop cilantro and parsley and in a bowl mix together olives, harissa, olive oil and herbs and serve!

Celery Kefta Tagine

Ingredients

• 3 Celery stalks

• 1 Onion

• 1 Garlic clove

• 1 Preserved Lemon

• 1tsp Ras el hanout

• 1tsp Turmeric

• 1/2tsp Black pepper

• 3 tbsp Olive Oil

• 1 cup of Water

• Salt to taste

Kefta Meatballs:

• 1lb Ground Meat

• 2 tbsp Kefta Rub

• 2 crushed Walnuts

• 1 cup chopped Parsley

• 1 cup chopped Cilantro

• 1 Green Onion

• 1/3 cup diced Onion

• 2-3 Mint leaves

• 1 Sage leaf

Method

To prepare the Kefta:

1. Mix the ingredients together and knead until the mixture resembles a dough ball

2. Make small little balls. You could make this ahead of time and let the Kefta sit overnight

To prepare the Tagine:

1. Thinly slice the onions.

2. Heat the olive oil and cook onions on medium heat for 5 minutes stirring occasionally until translucent. Meanwhile cut the celery into thin long pieces.

3. Add the celery to the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add a tiny bit of water if the pan is drying.

4. Add your spices, and garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.

5. Add liquid and let simmer until the sauce has thickened and the celery is soft enough. This should be around 15-20 minutes covered on a slow med heat.

6. Add your rolled Kefta balls and cook for another 5 mins and add chopped parsley and cilantro. Let cook for 5 minutes. Your tagine is ready to enjoy with some crusty bread. Drizzle with more olive oil before serving.

Octopus Sandwich

Ingredients

• 3 Octopus Tentacles (precooked)

• 1 Crusty Bread (we love a good French baguette!)

• 1 tsp Urfa Biber

• 1 tsp Moruno Rub

• 2 tbls Chermoula

• 3 tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 tbls Mayonnaise

• Onion (thinly sliced), Arugula, Parsley (optional)

Method

1. Sauté octopus 3-5 mins until seared on each side.

2. Add Moruno and stir for 1 min. Add Urfa Biber and stir for an additional minute.

3. Toast bread in the oven/toaster and spread generously to your liking with mayo and Chermoula.

4. Add octopus and any of your preferred greens. We like to add raw onions and parsley.

Roasted Fish with Chermoula

Ingredients

• 1-4 pieces of black cod (or any type of meaty, flaky white fish)

• 1 cup parsley

• 2 cup cilantro

• 1 tbsp paprika

• 1 tbls Villa Jerada Chermoula

• 1 tbsp Villa Jerada Harissa

• 1 tbsp cumin

• 2 threads of saffron

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 preserved lemons skin and flesh

• 1/2 cup of olives

Method

In a mortar pound all the ingredients except olives into a paste.
Rub the fish with the marinade and let sit for an hour.
Preheat the oven to 400. Place in the oven and bake for 12 to 17 min depending on the thickness of your fish fillets. Garnish fish with preserved lemon slices, olives, cilantro and parsley.

Green Bean Tagine

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion (diced)

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 tsp turmeric

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp of saffron (steeped in warm water for 30min)

• 4 tbsp olive oil

• 1 cup of mixed parsley and cilantro

• 1 can chopped tomatoes (we like Posardi)

• 2 tbls tomato paste

• 1 lb green beans (trimmed and cleaned)

• 1 preserved lemon (inside removed and thinly sliced)

• 1 cup warm water

• Salt to taste

Method

In a cooking pot (we use a Dutch pot) warm some olive oil, add your onions and cook until translucent, add garlic cook for another minute then add the tomatoes, herbs, spices and beans. Let cook for another 5 min then add the water and half of the preserved lemons (cut in thin slices). Reduce heat to med-low and cover. to simmer. Cook until the beans are tender. Once the beans are cooked add the rest of the preserved lemons in thin slices.
Serve warm with some more good quality fruity olive oil (we recommend our Atlas Olive Oil) and warm bread.

Bekkoula - Steamed Spinach Salad Tartine

Ingredients

• 1 bunch Spinach leaves, most of the stem removed

• 1/2 cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup tomato (fresh or we like Posardi tomato sauce)

• 1/2 cup chopped parsley

• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

• 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped or pressed)

• 1 tbls Kefta rub

• 1/2 teaspoons salt, or more to taste

• 1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 1 preserved lemon rind (quartered)

• Pulp from 1 preserved lemon (finely chopped)

• 1 handful of Picholine olives

Method

1. Wash the spinach and drain well. Finely chop the leaves and crush the garlic then steam until spinach is wilted, about 2-3 mins.

2. Remove any excess liquid move to a frying pan. Add the remaining ingredients, stir to mix, and saute over medium heat for several mins until all the greens are wilted and well blended.

3. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnishing the salad with the olives and preserved lemon rinds and serve with bread or our favorite - on a tartine.

Mderbel - Moroccan Cauliflower Salad

We don't really follow the trends like cauliflower rice but we do eat the cauliflower mash our mama fed us in Morocco.

Ingredients

• 1 Cauliflower head

• 2-3 Tbls Harissa (or to taste)

• 3 Garlic Cloves

• 1/2 Preserved Lemon (thinly sliced)

• 4 Tbls Olive Oil (or to taste)

• 1/4 cup Parsley

• 1/4 cup Cilantro

• Salt (pinch)

• Pepper (to taste)

Method

1. Cut cauliflower into small pieces and simmer in olive oil, garlic, parsley, cilantro, preserved lemons, salt and pepper until soft. About 20 mins.

2. Once cooked, add Harissa, mix and mash with a fork.

3. Drizzle olive oil over the top and serve!

Tomato Salad Merhzina

This dish is a staple you'll find on every single Moroccan table, every season. It compliments just about anything you can imagine and is incredibly easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Heirloom Tomatoes (Rough chopped)

• 1/2 cup Picholine Olives

• 1/2 Onion (finely chopped)

• 1/2 Red or Green Bell Pepper (roasted and chopped)

• 1/4 Preserved Lemon (thinly sliced)

• 4 Tbls Olive Oil (or to taste)

• 1 Tbls Vinegar or squeeze of fresh Lemon

• 1/4 cup Parsley

• 1/4 cup Cilantro

• Cumin (pinch)

• Salt (pinch)

Method

1. Peel the tomatoes and cut in half. Remove the seeds and any liquid. Dice finely.

2. Wash and chop the herbs well.

3. Mix all the ingredients and add the vinegar and olive oil.

Sumac Radish Salad

Ingredients

• Watermelon radish

• Daikon radish

• White radish

• Salt

• Sumac

• Olive oil

• Lemon juice

• Cilantro sprigs

Method

This time the recipe is your intuition. You have carte blanche. You shave some radishes, whisk some good olive oil and lemon. Sprinkle some sumac and salt and the dish is ready. We are adamant about the soigné presentation though.

Aleppo Peach & Tomato Salad

This is a recipe our dear friend Chef/Restaurateur Renee Erickson shared with us during a recent visit.

Ingredients

• 2-3 Peaches (cut)

• 2-3 Tomatoes

• 1 Tbls Olive oil

• 1 Tbls Aleppo pepper

• Lemon juice (to taste)

• Thai Basil (generous sprinkle)

• Salt (to taste)

Method

Rub peaches with olive oil, gently grill for 2 min.

Cut tomatoes in chunks, mix in a bowl olive oil, lemon juice, salt and Aleppo pepper. Add the tomatoes, peaches and coat well. Serve on a platter and sprinkle with Thai basil. 

Read the whole story and find a few more incredible recipes that Renee shares with us here.

Harissa Citrus Salad

• 2 Oranges 

• 1 tbsp Villa Jerada Harissa

• 5-6 Oil Cured Olives

• 1tbsp Olive oil

• Parsley, Fennel or Mint leaves (to taste)

• Onions (finely sliced)

  Peel the oranges, paring away all the exterior white pulp. Cut each orange into supremes or wedges (to your preference. If wedges then cut each wedge into 1-inch pieces). 

  Place the harissa, lemon, olive oil in a salad bowl. Add some juice from the oranges and whisk to combine. Add the oranges, parsley, mint or fennel, olives and onions. Toss gently to mix. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Moroccan Harissa Grilled Chicken

• 3lbs Chicken Legs

• 3 Tbls Harissa

• 1 Tbls Olive Oil

• 1 Tbls Honey

• 2 Garlic Cloves - grated

• 1 Lemon - squeezed

• Salt to taste

  Create marinade by whisking Harissa, Olive Oil, Honey, Lemon, Garlic and Salt until well blended. Add Chicken to the marinade to soak up all the flavors ideally overnight but doing so for at least an hour will also add some nice flavor when you’re in a pinch for time.

  Heat up your grill. Meanwhile create a small slit into each chicken leg to allow the heat to enter and cook the meat evenly so the skin doesn’t become too crisp. Cook roughly 6 min each side or until meat is cooked and tender and skin is slightly crispy.

Grilled Whole Branzino & Chermoula

• 3 Whole Branzino

• 2 Tbls Chermoula

• 1 Tbls Harissa

• 2 Tbls Olive Oil

• 1 Tbls Water

• 1 Tsp Sea Salt

• 1/2 cup Cilantro

• 1/2 cup Parsley

• Lemon (to taste)

  Clean and prepare fish. Slit fish down the middle and diagonally across the outside. Mix chermoula, harissa, olive oil, parsley, salt, cilantro and water. Marinate in the cavity and outside of the fish and refrigerate for 1 hour. Grill 6-10 min each side adding extra marinade the last few mins of cooking time and grill until the fish is flaky and drizzle with olive oil and and squeeze of lemon to serve.

Moruno Grilled Mushrooms

• 20-30 Shiitake mushrooms
• 2tsp Moruno blend
• 1 tsp Salt or to your taste
• 1tbsp Olive oil
• Lemon (to taste)

Using wooden or metal skewers, mix olive oil, Moruno and salt. Whisk lightly to ensure all ingredients are well incorporated. Put the mushrooms into the mixture and let marinade for 10-15 min. Place on skewers tightly and put on the grill at a medium heat. Turn frequently so they don't dry out or burn. Serve with lemon wedges - squeeze to taste.

Grilled Quail with Harissa and Sumac

Harissa Quail:

• 3 tbsp Villa Jerada Harissa
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tsp crushed thyme
• 2 quail

Sumac Quail:

• 3 tbsp Sumac
• Half a lemon juiced
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp olive Oil
• 2 quails

In a bowl mix all ingredients to obtain a marinade. Soak the chicken into the marinade for at least 45 min. Grill (we did a bbq for ours) gently turning often enough to ensure nothing burns or overcooks (depending on the bird) about 7 min on each side or until cooked to your preference. Once cooked serve on a dish with some lemon wedges.

Chermoula Asparagus with Carmelized Onions

Ingredients

• 1lb asparagus
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp Villa Jerada Chermoula
• 3 Tbsp extra Virgin olive Oil
• Half of a lemon
• Salt to taste

Method

Heat the olive oil, add the onions and cook on a medium heat until they sweat and caramelize, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile trim your asparagus and boil it for 3-4 minutes drain and cut in halves. Once the onions are cooked, add the asparagus, the Chermoula and stir until the Chermoula blends in to make a nice thick sauce. Add olive oil and drizzle lemon to taste.