a taste of Morocco

standing in Europa Point on a clear day i can see the Rif Mountains in not-so-far-away Morocco.  when we visited a few years ago, we went straight to Marrakech and it was a sweet assault on the senses and an unforgettable experience.  i especially love the souks, where one winding little alley can lead you to an Aladdin’s treasure trove :)

I remember one memorable dinner that we had was chicken tagine and we ate it right inside a “tagine” or the special clay pot that the meat was cooked in along with lots of other yummy ingredients like apricots, apples, pears, nuts, honey, preserved lemons and a complexity of spices.  basically, it is a one-pot slow-cooked stew that is cooked until the meat is falling off the bone.  well, one regret that i had when we went to Morocco was that i didn’t buy the tagine.  only now did i realize that i want to cook my own version of a chicken tagine!  so off i went to the Moroccan shop and bought myself one :)

i didnt follow a recipe because i didn’t know where to get the necessary spices and the preserved lemons so i experimented with the ingredients!  i added couscous to make it filling and sprinkled roasted flake almonds on top too.  well, it got cooked! and was yummy too :)  give me time to perfect my version and will share it with you ;)  there are plenty of recipes that you can get online but the one big obstacle might be the spices.

in the meantime, here’s zizu, the trusty camel :)