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 :)

what i did NOT buy in Mallorca from shops with unique names

what the filthy rich use to wipe their bums and noses with ;)

 was a bit startled to see this in the tourist shops ;)

these are adorable owls but i wouldn't know where to put them ;)

 nope, its not too late yet ladies ;)

 nice things; nice prices ;)

 luxury for.... ME!!!

 this is the shop where we bought the nice popsickle puzzle :)

a hidden gem!  i bought pretty much all of my culinary treasures in this shop that's filled to the rafters with all things Mallorquin :)

 "guess who's back" ⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

what i bought in Mallorca

the lightest and most delicate thing in Mallorca is not its talcum-powder soft buttery sand... nor is it their purest salt flats... not even its fragrant orange, lemon, almond and olive groves that dot the landscape... 

the lightest and most delicate thing in Mallorca is its most sought after confectionery, the "ensaimada" or the Mallorcan spiral pastry or soft bun. 

you will find ensaimadas in almost every bar and restaurant in Mallorca with a slew of different fillings.  there's the traditional "cabell d'angel" or pumpkin jam, cream, almond, chocolate, or fruit.  as a final touch, they are sprinkled with powdered icing sugar on top.

we love this pastry so much we bought 3 big octagonal boxes (2 with cream fillings and 2 with milk and white chocolate) for friends and family and they were a hit! 

to digress for a bit, the "ensaimadas" in Mallorca reminded me a lot of the "ensaymadas" we have back home in the Philippines.  perhaps because we have been a Spanish colony for more than 300 years, the Mallorcan ensaimada has evolved over the centuries and is now a "brioche" made with butter instead of lard and sprinkled with edam cheese instead of icing sugar.

another great gastronomic discovery for me while in Mallorca is the Flor de Sal (Flower of Salt), a naturally harvested gourmet sea salt from the beaches of Mallorca.  it is one of the highest quality sea salts in the world and is extremely beneficial as it contains 80 minerals and trace elements (between 16 and 20 times more magnesium and double the potassium and calcium content but lesser sodium chloride content) than ordinary salt.

its used by most Spanish chefs because a little pinch goes a long way! (magnesium is a natural flavor enhancer)  i bought the pack of five (@50g each) with natural, Mediterranean, hibiscus, black olives and the Sri Lanka variation with oriental spices like cilantro, poppy seeds, cinnamon, carnation, etc.

i also bought the orange blossom honey in raw form (meaning its not processed).  i like it a lot because its not that sweet and always creamy without the crystallization that usually happens with honey i buy from the grocery store.

saffron is called "azafran" in Spanish and is a spice that came from Asia Minor and brought to Spain in the 8th or 9th century.  today, three-quarters of the world's production of saffron is grown in Spain especially in the La Mancha region (yup, Don Quixote alright).  it is of high quality that Spanish saffron is even better than the ones produced in Iran!

everything so far is food-related :)  but my last purchase is sort of caught in the great divide.  yes, it is a popsicle stick but no, you can't eat it.  it is a puzzle made up of 8 pieces :)

the mister and i found this amazing shop (honestly, we got lost!) full of puzzles that is simply called "Puzzles" and got stuck there for over an hour trying to solve this mind-boggler!  in the end, we just bought it and vowed to solve it once we get to the hotel (it was a hot day, after all) :)