Moroccan Magic

Thanks to the inspiration AND help of Liz Smith, Evan's wife, our Gourmet Cooking Club had a Moroccan feast at our house on April 18th. I was so inspired by seeing Liz' blog for their dinner that I decided to copy, and it was a great decision.

Liz surprised me with a box full of lanterns, pots, spices and a beautiful cloth to help me create the atmosphere. I used her blog, with its pictures, for ideas, and then I called my good friend Doreen Neser to come over and help me put it all together. My contribution was finding place mats and a runner for the table. And Spence picked the oranges and lemons off the tree for me.

The table was set, and Liz' CD of Moroccan music was playing as the guests (other cooks and spouses) began to arrive. They were AMAZED at what they saw. I have NEVER done decorations for one of the dinners before.

In our club, the host decides the theme and prepares the main course with accompaniments. The other 3 chefs prepare the appetizers, soup/salad, and dessert. These assignments are rotated with each different dinner.

This time, the appetizers were prepared by Kent Hambly, who brought Moroccan Cigars served with many types of olives in his own marinade. These were coupled with a Crispy Vegetable dish, similar to Ratatouille, served as a lettuce wrap. These were both delightful and different taste treats for the palate. The Moroccan Cigars were made with filo dough filled with seasoned beef and baked to a golden brown. The marinade for the olives had lemon juice, olive oil and a variety of delicious herb.




The salad course was prepared by Ruth Gulden and consisted of three different salads (all courtesy of Liz Smith). My favorite was the Radish Salad because it was so different and an unexpected way to serve radishes. It was accompanied by an Orange and Olive salad sprinkled with crushed anise seed and mint, and Moroccan Spinach, made with Moroccan Preserved Lemons Lemons and lots of cumin.

For the first course, I prepared a traditional B'steeya, which doesn't show too well in this photo. It is made with a filling of chicken, simmered with many spices and herbs, combined with egg and stuffed in a filo pastry shell. It is unusual because it mixes the sweetness of cinnamon, sugar and almonds with the spicy chicken mixture. It was a huge hit.

Following the B'steeya, I served Lamb Tangine with Cous cous topped with a mixture of caramelized onions, toasted pine nuts, raisins and cinnamon.

Following the main course Steve Hambly served the Persian Love caked served with sugared rose petals and pistachio nuts. It melted in your mouth with its whipped cream topping flavored with saffron and the subtle cardamon flavoring in the delicate cake.

This was an evening to remember...and we all toasted with our Pomegranate Orange Spritzer, and left with happy tummies.