Grilled Moroccan Flank Steak

Ingredients:

4 pounds flank steak

• 1 medium onion
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons sherry
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper

Preparation:

Mix ingredients together and marinade steaks in a shallow baking dish for 4 hours in the refrigerator. Remove steaks from marinade and reserve. Grill steaks to desired doneness  (about 5 minutes on each side). Heat marinade in saucepan for 10 minutes. Cut steaks diagonally into thin slices. Pour marinade over steaks and serve.

Taktouka

Ingredients

5 medium-sized tomatoes (grated).

2 large – green peppers

1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley

1 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1 teaspoon of salt

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

3 garlic cloves (crushed)

Directions

Step 1 – Roasting the Green Peppers

1. Grill green peppers (insert wood sticks in peppers and place directly on burner).  Goal is to grill peppers on high heat until skin turns black.  Cracking noise is a good sign; it means skin is cracking and pepper is roasting

2. Keep monitoring pepper and turn around until all sides become black.  If you find it difficult to use wooden sticks, use tongs to turn pepper

3. Once peppers are roasted, place in a bowl with a plastic wrap for 15-20 minutes.  This will steam the peppers and aide in removing the skin

Step 2 – Cooking the Tomatoes

1. While peppers are steaming, gently cook tomatoes with spices, olive oil, tomato paste and garlic in a sauce pan on medium heat

2. Cook tomato mixture for 15 minutes on medium heat

3. Stir from time-to-time

4. Once cooked on medium heat for 15 minutes, reduce heat to low and then start to get peppers ready

Step 3 – Combining the Tomatoes and the Peppers

1. Clean Peppers by removing burnt skin, cutting top of pepper and removing seeds

2. After cleaning peppers, slice and dice into small cubes

3. Add pepper cubes and chopped parsley and cilantro to tomato mixture

4. Cook tomatoes and peppers on medium heat for another 15-20 minutes

Step 4 – Serving this delicious Cooked Salad

1. Salad is ready when it becomes dry and thick.

2. If you have preserved lemons, you can use them for decoration.  First wash preserved lemon in water to remove some of the salt, then cut lemon and remove pulp so you can use the skin for decoration

3. Serve salad with Moroccan bread or French baguette as an appetizer

4. Eat warm or cold

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Meskouta - Moroccan Yogurt Cake

Ingredients


3 eggs (separated into egg yolks and egg whites)
1 cup (4 oz / 114 grams) of yogurt strawberry flavor (or any flavor of your choice)
Use the yogurt cake to measure the following
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
A pinch of salt
Directions


First, pour  1 ½ cups of sugar over 3 egg yolks. Remember to use the yogurt cup for all the measurements in this recipe. Using an egg beater, beat the egg yolks and sugar until you get a creamy whitish mixture.


Add ½ cup of vegetable oil and mix in using a spatula.


Once the oil is completely incorporated, add the yogurt and continue mixing gently using a rotational movement , moving the spatula from bottom to up.


Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, you can also use almond extract or another flavor of your choice.


Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and continue mixing.


To spice things up a bit, I am adding 1 teaspoon of ground ginger to the batter. You can either omit it, or replace it with another spice like ground cinnamon or cardamom.


Now we are going to add the flour. We will need 2 ½ cups of flour, sift the flour and add to the batter little by little. Mix in some of the flour and when it’s completely incorporated, add a little more until done.
In a separate bowl, beat 3 egg whites with a pinch of salt using an egg beater. Make sure that the egg whites have no traces of egg yolks when you separate the eggs, and that the egg beater heads are clean and dry – otherwise, the egg whites wont fluff. Beat the egg whites for about 5 minutes until they get firm with white peaks.


The last step is to incorporate the egg whites to the batter. Add the egg whites little by little to the batter, mix gently in a rotational movement with a spatula, and when that portion of the egg white is completely incorporated then add a little more until done. The final batter should be creamy and smooth!
Here, I am using an 8” baking pan. First butter the pan, then cover it with parchment paper. The reason I butter the pan is for the parchment paper to stick. Add the batter to the pan, and shake the pan to even out the batter. You can cut excess parchment paper on the edges with scissors.


Preheat your oven to 360 F degrees which is 180 C degrees.


Bake the cake for around 50 minutes. You know that your cake is ready by pressing gently on the surface, it should feel firm.
Cuisinart Smart Stick Hand Blender

Moroccan Cookies - Ghriba

2 cups of flour
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 stick of butter (8 Tbsp)
1/4 cup of oil
2 tablespoon of sesame seeds
1 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
Pinch of salt


preparation


Steps:
1- Roast the sesame seeds on low heat for 2-3 minutes stirring consistently until they become golden brown.
2- Melt the butter.
3- Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and sesame seeds.
4- Add the butter and the oil. Work the dough for 10-15 minutes until you get a grainy texture.


Rest:
5- Cover the dough and let it rest for 2-3 hours.


Final steps:
6- re-work the dough for couple of minutes.
7- Make small balls with the dough (if you find it difficult add some oil) and put them on your pan covered with a parchment paper.
8- Preheat your oven at 375 degrees. Bake the Ghriba for 15 minutes or until it takes a light golden color.
Breville Variable-Speed Immersion Blender

Moroccan Gazelle Horns Kab El Ghzal) Cornes De Gazelle)

pastry
14 ounces unsalted butter, chilled & cut into 1/4-inch bits (3 1/2 sticks)
1/4 cup sunflower oil
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 -8 tablespoons ice water
almond paste filling
1/2 cup blanched slivered almond
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons orange blossom water, divided (orange blossom extract)
1 (8 ounce) can prepared almond paste, softened
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Directions:


1
In a large chilled bowl, combine the butter, sunflower oil, flour, and salt.
2
Using your fingertips, rub the flour and butter together until they look like flakes of coarse meal (Do NOT over mix).
3
Pour 6 tablespoons ice water all at once into the mixture; toss together lightly.
4
Gather the dough into a ball.
5
If the dough crumbles, add ice water a few drops at a time until everything sticks together and forms a soft dough (up to 2 tablespoons).
6
Divide the dough in half, dust each half with a little flour, and wrap in waxed paper.
7
Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
8
Pre-heat the oven to 350°F (180°C, gas mark 4).
9
Spread the almonds out in a shallow baking pan and toast them in the middle of the oven until they are lightly browned, turning them occasionally (8-10 minutes).
10
Pulverize the almonds in a blender, nut grinder, or using a mortar and pestle.
11
Then, using the back of a spoon, rub ground almonds through a fine sieve into a deep bowl.
12
Add the sugar, cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon orange blossom water and knead with your hands into a stiff paste.
13
Add the almond paste, butter, and egg, and beat vigorously with a spoon until mixture is smooth.
14
Raise the oven temp to 400°F.
15
On a lightly floured surface, pat half of the dough into a rough rectangle about 1-inch thick.
16
Dust a little flour over and under the rectangle, and roll it out from the center to within an inch or so of the far edge of the pastry.
17
Lift the dough and rotate it 90°; roll again from the center to within an inch or so of the far edge.
18
Repeat - lifting, turning, rolling - until the rectangle is a little less than 1/8-inch thick (If the dough sticks at any point during the rolling, lift it gently with a metal spatula and sprinkle a little flour under it).
19
Using a ruler and a pastry wheel or a sharp knife, cut the dough into 3-inch squares.
20
For each cookie, roll 1 teaspoon almond filling between your palms to form a cylinder about 2-inches long and 1/2-inch in diameter.
21
Place a square of dough so that it's oriented as a diamond, and place the cylinder horizontally across it 1/2-inch down from the top point.
22
Lift the top point up and fold it over so that it covers the filling.
23
Then, starting with the folded edge, roll the dough up tightly jelly-roll fashion.
24
Pinch the ends firmly closed, and gently shape the roll into a crescent.
25
Arrange the crescents about 1-inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet, and bake in the middle of the oven until golden brown (20 minutes).
26
Transfer to wire racks and sprinkle them evenly with 1 tablespoon orange blossom water.
27
One at a time, dip the pastries in the powdered sugar to coat them lightly, and return them to the racks to cool.
28
While the first batch is baking, roll out and cut the remaining half of the dough, and repeat the process for filling and shaping.
29
While the first batch is cooling, bake the second batch until golden brown (20 minutes).
30
Transfer to wire racks and sprinkle them evenly with the remaining tablespoon orange blossom water.
31
Roll in powdered sugar, and let cool to room temperature before serving.
Canon T3i 18.0MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55mm IS Lens - Digital

Briwat with Walnut Filling

The dough: 
1 roll of Fillo dough (or pastilla dough if you can find it) 

Ingredients for the filling: 
2 cups of walnuts 
2 Tbsp of sugar 
1 Tbsp of cinnamon 
2 1/2 Tbsp of butter 
1 Tbsp of orange blossom 

Ingredients to roll the Briwat: 
Melted buttter 
Egg yolk 

Ingredients to decorate the Briwat: 
Honey 
Sesame seeds 

Steps to make the walnut filling: 
1- Drizzle oil on a cooking pan and roast the walnuts for 2 minutes to enhance their flavor. 
2- Grind very finely the walnuts. You might have to do this process 2-3 times until you get a very smooth consistency. 
3- Continue grinding the walnut with the sugar and cinnamon. 
4- Add the melted butter and blossom water to the walnuts paste. 

Steps to roll the Briwat: 
1- Because Fillo dough is a very delicate dough, take 2 leafs of Fillo dough (one on top of the other). 
2- Generously brush the top Fillo leaf with melted butter. 
3- Cut the Fillo in 4 long strips. 
4- Put the filling in the left tip of the stip then cover the filling with the right tip to make a triangle. (see Briwat video) 
5- Keep moving the Fillo dough strip left and right to make a triangle. 
6- Brush the last tip of the Fillo with egg yolk and close the Briwat. 
Note: Don't worry if the Briwat are not perfect, once they are fried, all the imperfections will disappear :-) 

Steps to cook the Briwat: 
1- In hot oil, fry the Briwat for few minutes until golden brown. 
2- Drain the Briwat from the oil, and dip them in warm honey. 
3- Drain the Briwat from the honey and sprinkle them with sesame seeds. 
4- Serve cold
Breville Variable-Speed Immersion Blender

Laasida - Moroccan Eid Breakfast

Ingredients


1 box (10 oz) of plain couscous
6 cups of water
1 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of butter
Directions


Add the water and couscous in a cooking pan and bring to boil on medium heat.
When the water starts boiling, add the salt and butter.
Keep cooking Laasida for 30-40 minutes on low heat while stirring from time to time. Laasida will have a consistency a little less thick than mashed potato.
Serve Laasida immediately with butter and honey to taste.
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Plus Food Processor -
 ChromeOxo V-Blade Mandoline Food Slicer

Chicken Chorba

Ingredients

 

1 pound of chicken pieces

2 medium onions - grated

2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables 

1/3 cup of vermicelli

1/3 cup of canned chickpeas (if using dried chickpeas they have to be soaked in water overnight)

2 tablespoons of vegetable oil

1 tablespoon of smen (ghee) - or substitute with butter

1 large pinch of cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

2 egg yolks

2 tablespoons of finely chopped parseley

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1.5 liters of water (6 cups)

Directions

In you cooking pot, add the oil, smen, chicken, onions, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cover your pan and cook on the chicken on medium heat for 5-10 minutes.

After 5-10 minutes, add 1 liter (4 cups) of water to the chicken. Cover you pan and let the chicken cook on high heat until done - which will take around 30 minutes.

Once the chicken is cooked, add 1/2 liter (2 cups) of water, the vermicelli, and the canned chickpeas to the chicken. Cover your pan and let all the ingredients cook for another 5 minutes.

Note: if using dried chickpeas (soaked in water overnight) you have to add them in step 2 with the chicken.Last 20 to 15 minutes add your frozen vegetables.

Add 1/3 cup of the soup to the egg yolks and beat the mixture with the parseley and the lemon juice.

Slowly add the egg yolks mixture to the soup while stirring. Taste your soup and adjust the salt and pepper accordingly. Cover your pan and let the soup cook for another 5-10 minutes.

Amlou - Moroccan Almond Dip with Argan Oil

Ingredients

10 oz of unsalted raw Almonds

10 oz of Argan oil

Honey (to taste)

Directions

Roast the almonds in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes

Grind the almonds until you get an almond powder.

Add the Argan oil and the honey to the almond powder. Mix well with a spoon.

Note: To get a thinner consistency of Amlou, add more Argan oil. Adjust the sweetness of Amlou to your taste by adjusting the amount of honey.

Important information about Argan oil:.

1- Where does it grow?

Argan oil is considered 'Liquid Gold'. It is made from the nuts of the Argan tree that grows almost exclusively in the south of Morocco. If you drive by that region you can spot goats up in the Argan tree feasting on the fruit!

2- A beauty product?

Argan oil is exceptionally rich in vitamin E, carotenes, essential fatty acids, etc. It is believed to help all sorts of skin conditions: dry skin, acne, wrinkles, and so on. Moroccan women use it as a beauty product on their skin, hair and nails. Nowadays, you can find many commercial beauty products made of Argan oil.

3- Culinary oil?

In Morocco, Argan oil is used in many recipes including couscous, tajines, and salad dressings. The simplest recipe is to dip grilled bread in Argan oil and honey, and eat it as part of the breakfast meal.

Zaalouk

Ingredients

3 pounds eggplants

3 pounds tomatoes (pick them super red)

1/2 red pepper

Cumin and salt (to taste)

Crushed garlic (to taste)

Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Preparing the Eggplants:

You will need 3 pounds of eggplants. Partially peel them, then cut them lengthwise into medium slices. Sprinkle with salt and fry them in hot vegetable oil.

After few minutes of frying them, use a fork to poke the eggplant slices.

Make sure to turn the slices around, so that both sides are fried until they become deep golden brown.

Once done, remove the eggplant slices form the oil, let them sit in a sieve so that excess oil drips. Keep some of that oil as we are going to use it later.

Preparing the Tomatoes:

You will also need 3 pounds of super red fresh tomatoes. Remove the skin and the seeds from the tomatoes, and cut them in small pieces. Add a bit of salt and cook them on medium-high heat until their liquid is evaporated and you get a thick tomato paste.

Final Steps:

The final step is to combine the fried eggplant slices cut into small pieces, the cooked tomatoes, and ½ a red pepper grilled or roasted, peeled, and cut into small pieces.  Place all these ingredients in a pan, and add a little bit of oil that was used to fry the eggplant.

You will also need cumin, salt, and crushed garlic. You can adjust them to your taste, just remember that we have already added salt to the eggplants and tomatoes before cooking them.

Cook all the ingredients on medium heat. Stir continuously while cooking the zaalouk.

After 10-15 minutes, the zaalouk is ready. Remove it from the heat and let it sit on your counter to cool down. You can also title the pan if you want to remove any excess oil.

And that’s it, serve warm or cold with bread!

Msemmen - Moroccan Pancake

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 large egg

3/4 cups warm water

Vegetable oil

Semolina

Directions

Preparing the Dough:

You will need 2 ½ cups of all-purpose flour. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ½ tablespoon of baking powder, ½ tablespoon of sugar, and 1 large egg. Mix all the ingredients using your hand. Now, start adding warm water a little by little until your form a ball with the dough. For this amount of flour, you will need ¾ cup of warm water, but this will depend on the quality of absorption of the flour your are using. Important tip, add the water little by little while working the dough with your hand, so you don’t put too much.  You need just enough water for the dough to form a ball; however, it wont be too moist and it should definitely not be sticky. If you put too much water, just add a little flour to balance it.

Place the dough on your kitchen counter and knead it with the palms of your hands. The movements have to be fast and energetic. Knead the dough for around 5 minutes. You will notice that the dough will become moist, smooth, and elastic.

Once the dough is ready, brush it with vegetable oil. Grasp a portion of the dough, and using your thumb and index fingers, cut small dough balls that are a little bigger than the size of ping pong balls. From time to time, put vegetable oil on your hands to keep them well oiled while cutting the dough.

Place the dough balls in a plate, cover them with foil or napkin, and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Shaping the Dough:

After 15 minutes, the dough balls are ready to be shaped into squares, which is the traditional shape of Msemmen.

Brush your kitchen counter with vegetable oil. Take a dough ball and fatten it with the palm of your hand. Using your fingers, gently push the edges of the dough to expand it into a very thin disk of dough – the dough is almost transparent at this point and you can somewhat see your kitchen counter through it.

Sprinkle a little bit of semolina of the thin disk of dough. Fold the upper edge and lower edge of the dough toward the center on top of the other edge, to create a long rectangle of dough. Sprinkle with semolina again, then fold the right and left edges of the dough towards the center, on top of each other, to form a square.

Place the dough squares on a plate, cover them, and let them rest for 15 minutes.

Cooking the Msemmen:

This is the last step. When the dough is ready, brush your kitchen counter with vegetable oil, take one dough square and flatten it with your fingers and the palm of your hand, until you get a thin square that is around 3 times larger.

To cook the msemmen, first heat your pan on high heat and once ready drizzle some vegetable oil on it. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook the msemmen on both sides for a few minutes each, turning over several times until each side has a golden brown color and the center of the smemmen is cooked. The msemmen may puff up while cooking, but will immediately become flat if you push it down with your hand. The cooked msemmen is chewy but should not taste raw.

Once the msemmen is cooked, place it on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

And that’s it, serve the msemmen immediately, with honey, cheese, or any other toppings of your choice. Here is mine, served with honey and rolled the Moroccan way. Look how soft, chewy, and flaky it is… all I need now is my Moroccan mint tea.

If you want to keep your msemmen, just warp it with foil and place it in your freezer for up to 1 month. You just need to heat it in your pan before serving.

Msemmen (Moroccan Crepes)

Ingredients

2 cups of flour

1 cup of semolina

3/4 cup of oil

3 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of salt

1 tablespoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of dry yeast

1-2 cups of warm water (depending on the quality of absorption of your flour)

Directions

Steps for making the dough:

1- Mix all the dry ingredients together (flour, semolina, salt, sugar, and yeast)

2- Slowly add water and work the dough until you are able to create a ball with the dough

3- If you are kneading the dough by hand, use energetic and quick strokes. Knead for 20 minutes while adding water until you get an elastic dough.

4- You can use a kneading machine to speed up the process. Put the dough ball in the machine and automatically knead for the next 10 minutes while adding water.

5- Make small balls with the dough (the size of golf balls) and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

Note: the amount of water needed depends on the quality of absorption of the flour you are using. the goal is to get at the end an elastic and mallaeable dough. if your dough is too sticky add some flour; if it is too hard add some water and continue kneading it.

Steps for folding the Msemmen:

6- Mix the melted butter with the oil.

7- Spread some of the oil/butter mixture on a flat surface. Take one dough ball and flatten it with your hands. Gently keep stretching the dough until you get a thin circle of dough. Fold the circle into a square as shown in the video.

Steps for cooking the Msemmen:

8- Gently spread the dough square with your fingertips until you get a thin dough square.

7- On low heat, cook the Msemmen 5-10 minutes in each side.

Note: the Msemmen is served hot with honey and Moroccan mint tea.

Krachel (Moroccan Sweet Breads)

Ingredients

2 cups of flour

1/2 cup of sugar

2 Tablespoons of sesame seeds

1 Tablespoon of anise seeds

1 1/2 Tablespoon of dry yeast

1/4 cup of milk

3 Tablespoons of butter

2 eggs

A pinch of salt

1 Tablespoon of orange blossom water

Directions

Dilute the dry yeast with some warm water.

Mix all the dry ingredients together: flour, sugar, sesame seeds, anise seeds, and pinch of salt.

Add the rest to the ingredients to the dry mixture: milk, melted butter, orange blossom water, dry yeast, and 1 egg.

Mix all the ingredients very well and start kneading the dough.

NOTE - If you are kneading the dough manually, sprinkle flour on your work station and knead the dough with your first in quick strokes for 10 minutes.

Note: keep adding flour little by little until the dough is not sticky anymore and the result is a soft and malleable dough. If you are kneading the dough with a kneading machine, knead the dough automatically for 5 minutes. Then sprinkle flour on your work station and knead it manually for 1-2 minutes while sprinkling flour until it is not sticky anymore.

Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

After one hour, make small balls with the dough (the size of a large egg) and flatten them a little bit. Place the dough balls in a baking pan covered with parchment paper.

Cover the dough with a clean cloth and let it rest in a warm place for another 1 hour.

The last step before baking the breads is to brush their surface with the second egg and decorate them with sesame seeds.

Preheat the oven at 350 degrees and bake the breads for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Moroccan Shrimp Pil Pil

Ingredients

16 oz of shrimp (peeled)

5 medium tomatoes

1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley

1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

1/2 tablespoon of crushed garlic

1 teaspoon of cumin

1/4 teaspoon of paprika

1 teaspoon of salt

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

Directions

Cut the tomatoes in half and remove the seeds.  Grate the inside of the tomatoes and discard the skin.

On medium heat, cook the tomato puree, tomato paste, parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, and all the spices for 15 minutes. Stir the sauce from time to time.

On a baking plate, place the shrimp, drizzle some olive oil, and cover with the tomato sauce.

Preheat your oven at 400 degrees and bake the shrimp for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Serving: Serve the shrimp hot with crunchy toasted bread.

Basic Couscous

This couscous recipe is very basic. Couscous goes with just about any main course, especially chicken. 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup couscous
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 tspo salt
Preparation:
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add salt and stir. Add couscous and remove from heat and allow to sit for about 5 minutes. 


Couscous should be light and fluffy, not gummy. Be sure to allow the couscous to absorb the water. Variation Prepare couscous with chicken broth instead of water. It really makes for a nice flavor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Couscous

Moroccan Olive Bread

Ingredients

3 cups of flour (keep extra flour on the side for kneading)

1 1/2 cups of warm water

6 oz of black olives cut into small pieces

3 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of thyme

1 tablespoon of dry yeast

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

Directions

Activating yeast: Dilute the dry yeast with the sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm water. Let the yeast mixture rest for 5 minutes. The yeast is active if the mixture expands and bubbles up.

Making the dough:

2- Add the water, olive oil, thyme, and salt to the yeast mixture.

3- Gradually add the flour to the mixture until the flour is completely diluted. You will end up with a sticky dough. 

4- Add the olives to the dough.

5- Cover the dough and let it rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Kneading the dough:

6- After 30 minutes, the dough doubles in volume. Sprinkle generously flour on your working area and place the dough over it.

7- Sprinkle the dough with flour and knead for the next 10 minutes using the palm of your hand. Add flour to the dough when needed until you end up with a malleable non-sticky dough.

8- Shape your breads. You can make round breads by flattening a ball of dough the size of your fist. To make French Baguette, flatten the dough into a disk using a rolling pin, then wrap the disk into a roll.

9- Transfer the breads into a baking pan covered with parchment paper.

10- Cover the breads and let them rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Baking the breads:

11- Preheat your oven to 420 F degrees.

12- Place your baking pan in the lower third of the oven and let them bake for 30 minutes or until done.

Moroccan Fish Bastila

Ingredients

 

Ingredients of the Filling:

1/2 pound of squid

1/2 pound of white fish (tilapia, cat fish, etc.)

1/2 pound of peeled shrimp

1/2 cup of finely chopped cilantro

1 1/2 tablespoon of lemon juice

4 oz of chinese vermicelli

1/2 teaspoon of crushed garlic

A large pinch of saffron

1 teaspoon of paprika

1/4 teaspoon of cumin

Red chili pepper (to taste)

1 teaspoon of salt (to taste)

1/4 teaspoon of pepper (to taste)

Ingredients for the wrap:

Spring roll pastry

2 egg yolks

4 tablespoons of butter

Directions

Steps to prepare the filling:

1- Cut the squid and white fish into small pieces.

2- Boil the squid pieces in water for 15 minutes before adding the white fish and shrimp to boil for another 10 minutes.

3- Remove the squid, fish, and shrimp from the water and reserve.

4- Put the chinese vermicelli to boil in the same water where the fish was boiled. Remove the vermicelli from the water after 5 minutes, drain it from excess water, and reserve.

5- On medium heat, melt the butter in a cooking pan. Add the fish, spices, parsley, and lemon juice. Mix all the ingredients and let them cook for the next 15 minutes while constantly stirring.

6- Add the chinese vermicelli to the fish mixture and mix well. Cut the vermicelli into smaller pieces with your spoon.

Steps to wrap the Bastila:

1- Place the spring roll pastries around you baking dish with 1/3 of the pastries hanging from the edges of the dish (see video). Place 1 or 2 spring roll pastries in the center of the baking dish.

2- Brush the pastries with melted butter and brush the edges with egg yolk.

3- Place the filling in the center of the baking dish and bring the pastry edges to the center.

4- Cover the top of the Bastila with 2 spring roll pastries and tuck in their edges. Brush with melted butter and egg yolk.

5- Bake the Bastila for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Serving:

Broil the Bastila for 1 minute before serving and decorate with shrimp, parsley leaves, and lemon slices.