Well, I particularly like to cook Middle Eastern style food, the background of most tapas here in Andalucia, and could spend as many hours pouring over a good cookbook, beautifully illustrated, as I could the latest Pulitzer prizewinning novel.
Favourites on the well stocked shelf in the kitchen here are Sam and Sam Clark of Moro fame, who also happen to own a home here, Claudia Roden, her Arabesque tome is as lovely to look at as read, and Aline Benayoun has produced a nice little pocket sized edition of a handy book of French North African Cooking called Casablanca Cuisine.
We used to run a giftshop in these parts, and I have to say books were my favourite part of the stock, and tangines of course! If you would like to know more or are interested in any of these titles, I am happy to source new editions for you, including postage to your door, mail me or drop a comment and I can insert the Paypal widget and details for you.
Of course no Moroccan meal is complete without the use of preserved lemons, we're not short of Lemons here in these parts, or Lemmings (!) so here's a quick how to:
15 LEMONS (UN WAXED IF YOU BUY FROM A SHOP)
SEA SALT
JUICE OF 2 LEMONS
Wash the fruit, transfer to a bowl, cover with fresh cold water, and soak for about 3 days, regularly changing the water.
Now remove the lemons and quarter them but not quite to the centre, adding a half a teaspoon of sea salt into the middle of each one. Pop them into sterilized jars, add another tablespoon of sea salt, juice of one lemon to each jar, cover to the top with boiling water, and seal. Leave in a dry place for 3 weeks, and when you want to cook with them, rinse with cold water and just use the peel, cut into strips. You don't have to throw away the pulp and juice, add it to other dishes to infuse a tangier flavour.
Enjoy! ....
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