Happy 20th "From Tapas to Meze"

I can hardly believe how fast 20 years go by.  I was such a tyke in the cooking field.  I'd just left Chez Panisse and was excited to write my first book.  It was a huge endeavor and in retrospect, I was so naive.  I loved small plates and that's mainly what I made when I worked at Chez Panisse.  It spurred an idea;- a very ambitious one, but still, an idea for a book.  

I decided that I wanted to write a book about small plates from the Mediterranean.  I left for Spain and tasted tapas from La Rioja in the north, east to Barcelona and then far south to Cadiz and the Strait of Gibraltar.  Then it was on to Morocco for an extended tour from Marrakech through the desert to Fez and beyond.  There I sampled flavors like nothing I'd ever had before.  Although I'd been to Provence numerous times, still I added Antibes, Nice and Bandol to the itinerary.   I don't think I realized how immense Italy is until I traveled (and ate!) from Puglia to Sicily and Sardinia and then all the way north to Cinque Terre, Venice and the Piedmont.  I spent Greek Easter on the island of Zakynthos in western Greece eating  spit-roasted lamb, tzatziki and the best rolled grape leaves and then traveled from Athens to Thessaloniki to taste every meze I could get my hands on.  And finally I traversed Turkey from Istanbul and south to Izmir, Pamukkale and Goreme.  I sailed the coast for two weeks from Bodrum to Marmaris tasting every kind of fruit the sea had to offer.  

What started out as a simple little idea of small plates eaten along the Mediterranean turned into a trip of a lifetime.  The generosity and sharing I experienced and everything I learned along the way made this one of the most rewarding journeys I've ever had.  The best part?  Learning that tapas, antipasti and meze are so much more than just a few small plates of food.  It's a lifestyle.  Along the Mediterranean people don't drink without eating something.  Civilized, right?  But it's also a way to extend the dinner hour and spend time with friends and family talking about politics, the latest gossip and anything in between.  

 

In late March 1994, I opened the door to find a delivery man.  He handed me my first book wrapped in brown paper.  I remember it like it was a few minutes ago.  I tore off the paper and I bet my eyes were almost bugging out of my head.  I was holding a hard covered book with the title "From Tapas to Meze"  with my name printed boldly on the cover in my hands.

A week later I was celebrating my first born at the Ritz Carlton.  Gary Danko, my best chef friend, was the chef there at the time and he hosted a launch party.  It was the who's who of the food world.  I don't think my smile could have gotten much bigger.

Happy birthday, From Tapas to Meze and thanks to everyone who helped make it happen!

-Joanne

Click here and try one of my favorite recipes from the book and make sure to enjoy it with friends, family and wine, of course!

Magical Marrakech and a bowl of Harira

Magical Marrakech

Shake me, wake me…. Is this real?  Ah yes, I’m here in Morocco, one of my favorite places on earth!  I'm leading a small group on a Culinary Journey in Marrakech and before their arrival, I went to visit my friend Abdoul at his home in the old medina or center of town.  Imagine this….

As the door to his home opened, exotic music, incense and the light of a thousand candles, poured into the alley.  Inside, the central courtyard opened to the clear night sky and the gentle breeze stirred the date, palm and olive trees that grew towards the night stars and the nearly full moon above.  A fountain, the centerpiece of the courtyard, trickled with water.  Rose petals floated in the pool.   Low tapestry pillows were spread around low brass tables on the intricate mosaic floors.  It was here for the next several hours my friend Abdoul, his family and I shared a traditional Moroccan feast.

A bowl of the richest, most delicious peppery soup called harira, a minestrone‑like soup served with lemon wedges and fresh dates, is the typical dish served to begin the meal.

Harira has a long history whose roots come from the Berbers, indigenous North Africans from the mountains and deserts.  It’s eaten throughout the year, but especially

during Ramadan, a period of atonement and forgiveness when fasting is done during daylight hours.  When the bells chime to announce sundown, silence is heard in every Moroccan village as the families gather at the table and break their month‑long daytime fast with a big bowl of harira.  

Abdoul's Harira was incredible.  I could easily get used to this tradition!

Try it yourself:

HARIRA

1/2 cup dry chick peas

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pounds small lamb cubes, trimmed of all fat

2 medium yellow onions, chopped

1/4 cup celery, chopped

2 ½ cups peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pulverized saffron threads

Freshly ground black pepper

1 cup dried lentils

1/2 cup spaghetti, broken into small pieces

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salt

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro

1/4 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley

3 to 4 tablespoons lemon juice

8 lemon wedges

Pick over the chick peas and discard any stones.  Cover with water and soak for 4

hours or overnight.   

In a large heavy soup pot over medium high heat, warm the olive oil.  Add the lamb in a

single layer in batches and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned on all sides,

10 to 15 minutes.  Remove and set aside.  Add the onions and celery and cook until the

onions and celery are soft, 12 minutes. 

Puree the tomatoes, tomato paste, ginger, turmeric, saffron and 1 teaspoon black

pepper in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Add the tomato mixture and the

lamb to the onions and celery.  Add 6 cups of water, the lentil and chick peas and bring

to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered 2 hours until meat and chick

peas are very tender.

Thirty minutes before serving, add the beaten egg and stir briskly until it makes

strands.  Add 2 cups water and the pasta and cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes.  

Season with salt and pepper.

Increase the heat to medium high.  Bring the soup to a boil.  Blend the flour with 1 cup

water and add the mixture to the soup pot, mixing vigorously.  Simmer slowly 5

minutes.  Add cilantro, parsley and lemon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and serve each bowl garnished with lemon wedges.

Serves 8 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 

P.S.  Ready to make a Moroccan feast?  Try these recipes that Chef Bahija of Jnane Tamsna and I created, too:

Moroccan Chicken with Tomato Marmalade

Briouats (Moroccan Phyllo Rolls with Shrimp and Scallops)

abdoul's tangia recipe, morocco con't.

The phone rang really early this morning. Half asleep, I heard Abdoul’s voice.

“Good morning! How are you? When are you coming back? The weather is beautiful in Marrakech,” he said in one sentence.

“I’m counting the time until I can get back there!” I said as I fell back into a dreamy Moroccan state.

To round out the cast of characters on my Morocco trip…. I have to tell you about Abdoul.

Abdoul was recommended to me by Meryanne, owner of Jnane Tamsna, where I stayed with my students for 2 weeks in Morocco. She said I would love him, that he’s the guide of guides, knows everyone and won’t waste a minute of our time.

Abdoul is a guy who’s bigger than life in both stature and spirit. When I met him for the first time, I felt like I’d struck gold. And as the days passed, I got richer and richer.

Every day we wandered into the souk, the hub of life in Marrakech. It's full of bright color, a mix of sounds and smells of olive, saffron, mint and leather. And it's wild! Scooters buzzing by and hawkers selling everything from shoes and purses to ceramics and rugs.
On the first day, Lisa, one of my students saw a straw bag in the souk that she liked. She asked the price. I think the shop keeper wanted 100 dirham or about 12 bucks. Abdoul said, “We’ll give you 50!” at which point he handed her a 50 dirham bill and grabbed the bag. No fooling around.

“Hmmmmm “ I said kinda liking this guy. Nope, Meryanne was right, he won’t waste our time.

The next day in the medina or center of the old town, we passed the same woman selling straw bags. Another student, Susanne, decided she also wanted a bag. In Morocco, if you buy two of anything, it’s always cheaper. This time, since Abdoul got a better price for Susanne than the day before, he gave Lisa back a few dirham.

Yup, I really like this guy. He's not only a great bargainer, he’s honest, genuine and a great shopper showing us all of the best artisans. But what I loved most was that Abdoul showed us streets in Marrakech where no tourists venture. We saw the real souk, his medina.

And to give you an idea of his generosity… He knew we all loved food and cooking and all week he told us about this famous stew called a tangia that the men of Marrakech made.

Towards the end of the week, he came to our kitchen at Jnane Tamsna and brought all of the makings for a tangia. Don’t get tangia mixed up with tagine, a popular stew made in a conical pot. A tangia is a stew made in a tall terracotta urn that’s cooked overnight in the embers of the hammam.

In the kitchen that day, he assembled his famous tangia and carried it off to the hammam.

The last night, as we sat for dinner by the pool drowning in the light of a thousand candles and live Moroccan music, there was Abdoul, carrying the tagine, still warm from the embers.

Was it delicious? It was as warm, inviting and wonderful as Abdoul!

Oh, delicious too!

Abdoul's Tangia

6 pounds beef shanks
2 whole preserved lemons
2 heaping tablespoons ground cumin
12 whole peeled cloves garlic
5 tablespoons smen or preserved butter (or unsalted butter
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 cup water

Rub the beef shanks with the preserved lemon. Place the shanks on the bottom of the tangia pot. Top with the remaining pieces of lemon, cumin, garlic, smen, saffron and water.

Place foil over the top and parchment on top of that. Tie securely with twine and place in the embers of a smoldering hamman (You have one in your backyard of course, don't you?) overnight.

In the morning, remove the twine, paper and foil. Give it a stir and serve this succulent stew.

Serves 10

morocco continued & 20 tagine recipes

I'm a cooking teacher and anyone who has taken a class with me will be surprised to know that I relinquished that duty for a whole week when I was in Morocco. Was it intimidation or just a need for a vacation? Maybe a little of both.

When I arrived, Bahija, the chef and cooking teacher at Jnane Tamsna, met me wearing her chef's jacket, white apron and white head scarf . Full of enthusiasm and English words mixed with Berber and French, she apologized again and again for her English. I was the one who should be apologizing. My French is beyond rusty. Just getting off a week of teaching in Spain and my classes last year in Italy and Provence, my French had turned into a combination of languages I call Sfritalian.

Immediately I warmed to Bahija. How could I not? As she and I talked about the week, I knew we would end up being be friends.
"Class #1 will be chicken tagine," she said. The word tagine has two meanings,-- an aromatic stew and the conical terracotta vessel used for cooking the stew. I was excited.

For the next few hours as I unpacked and settled into my room that looked like a harem (and I say that in a good way), taxis stirred up dust in the driveway unloading my students and their luggage.

After everyone was settled into their rooms, we had an early dinner. It was a little different than my classes and the meals that I share with my students in Spain, Provence or Italy which can sometimes turn into a party. In a Muslim country like Morocco, though they make wine, wine and alcohol aren't so much of a focus. And you know, sometimes it's kind of nice to go to bed early and wake up the next day feeling good.

That next morning, after a breakfast of fresh mint tea, luscious fruit, fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice, and homemade wheat flatbread called khboz, we headed to the kitchen for our first cooking class.

Bahija was already in the kitchen with everything set out on a big marble table,--cutting boards, tons of spices, vegetables, dried fruit, almonds and a husky knife for everyone. And ofr the next couple hours, we concentrated on tagine basics, everyone making their own.
It was fun and the assortment of tagines, both sweet and savory were amazing. I stood back and let Bahija do the teaching. BTW there were no recipes. I decided the best thing I could do was to hand scratch the recipes with pen and paper and later transfer them to my iPad. Then we could print them for everyone.

It was tough for me though, I wanted to teach. I'm so used to it! A few times I bit my tongue when I wanted to teach a technique or trick. Can't I just show them how to peel ginger with the tip of a spoon or mince garlic with the back of a knife? It was everything I could do to keep my mouth shut. Instead I wrote...

When everyone had finished assembling their tagines, we brought them outside where we cooked them over individual braziers.


They didn't take long to cook. Maybe 30 minutes or so. When we brought them to the table and removed the covers, the aroma was intoxicating. One of my favorites was this one with grapes and raisins. Imagine the sweetness against the ginger, black pepper, saffron and turmeric.


Here is the recipe I wrote for the 20 or so tagines we made. And if you don't have a terracotta tagine, try using a stainless pot with a lid. It won't be same but when you smell the aromas of the tagine cooking in your kitchen, I promise you, the romance will take over and you'll think you're in Morocco.

CHICKEN TAGINE BASICS

2 pieces of chicken with the skin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Pinch of saffron
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced

In the tagine, place the chicken. Sprinkle with ginger, pepper, saffron, turmeric, olive oil and onion. Rub it into the chicken.

SAVORY TAGINE WITH PRESERVED LEMONS

1/4 preserved lemon
1 tablespoon cilantro
1 clove garlic

Separate the skin from the flesh of the lemon. Chop the insides and thinly slice the peel. Top the chicken with the chopped flesh.

Mash the garlic and cilantro in a mortar and pestle. Top the chicken with the cilantro and garlic.

Finish with the various optional ingredients. Here are a few options.

Fennel
Sunchokes
Green beans
Carrots
Olives
Cherry tomatoes
Zucchini

Variations

1- Fennel and sunchokes

2- Green beans, carrots and oil-cured olives (optional but boil first)

3- Cherry tomatoes and baby zucchini

4-Tomato, quartered, peeled, carrots, green beans and zucchini

5-Artichokes with English peas

6- Fennel, artichokes and cherry tomatoes

7- Green beans, carrots, fennel, peas and cherry tomatoes

8- Carrots and sliced apples

9- Onions and tomatoes

10- Peppers, fennel, artichokes and carrots

Add 1 cup water, cover and cook on medium low heat until the chicken can be easily skewered.

Garnish with preserved lemons before serving.

SWEET TAGINE WITH HONEY

1 teaspoon ras el hanout
Pinch cinnamon

Optional ingredients;

Dried apricots
Golden raisins
Almonds
Walnuts
Tomatoes
Sliced Red onions
Sliced Dates pitted and stuffed with almonds
1 pear, peeled and quartered
Pineapple, peeled, quartered, 3/4- inch slice

Rub the cinnamon and ras el hanout onto the chicken.

Finish with various optional ingredients. Here are a few options:

1- Dried apricots and sultana raisins, toasted almonds and walnuts

2- Sliced tomatoes and sliced onions

3-Pitted dates stuffed with almonds, soaked sultana raisins, almonds and peeled and quartered pears

4- Pineapple 4 slices and dried apricots

5- Pear and apricot

6- Peeled and quartered apples and almonds

7- Apricots and prunes

8- Apricots and Walnuts

9- Dates stuffed with almonds and raisins

10- (Believe it or not, a Bahija invention) Bananas and dates

11- Raisins and grapes(I love this one)

Drizzle with honey just before serving.

Serves 1