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Tangier and Taghazout: imperial-city depth before Agadir

Tangier toward Agadir: imperial-city depth through Marrakech

Asilah to Agadir: markets, regional tables and coast from Tangier

Moroccan Seafood and Broccoli Salad

modified version of a jane brody recipe. you can substitute sliced surimi sticks for the shrimp or scallops but, if you do so, do not add until salad has been dressed and tossed or the surimi will shred. cooking (passive) time also includes chilling time.

Seafood Bastilla with Shrimp, Calamari and Fish

Swordfish, shrimp, and calamari are mixed with Chinese vermicelli, black mushrooms, and a spicy tomato sauce. The filling is enclosed in paper-thin warqa or phyllo dough and then baked.The measures below are for raw seafood prior to cleaning. Prep time does not include shelling or deveining shrimp or cleaning calamari. Save time by having your fishmonger do some of this for you.Seafood Bastilla can be assembled and frozen until baking time. Shape the bastilla into a single large pie as shown here or make small, individual-sized pies for easier serving.

Hajar S Own Harira the National Soup of Morocco

there are as many recipes for harira as there are people who eat it though there are essentials. the beans and lentils, cilantro (fresh leaf), tomato and pasta of some sort. this is my own recipe based on ingredients and flavors which i enjoyed from other hariras. harira is eaten all year, not only at ramadan though it would not be ramadan without it! this soup along with others is used traditionally for breakfast at sunset. this would be a first course served with accompaniments and bread before moving on to heavier foods. many break fast with milk and dates; a very old tradition and i doubt that they knew way back when that the combination of natural sugar and the milk protein were a near perfect combination. some find this a bit too rough for the first thing in the stomach. while harira is the national soup of morocco, history tells that this is not a moroccan invention but an invention of the maghreb of which morocco is a part. this recipe may look truly daunting though it really isn't. in our house the first course on the table is always either harira, chorba, or one of my stews; usually chicken, dates, pistachios and fruit. then after that settles we move on to a normal main course without the use of garlic as it is forbidden during ramadan. before bed we will usually have a pot of tea and a rice pudding, dessert couscous or just the tea. shebakia, the very honey sweet special ramadan sesame cookies are always here though we prefer to have them with coffee and not necessarily daily.

Bissara Fava Bean Puree

this is my quick version of a recipe from international vegetarian. bissara is a moroccan dip that is similar in its presentation (but not taste) to the more common hummus. enjoy this with pita bread (fresh or toasted) or cut up vegetables. traditionally, this is served with a generous drizzle of olive oil on top of the prepared spread both for flavor and to act as a preservative. though i never do, you are free to so.