Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups.
In a blender puree chopped cucumbers, yogurt, sour cream, mustard, and salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a bowl. Chill soup at least 6 hours or overnight.
Stir in finely diced cucumber and chopped mint and garnish soup with cucumber slices and mint sprigs.
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.
Makes about 6 1/2 cups.
In a large heavy saucepan cook chopped scallion, onion, and gingerroot in butter with curry powder and salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat until softened and add carrots and broth. Simmer mixture, covered, 20 minutes, or until carrots are very soft.
In a blender purée mixture in batches with coconut milk until very smooth, transferring as puréed to a bowl. Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice and chill soup at least 6 hour or overnight.
Thin soup with ice water and season with additional lime juice and salt and pepper.
Garnish soup with trimmed scallions.
Active time: 1 1/4 hr Start to finish: 2 hr
Makes 12 servings.
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS Make filling:
Divide butter between 2 (5- to 6-quart) wide heavy pots. Heat over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then sauté apples with sugar and zest, divided evenly between pots, stirring, until apples are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.
Transfer apples with a slotted spoon to 2 (2 1/2- to 3-quart) buttered shallow baking dishes (2 inches deep).
Transfer all apple juices to 1 pot. Stir in preserves and brandy and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Pour mixture over apples.
Make biscuit topping and bake cobbler:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Pulse flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor just until blended. Add butter and pulse just until mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer to a large bowl and add chilled cream, stirring gently with a rubber spatula to form a dough. (Dough will be sticky at first, but it will stiffen slightly as flour absorbs cream.)
Knead dough on a floured surface 4 to 6 times with floured hands (do not overwork dough, or biscuits will be tough). Roll out dough 3/4 inch thick, flouring surface as needed, and cut out 12 to 14 rounds with cookie cutter, re-rolling scraps as necessary. Arrange rounds on top of apples about 1/2 inch apart.
Stir together yolk and unchilled cream and brush on biscuits. Sprinkle sugar generously over biscuits.
Bake cobblers in middle of oven until biscuits are golden andcooked through (lift one to checkif underside is cooked), 35 to45 minutes.
Cooks’ notes:
•Apple filling may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
•Cobblers can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. To reheat, put chilled cobblers, uncovered, in a cold oven, then bake at 375°F until apples are bubbling,25 to 30 minutes.
Makes about 7 cups.
In a heavy saucepan cook onion and celery in oil with sugar and salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened and add beets, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and broth. Simmer mixture, covered, 35 to 40 minutes, or until beets are very tender.
In a blender purée mixture in batches until very smooth, transferring as puréed to a bowl. Chill soup, covered, at least 6 hours or overnight.
Thin soup with ice water and season with additional vinegar and salt and pepper.
Garnish soup with sour cream and chives.
Makes 8 sandwiches, serving 4.
In a bowl whisk together mustard, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste and add oil in a stream, whisking until emulsified. Peel, pit, and finely chop avocado and add to dressing. Add chicken, tomato, bacon, and cheese and toss lightly.
Divide romaine among pita halves. Divide chicken mixture among pita halves and sprinkle with egg.
Makes 4 sandwiches.
for the pesto:
To make the sandwich:
Prepare grill.
Lightly brush bell peppers and eggplants with oil and grill on an oiled rack set about 4 inches over glowing coals about 4 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Cut peppers into strips.
Lightly brush cut sides of bread with oil and grill, cut sides down, about 2 minutes, or until golden. Spread each piece of bread with 4 tablespoons pesto and divide peppers, eggplants, and mozzarella between them. Grill sandwiches, covered, just until cheese is melted. (Alternatively, vegetables and assembled sandwiches may be broiled.) Sprinkle each sandwich with basil and cut in half.
To make the pesto:
In a blender or small food processor blend together all ingredients with salt and pepper to taste until smooth. Pesto keeps, covered and chilled, up to 1 week. Makes about 2/3 cup.
(Fish with Moroccan Seasoning)
The fragrant blend of seasonings called chermoula can be used for meats and poultry as well as fish.
Serves 6.
6 skinless small fish fillets such as sea bass, red snapper, or any other firm white lean fish (about 1 3/4 pounds)
Make chermoula:In a mortar with a pestle, an electric spice grinder, or a cleaned coffee grinder grind fine coriander seeds, peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and saffron. Transfer spice mixture to a small bowl and stir in remaining chermoula ingredients.
Lightly oil a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold fillets in one layer. Arrange fillets, seasoned with salt and pepper, in dish and top evenly with chermoula. Chill fillets, covered 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large heavy skillet melt butter in water over moderately high heat. Add fennel and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Cook fennel, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 10 minutes more, and season with salt and pepper.
While fennel is cooking, bake chilled fish in oven until it just flakes, 10 to 15 minutes.
Serve each fillet on a bed of fennel and garnish with fennel fronds.
Preserved lemons, sold ready-made in Moroccan souks, are essential to that country’s cuisine. The peel, pulp, and juice squeezed from the lemons can all be used. Sometimes, however, the juice and preserving brine, can be bitter; use fresh lemon juice in that case.
Serves 6 as a first course.
To prepare salad:
In a bowl cover onions with cold water and soak 30 minutes. Drain onions well and pat dry between layers of paper towels. In a bowl stir together onions with remaining ingredients and let stand, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes.
To make Paula Wolfert’s Seven-Day Preserved Lemons:
Dry lemons well and cut each into 8 wedges. In a bowl toss wedges with salt and transfer to a glass jar (about 6-cup capacity). Add lemon juice and cover jar with a tight-fitting glass lid or plastic-coated lid. Let lemons stand at room temperature 7 days, shaking jar each day to redistribute salt and juice. Add oil to cover lemons and store, covered and chilled, up to 6 months. Makes 4 preserved lemons.
The traditional b’stilla is an enormous pigeon or chicken pie wrapped in golden paper-thin pastry leaves. However, we made individual pies for ease of serving. The idea of meat mixed with spices and encased in pastry was brought to Morocco by Arabs from the Middle East; the delicate pastry sheets, it is thought, came specifically from Persia.
Spices play a big part in Moroccan cooking. This legendary spice mixture is translated as “top of the shop.”
Makes 9 b’stillas, to serve 6 with second helpings.
To make the almond sugar:
In a food processor grind fine almonds, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Almond sugar may be made 1 day ahead and kept covered in a cool dark place.
To make the filling:In a small bowl combine saffron with hot water and let stand 10 minutes.
In a heavy 4-quart kettle sauté onion and garlic in 3 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is golden, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate and add ginger, ras el hanout, and pepper. Cook mixture, stirring, 3 minutes.
Add chicken parts, broth, and saffron mixture and simmer, covered, turning the chicken once, until chicken is very tender and cooked through, 25 to 35 minutes. Let chicken stand in cooking liquid off heat 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, reserving cooking liquid and solids, and, when cool enough to handle, shred chicken, discarding skin and bones.
Measure reserved cooking liquid and solids and if necessary boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 3/4 cups. Reduce heat to moderate and add eggs in a stream, whisking. Cook mixture, stirring, until eggs are set, about 3 minutes. Remove kettle from heat and pour egg mixture into a coarse sieve set over a bowl. Let mixture drain undisturbed 10 minutes before discarding liquid. Transfer egg mixture to a bowl. Stir in chicken, parsley, coriander, lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste and chill. Filling may be made 1 day ahead and kept chilled, covered.
Preheat oven to 425°F. and butter 2 large shallow baking pans.
In a small saucepan melt remaining 9 tablespoons butter and keep warm but not hot.
Cut phyllo sheets in half lengthwise and stack between 2 sheets wax paper. Cover wax paper sheets with a kitchen towel. On a work surface arrange a half sheet of phyllo with short side facing you and brush with melted butter. On this, layer and brush 3 more half sheets of phyllo in the same manner.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon almond sugar on short side of phyllo nearest you to cover about 2 1/2-by 4-inch area, leaving a 1-inch border on 3 edges. Put 1/3 cup chicken mixture over almond sugar and spread out slightly. Top chicken mixture with 1 more tablespoon almond sugar and roll up filling in phyllo, folding in sides after first roll. Transfer b’stilla immediately.
Form 8 more b’stillas in the same manner with remaining phyllo, butter, almond sugar, and chicken mixture, chilling each b’stilla as it is made. B’stillas may be prepared up to this point 4 hours ahead and kept chilled, covered lightly with plastic wrap once cold.
Bake chilled b’stillas in oven until tops and ends are puffed and browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool b’stillas slightly on a rack. Sprinkle b’stillas with confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon and serve warm.
To make the ras el hanout:
In a spice grinder or cleaned coffee grinder grind fine aniseed, fennel seeds, allspice berries, cardamom seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, cuminseed, and red pepper flakes, In a small bowl stir together ground spice mixture, mace, ginger, and nutmeg until combine well. Ras el hanout may be stored in a tightly closed jar in a cool dark place up to 6 months. Makes about 1/4 cup.
(HONEY NUT CANDIES)
Makes about 35 candies.
In a small heavy saucepan stir together all ingredients except sesame seeds and cook over very low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes. Cook, stirring frequently so mixture does not burn, 40 minutes more, or until very thick.
Remove pan from heat and let mixture cool slightly. Form tablespoons of warm mixture into 1-inch balls and roll in sesame seeds to coat. Candies may be made 1 week ahead and kept in an airtight coriander in a cool dark place.
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