A journey for Food lovers.....
Moroccan Banquet cooking workshop around Byron Bay Area
Few years ago I travelled to Morocco on a ferryboat
from the heat drenched orange scented hills of south of Spain on the blue water of the Mediterranean. As
I arrived going down the ferry my feet touched the land, some young boys jumped
and chase me down the path asking in Dareeja (native language) “ anti
magrhabia? Are you from Morocco, I stopped for a second and looked around,
knowing that I came back home to the land of my ancestors.
Everywhere I looked seemed like my extended family
coming to greet me, the smells, the colors, the shouting, the friendliness,
smiling faces, streets laden with stalls filled with goods, and FOOD every
where you turn your head FOOD, the never ending journey into the heart of what
sustain us, memories of my mother sitting on the kitchen floor with baskets
filled with Broad beans, rose petals, artichokes, pumpkins, almonds, oranges
scattered around the kitchen with clove pinned down to the top part of the
orange for good luck and sweet smell….she was making couscous from scratch
every Friday morning , semolina oil/butter , water- rubbing her moisten hands
with the semolina crafting gems and pearls of couscous into a large bowl which
later would fit onto a tall stock pots filled with veggies and lamb…turmeric
blended with cumin, coriander, cinnamon and a dash of chili powder for the
spirits ,she was a medicinal woman & a kitchen maverick .
In her honor I have been teaching for years the art of
Moroccan cooking @opentable weaving stories and love for food with
traditions from far away land.
We gathered 2 weeks ago @ Opentable kitchen for A
Moroccan Banquet.
Some ladies from Brisbane, Mother and teen age
daughter, some young foodies- to celebrate this rich cuisine which is gained
its uniqueness through Arabic, Persian and Andalusia influences while the
indigenous Berbers cuisine has always been a constant basis.
The smell of the aroma stimulated our hungry bellies,
I could feel everyone so anxious to get in there and try the Date & lamb
tagine cooked with preserved lemon, slow cooked vegetable tagine (the girls
learned to utilize a clay tagine in the oven or the stove) colorful semi cooked
salads which are prominent in the Moroccan cuisine, different marinade,
Harissa, Chermoula and many more
And we also had time to prepare a dessert, Almond filo
fingers served with Orange clove syrup served with Pomegranate.
As we sat for a banquet, I could hear the ladies/girls
getting excited to try from the exotic banquet, plates moving up in the air,
the clinks of the servers+ tongs, “pass me the plate” – I hear a lady telling
to her friend, “ no no …I want some more”, we held hands for a moment to
express gratitude for the abundance and our heritage, few minutes into eating a
"noble Silence" which always makes me think how good is the food, and
its not me or them, it’s the stories continuing over generations passing
through our genetic imprint….bon appetite lovelies!!
