Moroccan Vegetable Salads
When Americans talk about salads, we normally think of leafy greens tossed with a dressing of some sort, most often ladened with calories: Thousand Island, Green Goddess, Ranch. In Morocco, however, salads take center stage as something which is not only decidedly delicious but also unbelievably healthy.
Moroccan salads can be made with any fresh, seasonal vegetable, cooked or not. Traditionally, they are a starter to refresh and prepare the palate for the main course. Like tapas or antipasti, they are shared in small portions with others at the table. Similarly, there is never just one of them. Typically, you can count on at least four at the beginning of a meal in Morocco.
On a recent trip I was blown away by a luncheon served to our group at the Scorpion House in Moulay Idriss. Here, two extraordinary female chefs prepared a dazzling array of seven different salads, three of which—all vegetarian—have been recreated here.
The first is a Rabat-style eggplant salad called Zaalouk. (In Fez, they add tomatoes to the dish.) Of all Moroccan salads we tasted, this one was omnipresent throughout our travels. Consider it like a hummus, perfect as a dip for crudité or merely for spreading on hot, crusty bread or crackers. Traditionally Zaalouk is made with eggplant grilled over a charcoal brazier, Berber style. Since we are not nomads, I’ve adapted this recipe for American home cooks by incorporating an oven!
Next is a springtime dish using fresh peas, fava beans and artichokes. Last is a refreshing salad of roasted beets, orange segments and argan oil—a specialty of the country—topped with J’ben. This is a fresh goat’s milk cheese from the Rif mountains, perhaps better known as the country’s epicenter for its hashish production. I substituted fresh domestic goat’s milk cheese from Trader Joe’s which worked beautifully.
Zaalouk, Rabat-Style
Ingredients:
1 large eggplant (1 pound)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into thin slivers.
¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 Tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
2 sprigs coriander, finely chopped (optional)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
8 cherry tomatoes, for garnishing
Cooking instructions:
Preheat oven to 400° F
1. Using a paring knife, cut holes into the eggplant, then insert slivers of garlic. Bake in a hot oven until the eggplant’s skin is blackened and blistery and collapses, about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
2. Cut in half and scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving behind the skin. Drain in a colander. Discard the bitter liquid.
3. Put the eggplant flesh and garlic through a food mill using the large milling disk. Add spices and chopped herbs.
4. Add olive oil to a skillet, then fry the eggplant mixture over a moderate heat for 5-7 minutes or until any liquid has evaporated.
5. Sprinkle with lemon juice and add salt, to taste. Put in a serving dish and decorate with slices of cherry tomatoes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Pea, fava beans, and artichoke salad
Ingredients:
3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 small, preserved lemon halves, flesh and rind finely chopped
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups fresh English peas (frozen are fine too)
3/4 cup artichoke bottoms cut into ¼ inch slices (You can also use baby artichokes from a jar, cut into small pieces)
3/4 cup fresh fava beans, steamed and with skins removed
1 Tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Cooking instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic, preserved lemons, turmeric and ground ginger and fry for a minute until oil is fragrant.
2. Stir in the peas and coriander. Cover the pan and cook for 3-5 minutes until peas are cooked. Add in the fava beans and artichokes, stir, and add salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 1 minute so flavors can marry.
3. Serve either slightly warm or at room temperature in a decorative bowl.
Beets, orange slices, and fresh goat’s milk cheese salad
Ingredients:
1 Tablespoon argan oil, or another nut oil
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
½ teaspoon sea salt
3 medium beets, roasted, cooled and cut into ½ inch cubes
3 navel oranges, peeled and segmented
2 Tablespoons mint, finely julienned
2-3 oz of fresh goat’s milk cheese, at room temperature
1 Tablespoons sesame seeds, lightly toasted
Cooking instructions:
1. Make a dressing with argan oil, sweet paprika and sea salt. Set aside.
2. Add beets, orange segments and mint to a medium size bowl and toss with dressing. Put mixture into a serving bowl and top with small dollops of creamy chèvre. Then, sprinkle dish with sesame seeds.
Serves: 6 as a first course, or 4 as a light lunch.
Wine recommendations: As there are so many flavors here, you have a choice of a full-bodied white such as Viognier of a California Chardonnay; a rosé from just about anywhere; or a light red such as a Beaujolai or a simple Pinot Noir. No need to break the bank with a rarified old Burgundy….unless you invite me to the party!