How to Make Date Paste (two ways)

Date paste is used as a filling in many Moroccan and Mediterranean pastries. It is also great for making date bars and truffles. It is sold in Middle Eastern stores and online. In the absence of a store nearby or if one can’t wait for the online purchase to arrive, one can make it at home, easily and quickly. Date Paste Recipe

Here are two different ways to make date paste:

1. In the microwave:
Place 1 cup chopped, pitted dates in a bowl. Add 2/3 cup water. Microwave on high for 2.5 minutes. Remove the bowl carefully from the microwave as it will be very hot. Drain the dates. Discard the liquid. Place the dates on a cutting board and press with a fork or potato ricer to mash them into a paste. Alternatively, process in the food processor until desired smoothness is achieved.

2. In the steamer: Steam 1 cup chopped, pitted dates in a steaming basket over a pot of boiling water or in an electric steamer until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the dates to a cutting board and press with a fork or potato ricer to mash them into a paste. Alternatively, process in the food processor until desired smoothness is achieved.

1 cup chopped dates yields about 1/2 cup date paste.

Note: Date paste from steamed dates is stickier and darker than the one obtained from microwaved dates.

Left: Paste from steamed dates. Right: Paste from microwaved dates.

P.S. When buying dates to make paste, you don’t have to buy Medjoul or other high quality dates. Cheaper, smaller, lower quality dates are all you need.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/how-to-make-date-paste/

Moroccan Chickpea Soup: Bessara Hummus

Warning: This chickpea soup is hot!

I’ve always had recourse to bessara (legume soup) as an antidote for cold weather. Lentil, white bean or split pea soup have always been a staple of our winter dinners. So when I warned that this soup was hot, it was as much for the warming effect it has on the body as it was for its spiciness. It definitely has a bit of a kick. But it’ll still warm you up from head to toe (although to a lesser degree) if you choose to make it mild and leave out the pepper flakes.

I find bessara to taste better the second day, and even better the third and fourth. So don’t hesitate to double or triple the amount of ingredients suggested to make a large pot that will last you for days. With a bit of foresight, it’ll come in handy for those nights when you don’t feel like making dinner. You can simply reheat a bowl and enjoy it with a hunk of country bread or baguette and a wedge of fresh goat cheese, and you’ve got yourself a meal.

Moroccan Chickpea Soup Recipe

4 to 6 servings

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
5 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)
1 small potato, peeled and halved
1 small red onion, yellow onion or leek, peeled and halved
3 garlic cloves, peeled
2 bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes (or to taste)

Lemon juice and paprika for serving (optional)

Place all of the ingredients in a soup pot over medium heat. Cover with a lid and cook, 20 to 30 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Blend the soup into a puree using a stick or a container blender.

Serve warm with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of paprika. Refrigerate leftovers for up to a week.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/moroccan-chickpea-soup-bessara-hummus/

Got Escargots?

I’m shocked at how many people don’t like snails or won’t even try them, but maybe I shouldn’t be. There are things I would never ever try so I understand that people can have such prejudices. While I’m not to trying to convert anyone into a snail lover (I secretly am, shhh..), I’d love to expose the unique way snails are enjoyed in Morocco.

Escargots (halazoun or boubbouche in Arabic) are mainly a street food where I come from. No one I know makes them at home. When I lived in Rabat, there was a stall that always had a crowd of 20 to 30 customers around it, more when the weather was cold and rainy. I could not pinpoint the exact recipe, but its smell screamed herbs of every kind. Every time I passed by, I got a whiff of sage, bay leaf, thyme and rosemary. The escargots were served in a bowl, swimming in a very dark, strong scenting broth with a toothpick to extract the snail from the shell. I loved stopping by to get a bowl every now and then. The escargots were excellent. I usually finished every single one. Most people around me drank the rich broth when they were finished. I usually passed. My taste wasn’t mature enough to appreciate it.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/got-escargots/

Curried Sweet Potatoes on a Stick

When I saw the book On a Stick!, I knew I had to have it. The title alone got me intrigued. I thought the idea of a book where every single recipe is on a stick was the coolest and most original ever.

I was impressed by the creativity and playfulness of the recipes: pizza on a stick, strawberry shortcake on a stick, even caramel popcorn on a stick, for goodness’ sake. So much FUN!! All I know now is I want to hang out with Matt sometime and make couscous on a stick. I don’t know how but I’m pretty sure someone who put spaghetti and meatballs on a stick will find away.

Sweet potato wedges served with mint-cilantro yogurt sauce

I thought I had a favorite sweet potato recipe but I might just have found a replacement for it with this grilled, curried version. It’s easy to make and delicious.

Curried Sweet Potato Wedges

Adapted from On a Stick! by Matt Armendariz

4 servings

2 medium sweet potatoes, boiled and cut into wedges
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large bowl, whisk the curry powder, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the sweet potatoes and toss to coat.

Pierce the sweet potato wedges onto skewers and grill 4 to 5 minutes per side. Serve with yogurt sauce.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/curried-sweet-potatoes-on-a-stick/

Mofletas

Mofletas/mufletas may be less known than their Muslim cousins rghaif /msemmen but they are practically the same. Sure one is round, the other is square but the difference is only in shape. The taste and texture are the same.

Mofletas have more to them than a wonderful flaky texture and delicious buttery taste, they are often associated with a time when Muslims and Jews were very close. A time when they ate and celebrated together. They were made during Mimouna, a Moroccan holiday which united Muslims and Jews. I could go on and on about the beauty of this holiday but I thought the comment left by one of my readers about the experience of his Moroccan father-in-law captures the essence of it all:

“…he gets tears in his eyes when he recollects the good relations they had with their Muslim neighbors. He recounts how their Muslim neighbors wept when they left en masse to Israel in the early fifties. He also likes to tell about the Moroccan Jewish holiday of Mimouna, which marks the end of Passover. During Passover, the Moroccan Jews would not throw away the prohibited wheat flour (who could afford it?), but would entrust it to Muslim neighbors. At the conclusion of the holiday, they would reclaim it, and as a reward, would make sweets for Mimouna and invite their Muslim neighbors over. The main dish was a simple pancake called mufleta, served with honey. This is still the centerpiece of a Mimouna celebration.”

So, perhaps, as we continue to make mofletas and rghaifs we should reflect on our similarities. We all have the same needs after all. We all enjoy a flaky pancake doused with honey with a glass of mint tea. Why not do it together in harmony.

Mufletas/Rghaif Recipe

Makes 4 pancakes

½ cup whole wheat flour
½ cup all purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon active dry yeast
¼ cup and 1 tablespoon warm water

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
Cornmeal or semolina (about ½ cup)

Whisk the dry ingredients together. Dilute the yeast in the warm water and add it to the flours. Mix the dough and knead it for 10 minutes until supple. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Divide the dough into 4 balls. Combine the melted butter and olive oil in a bowl. Dip each ball in the butter-oil and flatten it with a rolling pin as thinly as possible without tearing it. Brush the flattened disc of dough generously with butter-oil mixture (about 1 tablespoon) and sprinkle it with cornmeal or semolina. Fold two ends of the dough in. Brush the folded ends with butter-oil mixture and sprinkle with cornmeal or semolina. Fold the other two ends in to obtain a square. Flatten with a rolling pin to a 6 to 7-inch square. Brush the square of dough generously with butter-oil on both sides.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cook each mofleta until it has golden brown spots scattered throughout, 2 to 4 minutes per side.

Serve warm or at room temperature with honey and mint tea.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/mofletas/

Gluten-Free Madeleines

My friend, Aaron, gave me a madeleine tin as a wedding gift. He’s been harrassing me to make some ever since. After a few months of requesting them in vain, he got so upset he moved to another state. After a few more, he’s now moving to another country.

Now the madeleines are here, unfashionably late, unable to undo the damage done.

This story may be only half true but he did offer me the madeleine tin and I am dedicating this recipe to him. And to all of you madeleine lovers out there.

Gluten-Free Madeleines Recipe

Makes 24

1/2 cup agave syrup
4 large eggs
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour two (12-madeleine) madeleine tins.

Beat the agave syrup with the eggs, butter, vanilla extract, salt and lemon zest in a medium mixing bowl until frothy.

Sift the brown rice flour, millet flour, and baking powder together; whisk them into the liquid mixture.

Spoon the batter into the molds, filling each one a little over halfway. Bake until the edges of the madeleines are browned, about 10 minutes.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/gluten-free-madeleines/

Gluten-free Millet Cookies with Pecans and Sea Salt

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, I like to stock up on healthy snacks to avoid giving in to bad food choices. I find that I can resist them much better if I have delicious alternatives.

These cookies are all about creating those healthy alternatives while still satisfying your desire for a delicious snack or dessert. They are sugar-free, gluten-free and delectable.

Gluten-free Millet Cookies with Pecans and Sea Salt Recipe

Makes about 16 cookies

1 ¾ cups millet flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
½ stick unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup agave syrup
¼ cup chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts

2 tablespoons coarse sea salt, for topping the cookies

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl beat the butter, egg, vanilla extract and agave syrup. Stir the liquid mixture into the flour then stir in the nuts.

On a lightly floured surface, shape the cookie dough into a log, about 12 inches long—if the dough is not firm enough to shape into a log, refrigerate it for 10 minutes then try again. Wrap the log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

Slice the log into 1/2-inch cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Encrust each cookie with a small amount of sea salt. Bake until lightly golden, 11 to 12 minutes.

source https://www.dinnersanddreams.net/gluten-free-millet-cookies-with-pecans-and-sea-salt/