All I do is eat?!

The end of the fourth week of classes was today, and I'm still pinching myself in disbelief. I can't believe I've already been here a full month! Where did the time go? What have I been doing with my time? Last weekend Gilli and I went on a mini adventure to Meknès, Volubilis, and Moulay Idriss, which is the holiest city in Morocco. According to Lonely Planet, five trips to Moulay Idriss is equivalent to one haaj to Mecca.

On Sunday, Gilli left to travel to the South with her Mom, and a little piece of my Moroccan heart went away with her. Class was lonely this week without my Swiss friends, but in'shah Allah, we will meet again someday.

And now, as the title of this blog hints, I've been doing some serious eating lately. Layla gave another cooking class yesterday, which I had to leave early for my weekly trip to the hammam, but, hemdil Allah, I learned how to make Moroccan style khoobz (bread) and addis (lentils). Onward to the recipes:

Khoobz
1/2 K white flour (1 Kilo=2/2 Pounds)
3/4 K fine corn flour (divided about 1/2 K and 1/4 K)
3 1/2 c warm water (divided 3 c and 1/2 c for later)
3 1/2 T active fresh yeast (follow link for information on yeast and conversions)
1/2 t salt

Put white flour on your cooking surface (a board, a shallow smooth bowl, a marble slab) and then also put 1/2 K of corn flour with the white flour, also add yeast. Slowly, pour a little water on the elements and begin to mix by hand, adding more water when it is absorbed. When you've added about 2 1/2 or 3/4 c, begin to knead the dough. Don't forget to fold and turn the dough, being sure to cover all areas, ocassionally adding more water as needed in sprinkles, may use/need the other 1/2 c warm water). Add 1/2 t salt and a bit more water, continue kneading and sprinkle water when sticky. Poke or prod dough to test readiness. It should spring back and not be too sticky.

Prepare another part of your surface by sprinkling some of the divided, remaining corn flour on it. When the dough has used nearly all the water and springs back at touch, use a slight bit of water to pinch off a handful of dough and gently press in between hands into a ball-like loaf, then place it on the surface. Gather corners of ball in a slight kneading/tucking motion toward the center of the bread and then place that side down on the surface (it should be about 3 1/2 inches in diameter). Set aside on a clean towel. Continue until dough is loaved.

Begin to prepare loaves by taking them, one by one, to the floured surface and pressing them flat with the heel of your hand until they are about 8" in diameter. As you are pressing them out, be sure to flour as needed including flipping and flouring the other side to prevent sticking. Set aside on a clean towel. Continue until dough is flattened and then allow loaves to sit and rise for about 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to about 350 or 375 (this is an unscientific temperature because our oven here does not have any temperature settings, only a lone dial with no kind of indicators...)

Place one or two dough loaves on a baking sheet and, using a fork, poke about 5 holes in the loaves. Bake for about 15 minutes, watching to be sure they are cooking evenly, they should be golden brown when finished.

Yield ~8 loaves


Next, the addis, or lentils. I'm such a fan of addis, it's almost at the same level of my love for bisara, but only almost. I've eaten various addis all over Fez, but no one does it better than Layla. Lucky for you I'm posting the recipe:

Addis (or Lentils)
3 3/4 c lentils
1 purple onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, halved and grated
8 cloves of garlic, grated
6 sprigs parsely, finely chopped (ends of stems removed)
6 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped (ends of stems removed)
2 1/2 T Paprika
1 t salt
1 t black pepper
1/4 t Moroccan saffron
1 t cumin
1/2 c olive oil
1/4 c vegetable oil
12-13 c water
Prepare lentils by first checking for stones or twigs, wash well in a collander or strainer and pour into a large pot. Grate tomato halves and garlic into pot on top of lentils, add all other ingredients and set to boil on stove, covered. Once boiling, partially cover and allow to cook for about 1 hour, checking on liquid levels. If the lentils are becoming too thick, add a bit of water to preserve consistency.
Serves ~8

Also, here are some photos from my most recent adventures. Here are some more.

Today, Megan and I are going on a scooter trip to Sefrou, a berber village about 30km away. The roads in Morocco are a little crazy, but hemdil Allah, she is a good driver and I'm a seasoned Vespa passenger.

B'salama,
Danielle