Tag: North African
Almond Milkshake with Orange Blossom Water
Almond Milkshake with Orange Blossom Water
Almond milkshakes, not to be confused with almond milk milkshakes, are a popular Moroccan drink, especially during Ramadan. Blanched whole almonds are blended with milk, honey, a little orange blossom water to give it that signature Moroccan taste, and ice cubes.
Equipment
- immersion blender
- standing blender
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup whole almonds
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp orange blossom water
- 2 drops almond extract
- 6 ice cubes
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to boil. Blanch the almonds for 2 minutes. Drain.
- Peel the almonds. Pat the almonds dry and allow to cool.
- Using an immersion blender, grind the almonds to a powder.
- Add the almonds, reserving a tsp, to a standing blender with the milk, honey, orange blossom water, and almond extract. Blend for 10 seconds.
- Add in the ice cubes and blend until smooth.
Moroccan Lamb Kebabs
Moroccan Lamb Kebabs
Kebabs are a staple street food in Morocco, as well as a go to for the grill at home. Lamb, and sometimes beef, are marinated in cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic, and olive oil. The lamb is skewered with thin slices of beef fat in between to add an extra richness, then grilled over open flames. While you’ll see many Americanized versions of Moroccan lamb kebabs drowning the meat in cheese or a yogurt sauce, tradionally the kebabs are served with just pita, sliced cucumber, and tomatoes. No sauce. It’s all about the flavor of the meat.
Equipment
- metal skewers
Ingredients
- 3 lbs boneless leg of lamb cut into 1 1/2” cubes
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup parsley chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp sea salt
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp lime juice
Instructions
- Mix together all of the marinade ingredients.
- Marinate the lamb for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
- Turn on your oven’s broiler. Place 5-6 pieces of lamb on each metal skewer. Place the lamb skewers on a rack on a baking sheet lined in foil.
- Broil for 5-6 minutes a side.
Lamb Merguez Burger
Lamb Merguez Burger
What most people don’t know is that anytime you make sausage, you are left with extra bulk sausage that doesn’t get stuffed into casings. With the size of my small sausage stuffer, I get at least a 1/2lb. In an industrial stuffer, you’l get 1-1 1/2lbs. For me, it presents any opportunity to turn that extra bulk into a burger. While making some merguez sausage, I thought “why not a burger?” This lamb patty was topped with cucumber, grilled cherry tomato, harissa mayonnaise, on a toasted brioche bun. You could also cook the sausage crumbled and serve all of these ingredients in pita. Attached is also the recipe if you just want to make the burgers and weren’t planning on making sausage.
Equipment
- chimney starter
- charcoal
- charcoal grill
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp ground coriander
- 1/2 tsp ground fennel
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp paprika
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp harissa
- brioche buns
Burger Toppings
- cucumber thinly sliced
- cherry tomato
Harissa Mayo
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp harissa
Instructions
- Mix together the burger ingredients.
- Form into 3 patties.
- Let your charcoal turn gray in the chimney starter. Pour in the grill in a single layer and place on the grill grate. Place the patties directly over the charcoal.
- Grill for 5 minutes a side.
Burger Assembly
- Mix together the mayonnaise and harissa.
- Spread the harissa mayo on both sides of the bun. Place the cucumber slices on the bottom half of the bun.
- Place the patty on the cucumber slices, followed by the grilled cherry tomatoes.
