Spring is finally here. Signs of the new season can be seen just about everywhere we turn. Flowers are revealing their beautiful showy blooms and trees are turning green with that “new spring green” leaves. Fayetteville is also starting to get into the spring of matters when we check out the current events happening around town. The Dogwood Festival is only a few weeks away. Most importantly, the KidsPeace Wing Cook-off will take place on April 19^th. As usual, spring makes people want to go out and enjoy the beautiful weather and start planning for the near future.

I find that I do most of my planning during this time of the year myself. Whether I follow through all my plans is another story. However if you are one of those people like me, who get caught up by the exciting sights and sounds that spring brings, your wheels have already start to spin making and planning events for the year.

Whether it may be a bridal shower, baby shower, wedding, birthday, anniversary, or a trip to somewhere, a game plan is the best bet, in keeping one on track, especially if it is a big event that involves many guests to invite, reservations to make, hiring vendors and service providers. I think the most common problem that we run into when planning an event is defining what we really want the event to be, i.e., a big affair, intimate, budget conscious, your dream event, etc. Next is how much you want to spent. It is important to have a budget unless you are willing to spare no expense on the occasion. The rest after that is all a matter of organization.

Once you have decided on the above, the next thing is to put together a check list. A check list helps you stay on track. If you are planning to hire service providers or vendors for the event, do a little research. Check out at least two to three businesses before deciding on your choice. Some places are willing to give free consultations or estimates. Take advantage of it. I find referrals are always the best bet; however, I still like to have a few other companies on hand to give myself options. Again, when you have a clear vision on what or how you would like your event to be, it makes it easier for the service provider to execute the plan according to your wishes. A good service provider can actually take your vision to the next step and beyond your expectations while still sticking to the budget that you have discussed.

When planning for a wedding, do delegate some of the tasks to friends and family. You are not alone in this; however, make sure everyone else is on the same page as you are in terms of how you would like your big day to be. Some of the things you can do in advance is start booking reception halls, banquets rooms, churches, and make hotel reservations for out-of-town guests. The earlier you get your invitations done the better and do not forget to make a set of thank you cards as well. For more tips on wedding etiquette, check out this website:  http://www.bridalguide.com/etiquette-tradition/article.cfm?aID=947 . No wedding is complete without the advice from Peggy Post, the authority on etiquette called Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette: Cherished Traditions and Contemporary Ideas for a Joyous Celebration. The book can be purchased online at Amazon or check out Barnes and Nobles in town.

Whatever the event you are planning, always make it as manageable as possible. If the event gets too large for you to handle, it pays to hire an event planner. Their job is to lighten your stress by doing all the planning for you. An event planner can be expensive; however, in my opinion sometimes it is well worth the investment and may save you time and money. Event planners have a list of vendors at their service that sometimes can give you a better price. Best of all, your event will be successful without much stress on your part. To sum it up, if you are stretch for time to plan for a big or important event, hiring an event planner may be your best solution.

As a service provider myself I try to think outside the box. My clients are always looking for something different in terms of the cuisine, the ambience, or just having a personal chef present at their party. With this in mind, my goal is to set the scene for my clients, first with the food that I serve, next creating a welcoming setting in ambience and food presentation for both my client and guests to enjoy, and most importantly my clients are happy as they usually are the talk of the town by the end of the party. When planning for an event, look for vendors and service providers who are not afraid to think outside the box to make your event spectacular. 

What if you do not have the means to hire an event planner and have to rely on yourself to do most of the planning? All is not lost. Be prepared to multi-task and be organized. Get a book on planning an event to help you get started. Here is a book I came across that helps you plan small scale to large events. This book is for beginners all the way up to event planners who need some other ideas; Complete Guide to Successful Event Planning by Shannon Kilkenny. You can pick this book up at Barnes and Nobles or have them order the book for you, or go online and order it from Amazon. For further questions on planning events, e-mail me at chefmei@nc.rr.com.

Morocco is Beckoning Me…For those of you have come to know me; my style of cooking is eclectic. I love cuisines from all over the world, the more exotic, the better. Moroccan cuisine truly intrigues me. I love its exotic culture, the beautiful color combination of the country that is represented in their furnishing and décor brought down from generations of different cultures combine.

Moroccan cuisine is more than couscous, although couscous is one of the main staple of Moroccan diet. Moroccan cuisine dates back to the ancient times with its interaction with the outside world. Perched at Africa's northwest corner, Morocco has both Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts. Its cuisine reflects this distinctive geography. The cuisine of Morocco is a mix of Arab, Berber, Moorish, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean African, Iberian, and Jewish influences. The cooks in the royal kitchens of Fez, Meknes, Marrakech, Rabat and Tetouan refined Moroccan cuisine over the centuries and created the basis for what is known as Moroccan cuisine today. Seventh-century Arab invaders brought Eastern spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and saffron, which were incorporated into the peasant cooking of the indigenous Berbers. The Arabs also introduced the Persian habit of adding fruit and honey to savory dishes, which produced the unique sweet-and-sour flavor of many Moroccan recipes. It is common to find a combination of spices such as cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, paprika saffron, mint, parsley to name a few in one dish.

So what other dishes are commonly found in Morocco?  Bastilla or B’steeya is another famous dish. It is a combination of sweet and savory pie consisting of a phyllo-like dough called warka. Traditionally the filling consists of squab; however, poultry, fish or meat can also be substituted. I had the luxury of trying this authentic dish when I was in Atlanta, GA a couple of years ago at The Fez. The pie was exquisite along with the rest of my meal. The delegate flavor of the pie along with the subtle mix of spices just made it absolutely to die for. Initially when the pie was placed in front of me I was not sure if this was a dessert or the main course as it had powdered sugar and cinnamon sprinkle on top. However once you take a bite into the delegate layers of the pie, the combination of sweet, savory, and a little tang from the lemon sauce just overloads your senses.

Harira is another dish that I enjoyed. It is a hearty lemon-tasting soup made from lentils or chickpeas and tomatoes with little morsels of meat added. Apparently, harira is traditionally eaten to break the daily fasting during Ramadan. This thick tomatoey-based soup was absolutely delicious and is a meal by itself.

You may have heard of tagines, which is a Moroccan stew. The stew is traditionally slowly simmered in a clay pot over hot coals or wood fire in a conical-shaped top earthenware dish. Each region has their own way of preparing tagines. Tagine recipes are passed down from one generation to another. The ingredients and spices used are pretty much the same in all regions; however, the style of preparation may vary under different hands. Tagines consist of poultry, meat usually lamb or fish combined with vegetables, olives, preserved lemons, garlic, raisin, herbs and a variety of spices that are slow cooked for hours.

The couscous that we are familiar with is the quick cooking variety. Couscous is food from Maghreb of Berber origin. The traditional way of preparing couscous is a long process. The grains are initially rub between the palms of the hands to separate them and steam in a couscousiere (a two-part lidless vessel with a tall pot as the base to hold the broth and a perforated top to steam the couscous) about ten minutes initially and then removed from the steamer. The rubbing and steaming process is repeated at least two to three times before it gets light and fluffy, which can take about two hours overall.

Another great ingredient in Moroccan cuisine is preserved lemon, which is normally used in tagine cooking. Preserved lemons are pickled in salt for at least 30 days. Once pickled, the rind of the lemons is mostly used in Moroccan cooking. Ras el hanout is a spice blend commonly found in Morocco. Again each family has their own secret blend of spices. Ras el hanout can consist up to 37 different spices at times. The Mediterranean Mart here in Fayetteville carries a 7 spice blend that is pretty similar to ras el hanout, which I have used in some of my Moroccan dishes.

Now that I have piqued your interest in Moroccan cuisine, how about trying your hand at preparing some of these dishes.

Chicken Tagine with Olives and Lemon

Spice mix

1 whole cinnamon stick.

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon whole cloves        

3 tablespoon oil (plus a little more for frying)

4 whole garlic cloves, sliced

1 teaspoon fresh gingerroot, minced

½ cup cilantro, chopped

2 bay leaves

Pinch of saffron

One whole broiler-fryer chicken, cut into pieces

Salt and pepper to taste

One coarsely chopped medium onion

4 teaspoon lemon zest

½ cup Spanish green olives

2 cups chicken broth

Method

1. In a skillet over medium heat, toast cinnamon, peppercorns, cumin, paprika, red pepper flakes, cloves until start to smoke. Grind in spice grinder.
2. Mix spices, oil, gingerroot, cilantro, bay leaves and saffron to make a paste. Spread over chicken and marinade at least two hours to overnight.
3. Remove chicken from marinade and reserve marinade. Pat chicken dry and season with seasonings.
4. In large casserole or tagine, heat to medium high and fry chicken in batches in 2 tablespoon oil to brown for about five minutes. Put chicken aside.
5. Add onions until just starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to casserole or tagine. Add in the lemon zest, reserved marinade, olives and chicken stock
6. Cover and simmer on low for about 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serves 6-8

Couscous with Golden Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Green Onions

4 cups chicken broth

1 ½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups plain couscous

1 ½ cups golden raisins

1 ½ cups toasted pine nuts

7 whole green onions, chopped

½ cup melted butter

Method

1. Bring broth to boil in large pot; turn off heat.

2. Immediately add couscous and raisins and mix. Cover and let sit for 15 minutes.

3. Fluff couscous with fork. Mix in nuts, green onions, and butter.

5. Season to taste with pepper.

6. Transfer to bowl and serve

Serves 6-8

Kitchen Tips—When dealing with hot chilies, try rubbing your hands with a thin coat of vegetable oil. The vegetable oil acts as a barrier to keep your hands from burning from the chile’s volatile oils.

Residual grease from bowls can prevent eggs whites from whipping fully. To solve this problem, rub the cut side of a lemon half around the bowl and clean with a paper towel.

Can’t finish a whole bag of chips but have a hard time preventing them from getting stale? Stick them in the freezer and chips will stay crunchy for weeks.

Ingredient Of The Month—Carrot. Carrot is a member of the parsley family. Carrots have been renowned for over 2,000 years for their health-giving properties and high vitamin A content. They're available year-round, making them a highly popular vegetable.  In early use, carrots were grown for their aromatic leaves and seeds, not their roots. Some relatives of the carrot are still grown for these, such as parsley, fennel, dill and cumin. When buying carrots with their greenery, make sure the leaves are moist and bright green; the carrots should be firm and smooth. Avoid those with cracks or any that have begun to soften and wither. The best carrots are young and slender. Avoid storing them near apples, which emit ethylene gas that can give carrots a bitter taste. If carrots have become limp, recrisp them in a bowl of ice water. The coarse core of older carrots should be removed. Carrots may be eaten raw or cooked in almost any manner imaginable.

Honey Dijon Carrots

Here is a simple carrot recipe that just taste absolutely wonderful.

1 pound baby carrots

2 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoon honey

1 teaspoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Method

Blanch the carrots by cooking in boiling, salted water until tender (just done). Drain and rinse the carrots then shock them in an ice water bath to stop the cooking. Keep them in the ice bath until very cool. Drain and set aside in the refrigerator.

In a small saucepan over low to medium-low heat, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter and mustard and cook until syrupy (about 3 - 5 minutes). Add the carrots and parsley. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.

Serves 4

Events Around Town. As mentioned the KidsPeace Wing Cook-off is on April 19^th. At Itz Entertainment. The event will take place at 11 a.m. Please come out and cheer on our competitors. Come sample and vote for your favorite wings. The competitors are excited about the event and so are we. There will also be a variety of local vendors at the event. Stop by, eat some wings, vote for your favorite recipe, and check out the vendors. I promise you it will be a day of fun for the whole family. Tickets can be purchased on the day of the event. For further information regarding the cook-off, please e-mail me at chefmei@nc.rr.com.

April is definitely the month to be outdoors and enjoying the beautiful weather. I hope I have inspired you or help you get started in planning for your events and to think outside the box. Try your hand at Moroccan cuisine and get transported to the land of exotic flavors and culture. Who knows, it may just take you to the real place itself……

Until the next issue, eat well, stay healthy, and enjoy life to the fullest.

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”
James Beard