It’s a Family Culinary Affair: The Delectable Dishes and Wine of Morocco

Growing up our family would always get together for picnics, dinners or just because.  It seemed like our weekends would always be filled with family activities.  But as we got older, the visits weren’t as frequent as they were when we were children.  It wasn’t until recently that we decided to change that and make family gatherings an international affair.

Listen, our family loves to eat, its no wonder why I enjoy taking pictures and blog about food.  So leave it to my family to step up our lunch gatherings by exploring the culinary arts of the world.  Why limit it to just Mexican American cuisines?

How Does Our International Culinary Affairs Work?

• Each participating family member has to select a continent of the world: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and Antarctica
• Once you’ve selected your continent, you can select a culinary dish to feature at your lunch or dinner party.
• A three course meal must be served by host.
• Guests are required to bring a bottle of wine from that continent/country.

Discovering Morocco

The first continent that came up was Africa, and my cousin Yeni decided to feature the robust and colorful foods of Morocco.  As you can imagine we were all prepared to indulge flavors shaped by more than two dozen spices, herbs, and aromatics dishes and of course pair it with a delicious Moroccan wine.

Read: Make your next date night a Moroccan Dinner at home.

The Menu

Starter –Moroccan Harira Red Lentil Soup, a spiced dish, cooled with fresh herbs, and sharpened with lemon, is a lentil soup that often Moroccans eat to ward off the chill of the desert night.

Appetizer – Chicken Moroccan Bastilla, a sweet and savory chicken pie of Morocco, made with phyllo dough, braised chicken, almonds, and sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar.

Main Dish – Moroccan Sweet Tomato Chicken, a cinnamon and honey surprisingly delicious Moroccan tagine dish.  The chicken is stewed until tender with lots of tomatoes, which reduce to a thick, sweet puree.

Side Dish – Moroccan Spicy Potato Salad, I’ve never seen a potato salad look so good.  Filled with spices & exotic flavors of saffron, it was truly elegant & luxurious salad.

Dessert – Chocolate Moroccan Dessert, a rich layer of dark chocolate after layer of chocolate. It was delicious and went great with a sparkling wine or Moroccan tea.

Wine recommendation:  To pair this delicious traditional Moroccan lunch, we tried a Moroccan red wine that’s a real surprise.  Bernard Magrez Kahina 2010, Vin du Maroc, is a blend of 60 percent syrah and 40 percent grenache. It’s rich, warming stuff with chocolate and black cherry and soft tannins, is much more than just a conversation piece.  A dry sparkling wine, either from Europe or California, is another pleasing option.

 

Don’t miss our next Family Culinary Affair which will feature Australia, by my sister Yulma.