Shabbat, aka Family Dinner-June Edition

Austin and I love to entertain. We attempt to have our close friends over for dinner at least once a month, June was no exception. Austin had his heart set on breaking out his hookah, which he had not used in two years. And so, the Moroccan themed dinner was born.

While doing a little research for meal ideas I found that most Moroccan dishes fit into our pescitarian diet. I am by no means an experienced chef, I pride myself on being able to follow directions well. So, I chose three main dishes that seemed fairly easy; chermoula sauce &  fish, a traditional tagine, and vegetable skewers. Following the recipes below, it was enough food for nine people.

I am learning that dinner parties do not have to be the same old food we eat everyday. Learning new dishes and cultures is an exciting way to spend time with those you love.

Chermoula Sauce and Fish

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs fish (I used pacific cod)
• 4 potatoes-roasted and sliced
• 2 green pepper-sliced and sautéed
• 2 tomatoes-sliced
• salt and pepper (to season the fish-I did this about three hours before I cooked it)
• 1/2 cup cilantro-chopped
• 1/2 cup parsley-chopped
• 5 garlic cloves-finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1/3 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (you can use a whole fresh pepper)
• 1/2 cup olive oil

The 1st step is to roast the potatoes.

While those are in the oven start prepping your Chermoula sauce.

Chermoula Sauce is a traditional easy to make Moroccan sauce served over fish.

Combine the following ingredients:

• Cilantro
• Parsley
• Garlic
• Salt
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Cayenne
• Olive oil (enough to make a thick sauce)

The 2nd step is to sauté your green peppers. I regularly use coconut oil to cook with, this was not an exception.

The 3rd step is to arrange the fish and vegetables. In a 9 x 13 inch baking pan lay the roasted potato slices, green peppers, and sliced tomatoes. Place the fish on top of the vegetables and top with Chermoula sauce.

Bake until the fish is fully cooked, about 10-15 minutes.

 

Sweet Potato Tagine

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sweet potatoes-peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes. (*the cubes only matter if you have a dutch oven)
• 1 large fennel bulb-quartered, cored, and sliced
• 2 celery stalks-sliced
• 1 medium yellow onion-minced
• 1 garlic clove-minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tbs ras el hanout (I could not find this spice, so I made my own out of the ingredients listed in the link)
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup fresh mint

*Here you need a dutch oven. I do not own one, so I cooked my ingredients stove top in a large pot. The seasoning came out great, the sweet potatoes did not old their shape. The dish ended up looking more like mashed potatoes.

Combine:

• Sweet potatoes
• Fennel
• Celery
• Onion
• Garlic

Into a 3.5 quart dutch oven (*or pot). Stir in olive oil and ras el hanout, season with salt, and pour in broth.

Place in cold oven, adjust to 300 F (*I placed stove top on low-medium heat). Cook for 2 1/2 hours or until vegetables are cooked, stirring every 45 minutes.

Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with mint.

Vegetable Skewers

Ingredients:

• 2 packages of large mushrooms
• Heirloom tomatoes
• 2 large zucchini
• 1 lbs of 20/25 shrimp
• Marinade of your choice

I marinaded my vegetables and shrimp for 3 hours before I skewered and cooked them.

Pre heat oven to 420 F.

Once you assemble the skewers, cook on a baking sheet for 5-8 minutes, or until the shrimp is fully cooked.