Couscous Friday!

Salamwalikoum,

As promised I will be sharing my recipe for moroccan couscous today. This dish is traditionally prepared on Fridays at lunch for the men when they come back from Jumaa prayers at the mosque. So it's the big weekly meal.
Normally the couscous should be made in a 2 tiered pot made up of a stock pot base and a steamer top like this one:

But I was making a meal for about 10 grown men... so this pot is too too small and I don't have a larger one yet. So in the pics you will notice that I used a large pot and a veggie steamer and it does the trick, but the couscous won't taste quite as yummy as when its steamed over the veggies and meat.
Anyhoo it's still a very yummy meal regardless.

The following recipe is for 4-5 grown adults. Now the chicken can be switched out with any poultry or red meat you want, same goes for the veggies. It's just a matter of preference.
So here goes!

Ingredients:
Chicken
2-3 Carrots cut into lenghts of about 2 inches.
Cabbage cut into big chunks
1 Rutabaga cut into big sticks
2 onions
brussell sprouts
sun chokes
3 zucchinis cut into lenghts of about 2 inches.
and any other veggies that tickle your fancy (for this couscous tomatoes and egg plant don't fare very well)
1/2 large can of chick peas (optional)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp paprika
2 sprigs chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp salt
a few saffron hairs for color
dry couscous
butter or olive oil or smen (aged butter recipe found here)


Directions:

Put the meat and all the veggies in the stockpot portion of the couscous cooker, add the spices and enough water to cover the veggies and bring to a slow boil. Let cook until the meat is cooked and veggies are tender and not soggy.

Remember its best the veggies be in larger pieces so they wont over cook before the meat is done cooking.

Now while the meat is cooking we need to steam the couscous.
To start off all the couscous should be put in a bowl and add a bit of oil and mix to make sure all the pasta is coated but not drenched in oil.  Sprinkle just enough water over the pasta to moisten and mix. Let the couscous sit 2-3 minutes in order for the pasta to absorb the water.

The couscous is now ready to be transfered to the steamer top of the couscous pot. While transfereing the pasta make sure to break up any lumps. Now let the couscous cook until the steam is reaching the top of the pasta.

This should take about 20-30 minutes. Now pour the pasta into a bowl and break up any chuncks that might be sticking together. Add more water and mix. Let sit 2-3 minutes and put back into the steamer. Let cook 20- 30 minutes again.

On the 3rd time the pasta should be just about cooked, so add a bit of salt to taste and some butter or oil to coat the pasta to taste. And put back into the steamer for the final time.

By the time the pasta is cooked, the meat and veggies should be done.

To serve pour all the couscous into a large deep dish and make a well in the center. Put the meat and the veggies in the well and top with a bit of the broth and serve.

This dish is usually eaten all together in the same vessel with hands or a BIG spoon. lol

And of course I didn't get a chance to take a picture of the final dish before my husband ran off with it to feed the guys...hungry hungry men....lol

I make this dish almost every week when I have fridays off so I will post a pick of the final product  inshallah next chance I get.

And yes it is normal to have couscous ALL OVER the kitchen by the time your are done. So Bsetkoum (bon apetit in morroccan) and enjoy.

Take care

Seafood Pastilla Recipe

Salamwalikoum,
I thought I would do my 1st full recipe with pics and everything... So tonight for supper I made a seafood pastilla which is a morroccan dish made with fish, shrimp,phyllo dough and some spices.
So let's get started!

Ingredients:
2 medium carrots grated
1 onions finely chopped
4-5 filets of white meat fish (I used sole)
shrimp
1/2 pack cooked rice vermicelli
butter
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp powdered sugar
2 sprigs of snipped cilantro
a few sheets of phyllo or pastilla pastry dough.

You can also add calamari, scallops, clams or whatever shellfish or seafood you want. (except mussells.. they dont go well with the spices)


Directions:
Start off by cooking the onions and carrots (I made too much carrots...) in a frying pan with a bit of butter until the onions are translucent. Put aside in a big mixing bowl.

In the same frying pan, cook the seafood in some butter, when well cooked add to the carrots and onions in the bowl.

Again in the same frying pan cook the fish filets in some butter, and finally add to the rest of the mix.

In the mixing bowl you now have all the fish, seafood, and veggies all cooked. To this mix add the spices and the cooked rice vermicelli. Mix everything well.

Now on a baking sheet, lay down 3-4 sheets of phyllo dough, top with the fish mixture, sprinkle with a bit of the powdered sugar.
Layer in this order until all the mixture is used up and you have several layers of pastry.

Now close up the Pastilla by folding in all the edges towards the center and top with a sheet of phyllo. Brush with some melted butter and put in the oven and bake until the pastry is golden and crispy.

You can decorate de top with more powdered sugar and cinnamon just before serving, but I dont like it too sweet so I usually skip this part.

So there you have it, morroccan fish Pastilla.
And yes, I know most non morroccans will have the same reaction I did when my husband gave me the recipe...ewww fish with cinnamon and sugar. But it's actually wayyyyyy too yummy. The trick is to make it so very very lightly sweet.
And also don't use too much butter when cooking the different ingredients because in the end they will all be mixed together and it will be dripping in butter.... not good for the waistline nor the arteries.... lol

If you are making this dish for some picky eaters, you can swap out the cinnamon for chili powder and omit the sugar and you will get a yummy spicy fish pastilla which may go over a bit better with most non-morroccans.
Inshallah tomorrow night I will post the recipe for morroccan couscous since thats my usual friday lunch special.
Take care!

Waste not, want not

Salamwalikoum,

After having thrown away a piece of moldy bread yesterday I was reminded of something my husband has been repeating to me since we met about not wasting food.

As most people know it's not good to throw away food that might have been saved somehow. Please bear in mind I am reminding myself before anyone else.

As a muslim there is a verse in the Qu'ran that tells us not to be wasteful (chapter 6: verse141)

Chapter (6) sūrat l-anʿām (The Cattle)

So for those of you like me with still very limited arabic, here is the english translation(or one of the them)

Ahmed Raza Khan: Mohammed Aqib Qadri:

"It is He Who produces gardens spread on the ground and above, and the date-palm, and crops of various flavours, and the olive and the pomegranate, similar in some respects and unlike in others; eat from its fruit when it bears yield, and pay the due (obligatory charity) from it on the day it is harvested; and do not be wasteful; indeed the wasteful are not liked by Allah."

Ok so with this in mind I decided today I would give some ideas and recipes that I learned from my mom and elsewhere to use up old bread instead of letting it get fuzzy and tossing it in the trash.

Use #1: French toast - Super easy, yummy and pretty fast breakfast.

Ingredients:
2 eggs
1 cup milk

cinnamon(optional)

slices stale bread (the dryer the better)

Directions:

-In a bowl beat together the eggs, milk, and cinnamon.

-Quickly dip sliced bread in egg wash and make sure both sides are covered in egg. drop into a frying pan with just a little oil or butter.

-Cook both sides until golden.

 Use #2 : Dry bread crumbs- break bread into bits and toast on a cookie sheet in the oven (low heat) until dry. Crush with a rolling pin or pass in a food processor until they are as fine as you want them.

I make my own shake and bake mix using the bread crumbs, I just add whatever dried herbs and spices i like with it. It can also be used to top au gratin dishes.

Use #3: Stuffing- I sometimes collect stale bread in a bag in my freezer. When holidays come around I have something to make stuffing with.

Ingredients:
1 onion chopped

2-3 stalks celery chopped

herbs and spices (depends on my mood)

Water or broth

Bread cubes

Directions: Mix everything in a bowl and make sure the bread chunks are wet but not too soggy or mushed up otherwise the stuffing will be too dense.

Bake in a casserole dish or stuff a bird or your choice.

* If you are stuffing a bird, please make sure the stuffing inside is the same temperature as the meat to make sure no one gets sick, minimum temp of 165 F*

Use # 4: Bread pudding

Ingredients:
Bread cubes

1 egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

 nuts, dried fruits or your choice

 Milk to wet the mix, but not too soggy

Directions: Mix everything in a bowl and put into a loaf or casserole dish, put a few bits of butter on top and bake for about 1hr on 300F or until a nic crust forms on top.

So there we have it, four ways of using up stale bread so as not to waste it.

Any other good ideas out there? Please share in the comments.

Until next time!

Green eyed monster in need of vainquishing...

Salamwalikoum,

I'm in a ranty mood today so please forgive me.... But anyone ever notice how silly jealousy actually is? I've seen it's affects on young and old alike. For kids it's ok because it can be natural to be jealous sometimes, but it's important to learn at a young age that God will not give everyone the same things. We must all be tested in this life in one way or another.

I remember my mom teaching me that it wasn't nice to make tantrums or fits if someone had something I wanted too. I may still have a moment of jealousy from time to time, but hamdoulillah I've never wished or done ill to someone because of it.

Unfortunately, not everyone was raised by my momma... So the result of this is people being mean and actually do actions that are detremental to themselves and others all because they want something you own, or the praise you've earned or anything that you have and they don't.

The most ironic thing about the person that is causing a problem for me lately is that they are the ones that are much more financially priviledged than my husband and I and the cause of the jealousy is that I've been getting praise for things I've been doing Fisabilillah.

I can only pray that she changes and instead of trying to cause a problem tries to surpass the charity of others. It may be for the wrong reasons but in the end, it's about the people being helped. The rest is all up to God.

I may wish to be the only one with this problem, but I'm pretty sure I'm not... So what do you guys think? Are all reactions to jealous impulses bad or can it sometimes bring about something good?

Bread, Bread, and more Bread!

Hello again,

So I've had a pretty crazy weekend... but amid all the craziness I bought a new cook book. YIPPI!
And of course it's a book I've been lusting after for about a year now. It's all about bread and all the yummy things that you can make with variations of bread.

The most ironic part of my purchase is that I've been on a minimum carb diet for like the past year. Also, my DH had a funny reaction to the book. His 1st instinct of course was to grippe about the cost (18.71$), but he stopped mid sentence the moment he saw  recipes for brioche and croissants and just said: "Nevermind, I didn't say a thing" lol

As my mother always said, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach (and in this case the way to his pocket book too).

Ok so now about the actual book.

Its called Pain by Judith Fertig, pain being the french word for bread.  What I like about the book is that it is organized in order of difficulty. The basic recipes are at the beginning with different baking techniques. I have the intention inshallah to bake the recipes in order so I can master some of the techniques that are explained in the book.  


This is the book, not currently available through Amazon, but I bought it at my local grocery store.

Over the next few weeks I will be posting some of the recipes as I work my way through the book.

My 1st trial will be basic french baguette.
So wish me luck!

My 1st Blog Inshallah.

Well, welcome all to my 1st blog and 1st blog post! I've been mulling over the idea of writting one for a while now and I finally mentaly shoved myself into it... I have yet to decide an actual theme to my blog, but it will probably be about all the random stuff I've learnt or am learning at the time.

So for those who are going to get to know me a bit better, this means a whole oddball range of randomness.

Ok so a little about myself, I'm 27 yrs old(still too young to want to hide my age)lol. I have been a convert to Islam for about 5 yrs now alhamdoulillah. I've been married for 4 yrs this comming may Inshallah.I'm french canadian, bilingual, impatient, too curious for my own good and an all out weirdo.

Some of the topics I'm hoping to blog about are: cooking, cleaning and housewifery, my litterary interests (did I mention a degree in the arts?), random off grid and survivalims stuff, tv, movies, traditional crafts... I did mention it was randomness? Oh and any new info on Islam that amazes me along the way.

Anyhoo, I hope to be a long term regular blogger inshallah.

Don't be shy people!!

Rebecca/Khadija