October 17, 2019

The Spice Souks of Marrakech

One of my earliest memories in developing our business was the afternoon I spent sitting in the warm sunshine on my deck reading a book about spices. A single sentence jumped off the page. “Over long slow cooking whole spies release their essential oils”…in that precise moment the idea for our first whole spice infusion was born – Moroccan Tagine.”

My love of the flavors of North Africa started much earlier. I cooked my first “from scratch” lamb tagine in 2003 in the teeny galley kitchen of our basement apartment in West London. That morning I selected the individual spices I needed from The Spice Shop on the Portobello Road. For years since I’ve dreamed of heading into the winding souks of Marrakech in search of those spices and tasting an authentically cooked tagine.

So this spring I was delighted to finally jet off to Marrakech in search of the exotic experience I have been craving. The entire trip was enthralling. The air was filled with new sounds and aromas, from the call to prayer at dawn and the snake charmers playing their flute-like instruments in the square to the permanent waft of sweet spices and cooking.

Our first meal came from the tiny kitchen of our Riad Oasissime. We devoured chicken and green olive tagine, accompanied by an enormous mixed salad packed with crescents of cucumber, slices of soft ripe avocado, roasted sweet red peppers, and hard boiled eggs.

Each morning after a homemade breakfast we stepped out of our Riad into the warmth radiating from within the walls of the Medina. These reddish pink clay ramparts of the “red city” date back to the 12th Century and provided our shelter for 5 nights. We meandered the narrow passageways of the souks and I found my happy place amongst towering cones of spices and traditional colorful Safi pottery. I stocked up on a variety of preserves and spice blends including lemons, olives, ras el hanout, and harissa.

Street food dining options were everywhere. Each one-person stall has its specialty depending on the time of day. We were constantly snacking on anything from fresh hand-rolled and griddled cheese or honey stuffed flatbreads, fried sardines with green peppers wrapped in paper, or bastilla sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. The more exotic samples I tasted included boiled sheep’s head and eyeballs from a traditional Berber stall in the market place Jem El Fnaa.

But one of our most memorable evenings was dining at the Amal Center, “a Marrakech-based nonprofit organization dedicated to the empowerment of disadvantaged women through restaurant training and job placement. Amal’s goal is personal transformation through job and life skills development for our trainees, a stepping stone to economic and social stability.” We were treated to a feast from the kitchen including soups, tagines, and skewered spiced meat. It was heartwarming to find on the shores of yet another continent that there is truly a global movement to reconnect, and put inclusivity at the heart of our economy.

My recipe this week is an adaptation of Tagine Makfoul, a recipe from Moroccan Cooking, La Maison Arabe that I picked up in the Jardin Majorelle.

I tasted Tagine Makfoul during a set lunch during our stay in Marrakech. Once again I was wowed at the power of spices to elevate a few simple ingredients in a dish. As I looked to adapt it for the Instant Pot I wondered if it would be possible to replicate the soft, sweet onions and tomatoes in the dish traditionally cooked in a tagine. This is the reason for the first step in the recipe. Marinading the onion slices and tomatoes in the sugar, oil, and cinnamon while you prep the meat stage begins to soften them so that they can be layered on top of the meat for cooking, without the need for a pre-sauté.

The flavors and textures of the thin spiced sauce, lapping over the pieces of beef topped with tomatoes and onions, are very close to the dish I tasted in Marrakech.

Print Recipe

Tagine Makfoul

Pressure Cook: Prep Time: 15m , Cook Time: 35m, Servings: 6

Slow Cook: Prep Time: 15m , Cook Time: 8-9 hrs LOW / 3 1/2 - 4 hours HIGH, Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

for the Makfoul mixture

1 medium onion sliced thinly
3 tomatoes halved on the horizontal
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp white sugar
2 tsp olive oil

for the Meat

2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion small dice
2 lbs beef chuck or lamb pieces cut 2" square chunks
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper, ground
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or 2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 small bunch parsley
1/2 small bunch cilantro

Instructions

Pressure Cook Instructions

in a small bowl mix the sliced onion, tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, and olive oil and set aside while you prepare the meat
heat the oil in the Instant Pot on medium sauté add the small diced onion and soften for 2-3 minutes
while the onion softens, mix the salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon and sprinkle onto the pieces of meat
add the meat to the Instant Pot and brown for 2 minutes before turning to brown on the other sides
turn off the sauté function
stir in 1 1/2 cups water making sure to scrape off any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the insert
tuck the bunches of parsley and cilantro underneath the meat so it can be left aside after cooking (it is purely to impart flavor)
spoon the Makfoul mixture onto the top of the meat without submerging into the liquid
secure Instant Pot lid & set pressure valve to Sealing
cook on Manual / Pressure Cook for 35 minutes
leave to natural pressure release for 5-10 minutes and then turn dial to venting
stir and serve over steamed couscous or with crusty French rolls

Slow Cook Instructions

in a small bowl mix the sliced onion, tomatoes, cinnamon, sugar, and olive oil and set aside while you prepare the meat
heat the oil in a medium sized sauté pan and soften the small diced onion for 2-3 minutes
while the onion softens, mix the salt, pepper, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon and sprinkle onto the pieces of meat
transfer the onions to the slow cooker
add the meat to the sauté pan and brown for 2 minutes before turning to brown on the other sides
stir in 1 1/2 cups water making sure to scrape off any bits of meat stuck to the bottom of the sauté pan
transfer the meat mixture and liquid to the slow cooker
tuck the bunches of parsley and cilantro underneath the meat so it can be left aside after cooking (it is purely to impart flavor)
stir, cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours or HIGH for 3 1/2 - 4

Serve

spoon the tagine and juices over steamed couscous

Author’s Note

If you’d like to experience our very own Moroccan Tagine blend with recipes such as Chicken and Apricot, Lamb and Prune, and Root Vegetable Garbanzo Tagines you will find it here.