Masa' alkhayr! Welcome to Morocco, home to Rick's Place and a great place to begin a beautiful friendship. The film nerd in me was very excited for this stop, as this country and it's most famous city, Casablanca, brings with it images of mystery and intrigue. The fact that it's food is also pretty wonderful doesn't hurt matters at all.
This recipe comes from one of my colleagues, Jenna Antignano. Though not Moroccan herself, she did recommend this dish as one she and her family had made many times with great results. I made this one as a late lunch, and it's made my house smell terrific.
Moroccan Fish Stew
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound filet cod
1 green pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes (28 ounces)
1/4 cup orange juice
1 large pinch saffron
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 cup parsley
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
To start, I chopped the peppers, onion, and garlic. I heated the olive oil in a skillet and added the chopped vegetables to it, along with the saffron, ginger, and paprika. I cooked until the onions were soft, about 5 minutes.
Next, I added the can of tomatoes and mixed well. I cooked for another 5 minutes.
I then transferred the contents of the skillet to a slow cooker. I mixed in the orange juice, and then put the cod filet on top of the mixture. I cooked on high for 3 hours.
After 3 hours, I took the fish and set it aside. I mixed in the parsley and cilantro, then served in a bowl with a piece of fish on top.
The result...
...was very flavorful and the perfect way to enjoy a cold day. Elizabeth and I didn't know if the OJ/tomato mix would work, but it really did and the two flavors complemented each other very well. The fish was not too chewy, and added a lot to the stew. With that being said, I am pretty sure that it would work on it's own without the fish.
There were a lot of flavors going on here, which I thought was great and made the dish a lot more interesting than a simple bowl of stew. The cilantro added a kick but was not over powering as it can often be. The peppers were still crisp and added a good crunchiness to the stew. The citrus of the OJ actually helped balance out some of the sharpness of the tomatoes. Overall, it was a really great soup.
It's been interesting that over the course of the month, I've found myself making a lot of these soups. I think it's because they're so easy to make, but also because they recall memories of days spent inside with your family. They've been perfect for these winter days, where you don't want to go outside. Instead you want to huddle around a pot of steaming goodness. Food ties us together, and there's really nothing like a house that is filled with the smells of food cooking, particularly in a crockpot. Who needs a candle or a potpourri pot when you can get the same effect from a slow cooker and actually eat the contents?
There were a lot of flavors going on here, which I thought was great and made the dish a lot more interesting than a simple bowl of stew. The cilantro added a kick but was not over powering as it can often be. The peppers were still crisp and added a good crunchiness to the stew. The citrus of the OJ actually helped balance out some of the sharpness of the tomatoes. Overall, it was a really great soup.
It's been interesting that over the course of the month, I've found myself making a lot of these soups. I think it's because they're so easy to make, but also because they recall memories of days spent inside with your family. They've been perfect for these winter days, where you don't want to go outside. Instead you want to huddle around a pot of steaming goodness. Food ties us together, and there's really nothing like a house that is filled with the smells of food cooking, particularly in a crockpot. Who needs a candle or a potpourri pot when you can get the same effect from a slow cooker and actually eat the contents?
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