It’s been a slow start to North African Month since neither of us has felt much like cooking at all, let alone experimenting. We’re trying to get back into the swing of things, but there’s no point forcing it since it is supposed to be fun.
North African pumpkin stew
So I’ll abandon my usual day-by-day account and just talk about the few dishes that have been made. Most of these were made at the very beginning, before we lost our mojo.
North African Pumpkin Stew
This is a traditional North African dish, though I don’t know where it originated. It’s really tasty and quite simple to make. The pumpkin is mostly cooked by steaming, so it does take a little while. It’s lovely with couscous and some salad.
Moroccan roast mushroom & tomato
Moroccan Spicy Mashed Potato
Comfort food with an extra kick. I love mashed potato, it’s so easy and comforting. Adding a mix of spices and chilli gives it a fantastic flavour, and just a bit of bite. I think this would work well with sweet potato and pumpkin too.
Moroccan Roast Mushroom and Tomato
Roast vegetables coated in spices and roasted for a longer period over a low heat helps them to stay moist, and really concentrate the flavours. This goes really well with the spicy mash.
Ful Medames
Egyptian Ful Medames
This traditional Egyptian dish is often called their ‘national dish’ and is apparently often eaten for a hearty breakfast or any time of day. It seems that soaked and peeled dried fava beans are usually used, but I went for frozen beans, which means they don’t need to be peeled. Fresh or canned wouldn’t need peeling either. It’s so simple, just throw it all in the slow cooker. We had it with lightly toasted pita bread and salad.
Moroccan spicy mashed potato
I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things, so there will be a bit more to write about next time.
