Recruiter Without Borders

Picture by: Aux Délices du Palais I had never even heard of Rfissa before  I moved to Morocco in 2015. And mind you, I'm half Moroccan! How could I have missed out on such a delicious dish for so many years. But, no need to worry. I managed to catch up in the meantime. Now I came to find out that it's not even that hard to make at home! It's based on msemmen (Maghrebian pancake), onion broth, ginger, coriander, saffron, ras el hanout and essential fenugreek (tifiḍas in Amazigh, halba in Arabic) which gives it its flavor.And nowadays you can find Moroccan spices practically anywhere. Make sure to use the freshest produce you can find, preferably from the local Moroccan store or supermarket. Ingrediënts: 1 free-range chicken weighing 1 kg 300 (or 5 chicken thighs) 3 chopped onions 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric 1 teaspoon of ginger 1 teaspoon of ras elhanout A few pistils of pure saffron Salt & pepper 1 small bunch of parsley and cilantro 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoon...

This one seems too simple to be delicious but trust me, it is! I believe that roasting the pepper to peel off the skin is what adds to the flavor. This salad goes with any dish, meat, fish, or vegetarian. I do prefer to make it an hour in advance so the different flavors have blended well with each other.  Ingredients:   4 large green peppers 4Large tomatoes (blanched and peeled) 1 large garlic clove, minced 1tbsp. cumin powder 0.5tbsp. chili powder 1tbsp. cilantro (finely chopped) Salt Pepper Steps: -Grill the peppers, turning occasionally until the peppers are roasted. Remove and place in a plastic bag, and tie securely. This will make the pealing much easier for you -Meanwhile, seed the tomatoes and cut them roughly into cubes. Remove the peppers from the bag and remove the skins and discard the stems and seeds. -Dice the peppers and  mix with tomatoes and pressed or grated garlic -Season with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chopped parsley and olive...

I tried this restaurant for lunch at work at a time when I was a bit 'over' fast food. In Belgium, this was my way of eating. As clean, balanced, and healthy as possible. Fast food was a once in a month thing.  Yet good and affordable healthy food is not easy to find in Casablanca. At least not to me! Apparently, we need to kiss a few frogs at first. I can't tell you how many times I've tried a dish and thought: "I can make this way better myself and for this price, I can feed 4 people. You can find Freshi Casablanca right here:  Freshi Casablanca I looked at the menu and immediately checked out the soups! I love a good soup but am quite particular about it. Went for the Pumpkin soup, and the salmon bagel. Now the bagel looks a bit messy and you don't get a fancy one like in the pictures that are covered in seeds. But, let me tell you, I enjoyed it. So much I ordered it again the next day and added a chocolate mousse. Again, I was pleasantly surprised! Even the...

Morocco has some of the best foods to offer! Yet finding good restaurants is not that obvious. The best food is still being eaten at homes in my opinion. I have been disappointed a few times and not only at your local snack bar. Even at rather pricy restaurants, I've been let down. So I decided to share with you my experiences so far about eating out in Morocco! Let's start with Pao Pao! Their fresh and modern Asian look caught my attention rather quickly on Instagram! You can find them right here:  Pao Pao So I decided to give their menu a try. Maybe it was not the best option but I went for 1 steamed Bao and 1 bubble tea. The Bao was dry and not cooked to order. It also came without any sauce. The bubble tea was nice. I enjoyed it. I went for a Jasmin tea with almond milk and sour apple Boba. On another occasion, I tried their matcha tea with strawberry Boba and their chicken sandwich. Those were absolutely delicious! Did not film it that time but I will order again.  I give...

  Picture: http://cuisinedeoumotalal.over-blog.com/ These go incredibly well with Bissara soup or just on their own as a delicious snack. Buy your anchovies fresh and if you're lucky the fish monger will clean them for you. If he/she does not provide that service, don't get discouraged! It'll take you about 30 minutes to clean them but it's most definately worth it!  This video shows you exactly how to do it:  I usually marinate 1 kg of anchovis  in :  - Juice of 2 lemmons -Paprika -Kurkumma -Salt (not too much!) -Pepper -Freshly chopped parsley -2 gloves  of pressed garlic -Olive oil for about 1 hour. Then I cover them in all purpose flour an deep fried them until light golden.  And that's how simple it is! Happy snacking !!    -

  Picture: chezrequia.com Ingredients:  1 kg of beef (preferably the shank) 1 kg of artichokes 4 crushed garlic cloves, 1 onion 1/2 teaspoon of oil a little saffron coloring 1 teaspoon of ginger 1 tomato, peeled and diced juice of half a lemon 200 g peeled peas 1 onion salt and pepper water Steps:  1. Brown the meat in a pot with the oil, onion, salt, garlic and pieces of tomato. 2. As soon as the onion is sweaty, add the spices then stir until the mixture turns a golden color. 3. Add water until all ingredients are covered. 4. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes. 5. Add the peas and cook, covered, for 10 minutes more. Add water if necessary. 6. Remove the leaves from the artichokes, remove the hay and keep the core in lemon water. Then place them in the pot and add the lemon juice and simmer for about 10 more minutes. Serve the artichoke and peas tagine hot with the sauce and some Moroccan bread, enjoy ! 

  Batbout  is a Moroccan bread that cooks with an open center just like pita bread. Batbout is very easy to make, goes with literally everything and is cooked in a pan on a stove. Ingrediënts:  2 tbsp. coffee dehydrated yeast 12 gr 1/2 glass lukewarm water 200 gr fine semolina 200 gr flour t 45 1/2 tsp. coffee salt 1 glass of water approximately 180 gr Steps:  1.Put the dehydrated yeast in a bowl and pour half a glass of lukewarm water, leave until a foam appears (it bubbles) about 8 to 10 minutes 2. In the bowl of the kneader fitted with the hook, pour the 200 gr of fine semolina, the flour and the salt, turn for a few seconds to mix the ingredients well 3. Add the hydrated yeast and mix for a few seconds 4. Add the water gradually 5. Let run Speed ​​1 for 10 minutes, the dough should be smooth and homogeneous 6. Transfer to a container, wrap or cover with a cloth and let rise for a good 15 minutes 7. When the dough has doubled in size, place on a lightly floured wo...

This soup is so sacred and full of medicinal herbs it has been a locals favorite for hundreds of years. It's a very popular streetfood in Morocco amongst locals and tourists. Ingredients: - 4 kg of snails • 1 tbsp of green anise seeds • 3 tbsp of caraway • 4 tbsp of thyme • 1 tsp of green tea • 2 pieces of licorice root • 4 sprigs of dried mint • 3 grains of arabic gum • The peel of a bitter orange • The peel of a sweet orange • 2 branches of absinthe • 5 bay leaves • 1 tbsp of sweet pepper • 4 unpounded hot peppers Steps:  The day before, wash the snails several times, put them in a large basin and sprinkle with flour. Wash them again before preparation. Put 6 liters of water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Wrap all the herbs and spices, except the sweet and hot peppers, in muslin and place in the pot. As soon as the water boils, add the snails and cook for 1 hour 30 minutes. Adjust the seasoning if necessary and serve the snails very hot with their broth. And it's as easy...

  Ready for another delicious Moroccan winter dish to enjoy? Try making this Moroccan lentil dip. Not only is it incredibaly yummy comfort food, it's packed with iron and good for you.  Ingredients: - 250 gr of lentils - 1 tomato, diced (if possible very ripe) - 1 medium onion, diced - 4 cloves of garlic - 1 case of concentrated tomato - 1 tsp of salt - 1 tsp of pepper - 1 teaspoon of turmeric - 1 tsp of cumin - 4 tbsp of olive oil - 1 tbsp of coriander / parsley mixture Preparation : - Clean and wash the lentils - In a casserole dish put the diced tomato, onion, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, cumin, turmeric and olive oil and brown over low heat - Add the lentils and 1/2 liter of water and close the casserole dish for 25 min - Add the concentrated tomato and the coriander / parsley mixture and simmer (without closing the casserole dish) to reduce - When the lentils are tender and it has reduced then the dish is ready to be served

Zaalouk means “mash” and is known throughout Morocco. The most famous zaalouk is the one made with eggplant there are several different versions. This dip/salad usually gets served with the main meal but can definately serve as a starter or tapa.  Ingredients :  6 eggplants 3 tomatoes 2 cloves garlic 1 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. paprika coffee 1/2 tsp. hot or sweet pepper coffee 4 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil Salt and pepper 1 glass of chopped fresh coriander juice of 1/2 lemon Steps: 1.  Preheat  oven  to 240°C / 450°F. Line a tray with parchment/ baking paper and roast the aubergines until they're soft 2. Peal the aubergines and tomatoes and cut into small cubes 3.Heat up the olive oil in a small pot 4. Add the eggplants, paprika, chili, finely squeezed garlic, salt and pepper and stir for about 5 minutes 5. Add the diced tomato, cumin and lemon juice and stir well 6. Turn heat down to medium and let it cook for another 10 minutes. From time to time go stir....

  Bissara has been around for 4000 years and has a heartwarming, smokey taste to it. It is mostly known as a breakfast bean dip and consumed during winter. It's very easy to make and a delicious traditional Moroccan dish. On top of that, Fava beans contain zinc, potassium, iron, calcium, selenium, and amounts of almost every B vitamin.  Recipe Ingredients :   1 small glass of dried fava beans 1 small glass of dried split peas 6 gloves of bio garlic Olive oil pepper salt cumin red chilli flakes Steps: 1.Wash and then soak the fava beans and split peas an hour in advance. Then put them in a deep pot with water and the garlic gloves.  2. Bring all to a boil and occasionally scoop of any foam at the top 3. Once the beans are soft and falling apart, you blend the soup.  4. Heat up a little bit of olive oil in the pot and add a teaspoon of cumin, pepper and salt.  5. Turn off your heat and pour your delicious soup on top. Mix well before serving. 6. Pour int...