Moroccan Spice

Stuffed Cabbage, Moroccan Potatoes, Moroccan Beans

It was a beautiful summers day here yesterday and I was reminded of a holiday (mid-winter!) to Morocco a few years ago. I also had a cabbage I was wondering what to do with. We also have a good crop of broad beans and new potatoes. Broad beans are widely used in the middle east and are also called fava or ful beans. This recipe uses fresh green beans but they are often used dried in falafel and other dishes.

Middle East food excites me with its blend of spices, oil  and use of vegetables. They are also relatively simple to make with few overall ingredients.


Stuffed Cabbage Leaves
1 Cabbage
500g minced meat
100g rice
1 onion
Juice of 2 lemons
Mint (fresh or dried)
All spice
Paprika

Separate the cabbage leaves, wash and blanch for 4 minutes in lightly salted water. Drain and remove any tough central rib - not too much. Mix the meat, rinsed rice, finely diced onion, salt, pepper, good pinch of all spice and paprika. Place the filling on a cabbage leaf, roll and seal until all the mix is used. Line a deep pan with the remaining leaves. Lay the stuffed cabbage rolls on top. Add water, cover and simmer for about 35 minutes. Add a teaspoon of mint and the lemon juice. Simmer for a further 10 minutes.

Moroccan Potatoes

12 new potatoes, halved

3 Anaheim chillies, halved and seeded
1-1/2 tablespoons cumin seed
6 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 lemon, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
2. Coarsely grind together cumin seed, garlic, salt and pepper in a mortar and pestle. Stir in lemon juice.
3. Lay chillies in the bottom of an ovenproof dish and add water.
4. Coat potatoes with olive oil and place on top of chillies. Drizzle with prepared sauce.
5. Bake, covered, until potatoes are fork tender, about 40 minutes.

Moroccan Broad Beans

500g shelled broad beans

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup water

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1.2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chopped parsley or coriander

Place the beans, garlic, spices, oil in a small pot. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add teh salt and lemon juice, cover and continue simmering for another 5 - 10 minutes or until reduced to oil and spices. Stir in the parsley or coriander, taste for salt and serve warm or at room temperature

Get your potatoes early

One of the greatest pleasures of gardening is eating your first early potatoes. They are simply perfect on their own, steamed, with a bit of butter, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. If you like you can sprinkle a bit of parsley over them. For a celebration you can have a bottle of Guinness to wash them down.

There is great competition among gardeners to see who gets the first earlies. To get the jump on other gardeners you really do have to start early and you do need some form of protection. I have grown my first earlies under low cloches, in a poly tunnel and now I use bags in the green house.

Early potatoes in bags

It is simple enough to do. Get your seed potatoes as early as possible - ideally December - and chit them (let little sprouts grow). Then place about 10 cm of  well rotted compost in the bottom of a sack, like the ones shown in the picture. Place three seed potatoes on top and cover with a further 10 cm of compost. If there is hard frost cover with fleece.

Once the shoots are about 15 cm tall add another 10 cm of compost. Repeat this until the bags are filled. If you think they need it you can give a liquid feed of worm liquid or comfrey tea. If your compost is good enough they won't need it.

You should be able to pick your first earlies - they will be pretty small towards the end of April. Simply work your hand down and feel around until you get a few. The bags will keep on cropping for several weeks and can be moved outside once the risk of frost has passed. I cover them with fleece when I put them out.