Morocco

DEVOURING morocco

FROM GRILLED SEAFOOD IN ESSAOUIRA TO BERBER BARBEQUE IN TNINE OURIKA, THIS AFRICAN HOTSPOT HAS DELICIOUS DISHES TO PLEASE ANY PALATE.

BY ANNIKA HARRIS

Africa was always a part of my wildest dreams. So, I was elated to fi nd myself on a seven-hour Royal Air Maroc fl ight across the Atlantic to the fabled Casablanca and then embarking on a culinary journey with Access Trips, which provides extraordinary adventures for thrill seekers of all kinds.

ssaouira, a charming fi shing community, was our fi rst stop after the nearly fourhour drive from Mohammed V International Airport near Casablanca. At fi rst glance, the town looks frozen in time and unchanged for centuries— until someone zooms by on a motorized scooter since automobiles aren’t allowed in the Essaouira medina.

The carefree attitude of the whole town immediately rubbed off as I eased into holiday mode. Spending an entire day at one of the many cafes enjoying French pastries and Moroccan mint tea wasn’t at all uncommon. I still have pleasant memories of the fresh sardines, grilled to perfection at one of the many stalls lining the shore, and French fries I had there. On the other side of the Atlantic, sardines, by the way, grow larger than an average adult’s hand. In the rooftop kitchen of the Riad Mimouna (riad-mimouna.com), which is more like a quaint bed and breakfast than a hotel, I prepared my own fi sh tagine with chermoula, a marinade that is the foundation of many Moroccan fi sh dishes. That night, I kept smiling inside as I listened to a Berber band while enjoying the dinner I’d cooked myself. The fi sh and vegetables had steamed in the chermoula for 90 minutes, so it was tender and took on the fl avors of cumin, paprika and turmeric. As the infectious music of the band continued, I couldn’t resist tapping my feet and swaying my shoulders. I somehow wound up dancing with the lead singer. Back in my room on the second fl oor, by myself, I opened the windows and was greeted by the sounds of the raging sea as I soaked in the breathtaking view. There was nothing but a 50foot drop separating my room from the water. As I settled in for much-needed rest, I welcomed the ocean’s lullaby and reminisced on my time in the town and eventually drifted into a deep slumber. But it was only the beginning. The next day I rode a 7-year-old camel named Samsa along the beach, visited an Argan oil cooperative where I met the women who make the oil for consumption and beauty products, as well as sampled sfi nge, a delectable Moroccan treat that looks like a doughnut but tastes more like Caribbean Johnny cakes or fried dumplings. Later that evening, at the Kasbah Omar (kasbah-omar.com), in the Berber village of Anrar in the High Atlas Mountains, steady hands greeted our group and helped us navigate the rocks leading to the front door. Berbers often build their homes on the sides of the mountains, so what looks like a collection of boulders could very well be the path to someone’s abode. The staff ers at the Kasbah Omar were some of the most gracious and welcoming people I’ve ever met in my travels, and my room, with its huge, comfortable bed and a bathroom of natural Moroccan rock studded with fossils from fl oor to ceiling, was the defi nition of contemporary luxury. Visiting the Monday Market in Tnine Ourika Valley was a special treat. Villagers buy vegetables, meat—including animal heads, which I couldn’t bring myself to look at— prepared food, even shoes for their donkey and can have a tooth pulled at this outdoor bazaar. The dentist even has a side hustle of tying up tourists and pretending to extract a tooth, while a fellow tourist snaps a photo—all for a fee, of course. With my teeth intact, I lunched on delicious Berber barbeque beef and lamb that reminded me of the shish kebabs street vendors sell in New York City. For my next cooking lesson, I made pastilla, a Moroccan meat pie of sorts comprised of a fl aky pastry, chicken, egg and sweet spices like cinnamon, in the terrace kitchen of the Kasbah Omar. It was heavenly cooking under a canopy, as the gentle breeze spread the fl avorful scent. Marrakech was the fi nal leg of the trip. Highlights included fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s hidden gardens and the harem quarters of the Bahia Palace, where the always modest mogul Diddy celebrated one of his birthdays in grand fashion. The souk, or openair market, in Marrakech was another festival of aromas, people, wares and scooters. After picking up an emerald green leather purse, silver earrings, a bracelet and a tunic, I stopped through the herboriste, a shop that sells holistic remedies for everything from snoring to erectile dysfunction, as well as makeup--a brilliant red lipstick, made from poppies and packaged in a mini tagine pot, was a great fi nd. We completed our Moroccan journey at the upscale Le Comptoir Darna (comptoirmarrakech. com), which features a fusion of traditional Moroccan, French and American cuisine. Blanketed beneath millions of stars, I topped off the night on the patio with a mint-fl avored hookah.

Luck may have brought me to Morocco for my fi rst visit, but the fresh seafood, gracious people, calming environment and amazing culture will defi nitely bring me back.

TRY THIS AT HOME

PREPARE FISH TAGINE WITH CHERMOULA FOR YOUR OWN TASTE OF MOROCCO. Prep time: 40 minutes | Cook time: 90 minutes Serves: 2

Ingredients: CHERMOULA 1 tbsp parsley, fi nely chopped 1 tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp garlic, fi nely chopped 2 tbsp sweet paprika 1 tsp hot paprika 1 to 2 tbsp cumin, to taste 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ground ginger 3 tbsp olive oil 3 tbsp lemon juice 6 tbsp water salt and pepper to taste FISH TAGINE 2 fi sh steaks (mild white fi sh, such as sea bass) 1 to 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced 1 to 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced 1 to 2 large potatoes, thinly sliced 1 tomato, seeded and thinly sliced 1 bell pepper, thinly sliced 1 handful red olives

Preparation: CHERMOULA Mix all ingredients in bowl. Marinate fi sh steaks 10 minutes.

FISH TAGINE Arrange carrots across bottom of tagine. Crisscross celery on top of carrots. Place potatoes on top of celery, forming a bed for the fi sh. Remove fi sh from marinade and place on top of vegetables. Reserve marinade. Place bell pepper and tomato over fi sh. Top with reserved marinade and garnish with olives. Cover tagine. Cook over low to medium-low heat for about 90 minutes or until potatoes are tender and fi sh fl akes with a fork. If cooking liquid hasn’t thickened, ladle into a saucepan and reduce using high heat, then pour over fi sh just before serving.

WORKS

BY NICHOLE FRATANGELOA

Every 90 seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease. For Chef Marcus Samuelsson, author, TV host, and owner of Harlem’s acclaimed Red Rooster restaurant, that number isn’t just heartbreaking—it’s close to home. Samuelsson was born in Ethiopia, an East African country that has struggled to provide clean drinking water to its residents for decades. Other countries residents for decades. Other countries include Peru, Chile, Spain, and much of include Peru, Chile, Spain, and much of North Africa and Eurasia. North Africa and Eurasia.

Marcus Samuelsson, acclaimed chef, author, and TV host, is bringing clean drinking water to women around the world, and he wants you to do the same.

“The water crisis aff ects more than 60 million people globally”, explains Samuelsson, “and hits women and children especially hard. My siblings had to walk an hour and a half to get clean water,” he recalls. After experiencing their struggle fi rsthand, Samuelsson committed himself to helping relieve the global water crisis. It’s the reason he’s involved with the Buy a Lady a Drink Campaign, a partnership between Stella Artois and water.org that aims to provide clean water to those in need. To date, the Buy a Lady a Drink campaign has helped more than fi ve million people throughout the world. In Honduras alone, water. org has positively impacted more than 40 communities, and the campaign plans to extend eff orts to El Salvador and Guatemala.

“What I love is that you can just purchase a drink…and you can change someone’s life for the next fi ve years,” says Samuelsson. For every $13 limited-edition Stella Artois chalice sold, $6.25 is donated to water.org. Samuelsson points out, however, that the global water crisis won’t be solved overnight. Rather, it will require thoughtful eff orts and sacrifi ces by all.

“My dollars matter and my choices matter,” he says, noting that when shopping for his restaurant, he only buys ingredients that refl ect fair practices and support environmental issues. Similarly, he urges consumers to educate themselves, get involved, and donate to the cause. For millions of women and children, it could be the diff erence between life and death.