marvelous marrakech - cooking under the banana trees

Piles of freshly harvested vegetables proudly displayed and no waste here. Organic fruits and vegetables in abundance on the local market.

In the morning we went veggie shopping in the medina with our arabic-french shopping list.
Back in the riad with baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida was ready to show us the tricks of the moroccan cuisine on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

With help from Rachida and a bunch of lovely assistant cooks, dressed in adorable kitchen aprons, we made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch.

And Mohamed showed us how to prepare a pomegranate, without getting even one tiny red spot on his shirt.

Plenty of delicious food! More than enough for lunch and dinner, we cooked for a crowd.

Furthermore we invited Aisha for a moroccan crochet workshop and to join us for lunch on the roof terrace at Chambres d'Amis.

The home-cooked-finger-licking-good lunch was a feast!

cooking class for all senses

Strolling around the vegetable market is a feast for the eyes, the abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables always makes me feel very happy.

That's the reason why there is a cooking workshop included in the program every time. The 'Marrakech experience' of doing your own shopping in the souk, is something that gives your visit to Marrakech an extra dimension. The wonderful scents, intense colors and pure beauty of daily Medina life on the market, is something you have to undergo with all senses.

A veggie cooking class with fresh and organic vegetables from the market therefore is a memorable happening!

During the Marvelous Marrakech workshop we will organize a veggie cooking class. After breakfast we take our baskets to shop our vegetables, fruits and spices at the local market in the Medina. When we return to the riad with baskets full of groceries, our chefs Rachida and Malika will show us the tricks and help us to prepare some mouth-watering Moroccan dishes in the courtyard of Chambres d'Amis.

After we have upgraded our culinary skills and our home cooked Moroccan meal is ready, lunch is served on the rooftop terrace. It's time to try and taste all the lovely flavors and enjoy a luscious lunch.

I'm eagerly looking forward to October...

Photo: april 2014

organic, what else?

Green goal of another Green Gardens workshop day is buying our own food and cook our own Moroccan lunch.

With its bounty of organic vegetables on the market in the medina, today's 'green is the theme' was all about veggies. At the local vegetable market everything is organic. For the people in the medina eating organic is not a trend. To us it's a conscious choice to eat healthier. This pure market is a return to tradition and makes you realize, once upon a time all food was organic.

A team of 12 cooking students with arabic-french shopping lists went into the herbs- and vegetable souks. When we arrived back home with our baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida of Chambres d'Amis was ready to give us a Moroccan vegetarian cooking class on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

We made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch and enjoyed the tasty and pure dishes together on the roof terrace.

After a siesta at the plunge pool, we continued our Green Gardens journey and left at the end of the afternoon to the Secret Garden. The light is so beautiful at the end of the afternoon and the garden with water fountains and wildlife, is a peaceful oasis hidden in the bustling streets. After closing time we walked from the Jardin Secret to Le Jardin.

Concluding this food themed day in Le Jardin, the greenest restaurant imaginable, with a small dinner on the rooftop in the dusking sky certainly is the best way to end this day!

veggie shopping & veggie cooking

With its bounty of offerings on the local vegetable market in the medina, April’s 'green is the theme' was all about cooking on this day of the Green Gardens workshop.

In the morning we went with our arabic-french shopping list, made by Mohammed, to the souks. When we arrived back home with baskets full of fresh ingredients, chef Rachida was ready to give us a vegetarian cooking class on the patio in the shade of the banana trees.

With help from Rachida we added the seasonal green pops of color to our dishes and made ourselves a delicious Moroccan lunch, which we ate afterwards on the roof terrace and cooked for a crowd...

After a siesta by the plunge pool, we left at the end of the afternoon to the Secret Garden. The light is so beautiful at the end of the day and the garden is even more enchanting.

How to celebrate this green day more appropriate than in the greenest restaurant imaginable...? and Le Jardin's chocolate cake with a view on the garden and magical music was certainly a highlight of the evening.