in the mood

A perfect way to start the weekend.

Coffee with moroccan pasties.

Last night some friends came over for dinner and brought my favorite cookies for dessert. A box full of moroccan pastries, so enough for the whole weekend.

The delicious gazelle horns (at the top) are the best!

Welcome to the weekend!

harira habit

Having a cup of harira soup on the Jemaa el Fna square, is my fixed habit when I visit Marrakech. (we like stall #75)

Perfect soup weather today, so we are having vegetarian harira soup tonight!

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, chopped into cubes
5 large ripe tomatoes with skin removed, seeded and chopped into cubes
1/2 cup of lentils
1 cup of chickpeas (preferably bought dried and soaked overnight. The 1 cup measurement should be the soaked version)
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon of Moroccan saffron
1/2 cup each of fresh chopped parsley (flat leaf) and coriander
1/4 cup rice
salt and pepper
1/2 lemon


-Take a large soup pot and add the olive oil, onion, fresh herbs, lentils and spices and 7 or 8 cups of water and stir over high heat until the pot is brought to a boil. Include the chickpeas if you have soaked them overnight. If you are using canned chickpeas, you’ll add them later.

-Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. If you are using canned chickpeas, add them after the 30 minute simmer is up.

-Add the tomatoes and another cup of water, as well as salt and pepper.

-Raise the heat again and when your soup is back to a boil, add the rice. Lower heat once more to a simmer for another 30 minutes.

-Serve with fresh parsley and a bit of lemon juice

Bon appetit!

(countless recipes to be found, in all possible variations)

Harira literally means mixture. The word is also used as an expression; Harira! what a mess!

souk food

Food from the souk.

Everything just tastes so fresh and flavorful.

Food & drinks during the cool crochet workshop are always a delight.
You probably know my love for Moroccan cuisine, it's tasteful, light and healthy.
Moreover a pomegranate in Morocco simply tastes so much better than at home. Really!

It's a pity you can not taste it from the images, but you might see just what I mean...

what's for dinner?

I don't allow myself to buy another cookbook for the time being.
As long as there are at least four cookbooks on the cart, from which we have not tried a single recipe yet...
We have so many wonderful cookbooks and yet I do not know what to make for dinner tonight?

summer food

We made another delicious recipe from the wonderful cookbook THE SOUK by Salma Hage.
Last weekend we chose chicken with green lentils & a taboulé salad and I can assure you it was so tasteful and quite easy to make.

It surely is a bonus when you can eat such a summer meal outside the garden.

Nothing beats having dinner together in the backyard!

the beauty of everyday & ordinary things

The beauty of everyday & ordinary things in our kitchen.

sweet summer lunch

Before I had to go to work yesterday, my sweetheart surprised me with a delicious summer lunch. Even the lunch-size moroccan serving tray, was brought out for the occasion.

Since our camping holiday, we try to eat in the garden as often as possible.
It was delightful and incredibly sweet!

coffee & coconut cookies

A good way to start the weekend!

cuisine & comestibles

delicious

Saturday evening, together at home.
Henk prepared dinner, inspired by two new (birthday gift) cookbooks;
My love is a creative cook and surprised me with spicy beef strips, grilled vegetables,
a [Jerusalem] salad and we had [Falling Cloudberries] dessert.
It was delicious!

market wares

Just a few Saturday market purchases, some of them to enjoy throughout the week;
massive magnolia branches,
fresh bread and fruits,
crooked organic cucumbers,
and goat legs cookies.

chocolate junkie

bread & fig

bread & fig, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

My latest lunch addiction;

rye bread (from the market)
sliced fig
wild tomato
pepper
fleur de sel (Ile de Ré)

hmmmm!

veni vidi vicini

veni vidi vicini, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Sunday we enjoyed lunch at Osteria Vicini in Rotterdam.
Vicini is an Italian local restaurant with a 'mercato' full of delights.(where we bought a little bag of Sale Marino al Rosmarino after lunch)

Nice atmosphere, even better food.
(thanks for the great tip Lammie; the pasta and pizza were indeed divine!)

harira soup on the square

harira on jemaa-el-fna square, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

This last Marrakech post is about the delicious traditional Moroccan dishes we have consumed on the Jemee-el-Fna square. Here I am sipping my Harira soup.

The best thing about eating on the square, is that you sit down somewhere for a soup and have the next dish somewhere else. The restaurant stands are great to enjoy the Moroccan kitchen. The atmosphere is unique and we have had lots of food and fun on the square.

Marrakech, what a city! We will certainly return...

Oh and next time it's about wood and wool and stools again.
(the handmade woolen hat I've bought in the souk)

summer diner in the garden

summer diner in the garden, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Last May the two of us celebrated Henk's birthday together in Barcelona and that's why we've planned weeks ago, to have another birthday party at home with friends.

Henk's favorite way to celebrate; in the garden, having dinner together with loved ones at one big table and good summer food and drinks.

This year the long hot summer evenings, were very rare and we've only had a handful of them.

Last night was apparently the most summery evening of the season and we've celebrated it until midnight. (you will have earned it).

Thanks, dear friends for an unforgettable evening!

garimba sur

garimba sur, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

On the Plaza de España we found the jewel of Vejer de la Frontera; Garimba sur!
A beautiful and charming restaurant, with thé perfect terrace.
And than the food, so pure!
Everything tasted muy bien.
The delicious gazpacho, patatas bravas and solomillo (with melting flor de sal) we could not resist and came back more than once...

good enough to eat!

good enough to eat!, a photo by wood & wool stool on Flickr.

Marigold; flowers on the table & petals in the salad.

The Marigold flowers make their name.
They literally bring sunshine into a meal and the taste is surprisingly good.

'augustus' asparagus

'augustus' asparagus, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

Tonight on the menu;
green asparagus from the garden of Villa Augustus.
Yay, and it will taste even better in our backyard.
Have a nice (sunny) Easter weekend everyone!

greek delights (part five)

fresh tasty vegetables, originally uploaded by wood & wool stool.

part five: fresh tasty vegetables

The greek food is simple but very tasty and you really taste the difference. The sun and earth give so much flavor to the vegetables and fruits. Pip discovered that the cucumber had a strange taste. 'Yes, you are absolutely right, it tastes like cucumber'.

Especially when I saw these seeds, I wished I had just a little more space (and Greek sun) in my garden, to grow my own tasty vegetables.