ORANGE BLOSSOM & HONEY
Just like John Gregory-smith, who was captivated by the ancient medina of Fez, my first trip to the fascinating country that straddles the Occident and the Orient was one that began in the ancient capital. There is something about Fez that sticks. We feasted on tagines heavy with ras el hanout, ate exquisite sweet and savoury pigeon pastillas and discovered the illicit thrill of a gin during Ramadan.
John Gregorysmith’s book captures the essence of Moroccan food, with chapters devoted to street food, salads and vegetables, meat and poultry, seafood, tagines, desserts and essentials. The images are as vibrant as the food and the recipes easy-to-follow crowd pleasers. Cumin-battered hake is a great Friday night fish supper and the quince and lamb tagine works wonderfully with an autumn harvest.
The only niggle is that Morocco’s game does not make an appearance – an abundance of partridge, pigeon and quail are a boon to Moroccan cuisine. But don’t let that deter you. Simply substitute the chicken for partridge and this book will add a much-needed warmth to this season’s cooking.