Completing my undergraduate thesis while working with immigrant school children in Paris, I was embraced into a food culture very different than that of snails, foie gras, and vintage wines. I recall sesame breads and thick Turkish coffee filling the afternoon hunger twangs, and sacred dates shared following sundown during Ramaddan. North African dishes appealed to me the most; the mix of sweet fruits, nuts and spices enlivening meats cooked in tagines awoke new worlds of delight in eating.
Digging into my January resolutions, and thus the chest freezer, I’ve pulled out the vast array of spices from our cabinet depths as well. Roasts are seasonal to my frozen food supply during this point in the year, and here is a recipe to spice up such meals. Ras el Hanout is a mix based on guidance from Paula Wolfert’s Moroccan Cuisine, a cookbook which clearly comes from a host of kitchens throughout the country – in the process letting our curious cooks’ souls into another culture.
Make this spice blend with what you have from the following list (I’ll recommend spice purveyors in the near future), and consider purchasing those you do not currently own. You’ll need a spice blender, or a coffee grinder. After done grinding these spices, Wolfert recommends a separate grinding of cane sugar to clear up any lingering odors in the machine. See how to cook meat with this blend, below.
4 whole nutmegs; 10 rosebuds (go get them from your wintering rose bush); 12 cinnamon sticks; 12 blades mace; 1 tsp aniseed; 8 pieces turmeric (I used the powder, 3 tsp); 2 small pieces orris root; 2 dried cayenne peppers; 1/2 tsp lavender; 1 Tbs white peppercorns; 2 pieces galingale; 2 Tbs whole ginger root; 6 cloves; 24 allspice berries; 20 white or green cardamom pods; 4 black cardamom pods.
Don’t worry! Your grinder will handle all of this! If you can’t fathom this, do it in sections and then add it all together. Dilute 3 Tbs of this spice mix into some water and oil, then slather on your items to be roasted (venison, vegetables, etc.). I cook meats with this at a low temperature (250) for 3 hours or more. Other tasty additions include: 1/2 cup raisins thrown into the mix, some almonds, and honey drizzled over your roasting items.
Serve with couscous so that all flavorful juices find a home in your belly.
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