Moroccan Herbed Olives Recipes

MARINATED MOROCCAN OLIVES

Steps:

• In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine olive oil, pepper flakes, garlic, coriander and cumin. Squeeze the lemon juice and add the lemon wedges, the olives, and mix well.
• Cover and refrigerate overnight. Leave out at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

MOROCCAN OLIVES WITH HARISSA RECIPE

Steps:

• Soak the olives in a bowl of water for a few hours or overnight; drain. (Or, if the olives are hard, soften them by soaking in boiling water for 15 minutes.) For better infusion of the marinade, make one or two small incisions in each olive (or gently crush them to crack the flesh of the olive).
• While the olives are soaking, make the harissa if it's not already prepared: Remove the seeds from the chile peppers then soak in hot water for a half hour or until tender enough to mash. Drain. Lightly toast the seeds in a skillet (just until fragrant) and grind them with a mortar and pestle. Add the softened chile peppers, garlic, salt, lemon juice and olive oil to the mortar and grind to a paste. Thin as desired with additional lemon juice and olive oil. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator until needed.
• Seed the preserved lemon and cut it into thin strips.
• Combine the preserved lemon with the drained olives, parsley. lemon juice and as much harissa as desired.
• If you like, a little additional olive oil or garlic can be mixed in to the olives.
• Cover and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours (overnight is best) before serving. The olives will keep in the fridge for several weeks. Leftover harissa may be stored in the fridge as well for use as a condiment with other foods.

MOROCCAN HERBED OLIVES

Steps:

• Rinse olives under cold running water; drain.
• Place in 1-quart jar with tight-fitting lid.
• Mix remaining ingredients; pour over olives.
• Cover tightly and refrigerate, turning jar upside down occasionally, 1 to 2 weeks.
• Serve at room temperature.
• These keep well if tightly covered and refrigerated.

MOROCCAN FISH TAGINE WITH PEPPERS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Add fish and turn to coat. Refrigerate 2 hours, turning fish occasionally.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange carrot slices over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Layer half of tomatoes, half of onion and half of lemon over. Season with half of salt and pepper.
• Drain marinade from fish; reserve marinade. Arrange fish atop lemon slices. Top fish with remaining tomato, onion and lemon slices. Season with remaining salt and pepper. Top decoratively with red pepper strips and olives. Pour reserved marinade over. Cover dish with foil. Bake 40 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 400°F. and bake until fish flakes easily and vegetables are tender, about 25 minutes. Garnish with additionally parsley.

MOROCCAN OLIVES

Steps:

• In 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil 1 minute. Add fennel seed, coriander seed, cumin seed, pepper flakes and garlic; cook and stir over medium heat 1 minute or until fragrant. Remove from heat. Add olives and orange peel; stir until olives are coated.
• Divide mixture between 2 small jars or containers with tightfitting lids. Pour 3/4 cup oil over mixture in jars. Cover; refrigerate at least 4 hours before serving. Serve at room temperature. Store in refrigerator up to 1 week.

MOROCCAN HERB JAM

Steps:

• Put the greens and herbs and garlic cloves all together in a large steamer set over medium-high heat, and steam until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. (If you don't have a steamer, use a large, deep skillet with a lid. Put 2 inches of water in bottom of pan, add greens, cover and cook at a brisk simmer.)
• Set the garlic aside. Drain greens, let cool and squeeze out moisture; pick out the tougher herb stems if necessary. Put greens and herbs on a cutting board and chop very finely with a large knife.
• Put 4 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chiles and let them sizzle without browning (or use a pinch of crushed red pepper), then add the chopped greens, a pinch of salt and half the cumin seeds. The flavor is concentrated by cooking most of the moisture out of the greens; this will take about 10 to 15 minutes. (Stir the herb jam mixture often as the water evaporates; it will want to stick.)
• Turn the heat off but leave the mixture in the pan. Peel the steamed garlic and mash it into the pan along with the olives. Mix everything and taste; add salt as needed, a good splash of olive oil, the pimentón and more cumin to taste. The herb jam should be highly seasoned. Add more chile if it isn't spicy enough. Just before serving, add a squeeze of lemon. Spread on toasted pita or flatbread if desired. The herb jam can be stored in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for about 5 days.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH OLIVES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Stir together cilantro, paprika, cumin, salt, turmeric, ginger and garlic. Rub mixture on all sides of chicken.
• Coat chicken with flour. Place chicken in ungreased rectangular baking dish, 13x9x2 inches. Stir together water, lemon juice and bouillon granules; pour over chicken. Add olives and lemon slices.
• Bake uncovered about 1 hour, spooning liquid over chicken occasionally, until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut. Serve with couscous.

MOROCCAN BAKED FISH WITH POTATOES, PEPPERS AND OLIVES

Steps:

• Combine garlic, parsley, cilantro, cumin, paprika and saffron in a dish big enough for the fish. Mix vinegar, lemon juice and tomato paste in a small bowl. Add to dish and mix. Place fillets in the dish, turning to coat them, cover and set aside to marinate 2 hours at room temperature, 3 hours if refrigerated.
• Place potatoes in a saucepan, add water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Drain.
• Brush a baking dish that can go to the table and will hold the fish in a single layer with a little of the oil. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread potatoes in the dish, season with salt and pepper, and place fish fillets on top. Scatter peppers and tomatoes over fish. Add a little more salt and pepper. Spoon any excess marinade over fish, strew with olives, drizzle with remaining oil and bake about 30 minutes, until fish is just cooked through.