When I visited Morocco last Fall, I took cooking lessons from the locals, indulged in the native food and came home with some cookbooks for reference. Eating at home in Rabat was very different than eating at Moroccan restaurants. There were a variety of vegetables that were used in everyday cooking (and were delicious) which weren’t even listed in the restaurant menus. Perhaps you have also experienced the same tagines, couscous, bastilla and salad, but are foreign to Harira, poached artichokes, stewed pumpkins, etc.
Recently, I virtually met Zouhair Zairi (also known as Chef ZZ), a chef from Morocco who recently released his cookbook, Moorish Fusion Cuisine. It captured my interest immediately so I got my hands on a copy. As the book is titled, the recipes in the book are definitely “fusion.” Combining the commonly found ingredients in Morocco (pumpkin, artichokes, fennel, dates, saffron, olives, argan oil) with dishes inspired from the West (Bruschetta, Dip, Sushi, Flat Bread), Chef ZZ has created a fun and inspiring cookbook full of delicious recipes. There are also a few traditional dishes, such as Zahlouk (eggplant dip), Chicken Bastilla (sweet and savory pie), Chicken Tagine with preserven lemon and Moroccan green olives, Lamb Kebabs and many more that retain the elements of Moroccan cuisine.
The author has an inspiring story that proves that with hard work and strong determination, any dream can be achieved. Chef ZZ left Morocco for US at the age of 19, where he started as a dishwasher and ended up learning all aspects of the restaurant business. He ended up getting a degree in Culinary Arts and became an executive banquet chef for the 1996 Olympic tennis team’s “Gala Affair” in Atlanta, GA. In 2002 Zouhair opened his own restaurant, Spices in Maui, island of Hawaii. Chef ZZ now works at a five-diamond resort where his abilities and passion earned him the coveted Culinary Excellence Award from the JW Marriott Resort & Spa and a Certificate of Appreciation from the White House.
Get chef ZZ’s recipe for Tomato, Fennel, and Saffron Soup with Olive Oil–Poached Artichokes
Whether you want to impress your guests at the next dinner party or spice up your weekday dinner routine, Moorish Fusion Cuisine will give you “something different,” recipes you cannot find in any other cookbook.
Leave a comment below & enter to win a copy of the book, Moorish Fusion Cuisine: Conquering the New World by Zouhair Zairi with more exciting recipes. Winners will be announced on Oct 30, 2011.
