Wednesday 1 December 2010

Tasty Tagine, More Holiday Photos and Giveway Question Three

For these chilly days here's a recipe for Lamb
Tagine with olives and lemon that was in the
Telegraph last weekend. It is very authentic,
just like one we enjoyed in Marrakech.
Lamb Tagine with olives and lemon
Serves 4, preparation time 30 minutes,
cooking time 60 minutes

Ingredients

2 large onions
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 large garlic cloves
pinch saffron stamens
3 tsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)
570g lamb shoulder, leg steaks or neck fillet
1/2 chicken stock cube
3 preserved lemons
75g pitted green olives
80g bunch coriander
1 fresh lemon
250g couscous

Method

1. Peel, halve and chop the onions.
Add 2 tbsp oil to a spacious
heavy-bottomed lidded pan or a tagine.
Melt the butter in the oil and stir in
chopped onions.
Stir occasionally for about 10 minutes
until glassy.
2. Peel, chop and crush the garlic to a paste
with a pinch of salt.
Sprinkle the saffron over the onions,
stirring as it bleeds colour into
the hot juices.
Stir in the garlic, then the ras el hanout,
stir-frying for two minutes.
3. Cut the lamb into bite-size chunks.
Brown the lamb in the onions, then
add 1/2 stock cube dissolved in 300ml of
boiling water.
4. Quarter the preserved lemons, scrape
away the seeds and flesh and slice the peel.
Stir the peel and olives into the stew.
5. Chop the coriander, slicing the stalks
finely.
Add the stalks to the pot.
6. Gently simmer, cover and cook for 45 minutes.
7. Check that the meat is very tender, if not,
cook a bit longer.
8. Adjust the seaoning with salt, pepper
and lemon juice.
Stir in the chopped coriander.
Serve with couscous (250g hydrated
in 400ml boiling water).
Here are some fabric-related photos from my trip to
Marrakech. We had a guided trip in the souq
and no time to haggle and buy. On my next visit I would
be happy to go to the souk without a guide and
do some serious shopping.





The staff at our hotel seemed very skilled in fabric origami.
The chambermaid folded a towel to make this swan in Sam's cot:
 and a lovely waiter folded this napkin doll for Sam:
So to today's question.  You can still add your comments to question two but question one is closed as it has been answered.  I've realised I haven't told you what the giveaway is!  Be assured it's a lovely goody bag of quilty things which I'll reveal soon.
Giveway Question Three:
What sort of things do you like to bring home as holiday souvenirs (apart from fabric of course!)?
 

16 comments:

  1. A piece of original art by a local artist if possible, or something that just speaks of the memories we made there!

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  2. Any local craft item that you could never find back home.

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  3. Lis, love the photos. The colours are so vibrant and those lovely hanks of wool.What dyes did they use, perhaps some indigo for the blue.

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  4. We always try and bring back a painting done by a local artist, although we are running out of wall space!

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  5. I often collect souvenier tea towels when on holiday, a lovely memory when home and on dish duty.

    It would break my heart to be rushed past all that gorgeous fabric and not being able to stop and buy any!

    Jenny from sunny New Zealand

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  6. Hmm, if we are at the seaside I like to find new shells to bring home and add to our collection. Or bring home some local cuisine, on our last trip we bought some olive oil from a local olive farm and some cheese where we actually saw it being made! And we try and take lot's of photo's.

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  7. We go hunting for locally made treasures to give to family and friends. Whether it be food, wine jewellry or craft, including gorgoeus homemade soaps and hand creams. I have to confess yarn would sorely tempt me too. It is such fun snopping for treasures.
    Looks like you had a ball :-)
    Cheers
    Lynne

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  8. I usually bring home some kind of local food from the place I am visiting. My DH brings home rocks.

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  9. I always seem to end up buying some local pottery! And, of course, there's always fabric and lots of photos.

    What beautiful textile photos - it would have been nearly unbearable to not be able to shop and enjoy those fabrics up close! Thanks for sharing the photos of your trip.

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  10. Oh dear, the mind boggles at all the goodies one wants to bring home but in the end it usually comes down to both price and weight.
    We once did a months bus tour across America and on the first day of the tour I bought a beautiful glass lamp and carried for the next 29 days only for it to get broken within a week of getting home. So how daft was that!!
    Now I only buy small and unbreakable souvenirs which will have memories of times and places for me once I get home.
    Yvonne -the ragpicker

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  11. Always local food and if we're by the sea then shells and interesting stones

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  12. We always choose a piece of pottery from a local artisan - memories of the trip return when we look at it!

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  13. I like to get a tea towel because you use them all the time and its lovely to be reminded of a holiday much later down the track, and wool of course and fabric if I can fit it in :-)

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  14. We don't tend to look for things to buy on holiday. What we like to bring home are photos and memories. If we want a tangible reminder we get a (tastful) magnet for the fridge.
    Teresa x

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  15. I'd go for small ornaments or something really useful in the house - as we have a limited space :)

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  16. You are absolutely right about fabric here - there isn`t really any suitable for quilting and so I have to order online - no LQS here!

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I really appreciate your lovely comments, ideas and opinions, they make my day. Thank you for visiting Piece'n'Peace,
hugs, Lis x