Moroccan Spread
The ultimate Feast! As a cook that makes absolutely everything, along absolutely any culinary, nutritional and gastronomic lines, I can tell you with great authority: An authentic All or Mostly Moroccan Spread, with all bells and whistles, is quite often what the hungry crowds will walk miles for; it is what they clamor for, not least because it is so often poorly represented in restaurants, if at all. And of course because it is spectacular. Understated elegance at its best and most wholesome.
Why can’t someone just open a fabulous Kosher Moroccan Restaurant everyone, Kosher or not, will flock to. I so admire the Mom-inspired Magical Moroccan flair International Celebrity Chef Meir Adoni infuses many of his dishes with. If I could think of a Chef perfectly suited for the All-Moroccan-Restaurant mission, then it would be him!
Two Moroccan Spread Menus and Recipes
We hosted these two feasts just two weeks apart. One bog (for forty plus guests, 1 small for eight guests. I am always on a Moroccan Spread kick. Some dishes will overlap, and of course that’s OK! As always when you entertain, a good menu is half the battle
My Niece’s Sheva Brachot.
My niece’s wedding, wedding, the night before, was a tough act to follow (oh boy what a blast!) but I was repeatedly told I did OK for myself with this Moroccan Feast. About 45 guests.
Perfect enhancements to my Moroccan Spread
Let me start by giving kudos to the two services that provided what I did NOT make:
The most adorable and scrumptious tiny sourdough multigrain rolls. Patis came right to my neighborhood, with a concession at the hip and laid back Arthouse Hotel Ask me, I know, we’ve been invading the Arthouse Hotel Lobby with our coffee and with Patis heavenly goodies, plopping on their plush couches and chatting until we drop.
Fabulous selection of authentic Moroccan pastries. That cookie with cracks all over it is a spicy walnut cookie, the Moroccan answer to Pfeffernüsse. There’s no way I will make 5-6 kinds of pastries, at about 50 pieces per batch, so getting the perfect assortment in the right numbers is priceless.
So here comes Moroccan Spread #1 Menu!
Here I am sending a huge shoutout to Kosher Family Marketplace, who provided the fabulous #cheekmeat I used. Meltingly tender and gelatinous, trimmed perfectly (thank you dear butcher for listening ❤️) Expensive, but well worth it. The way I look at it is, I didn’t buy expensive roasts or chops, so this was the very special treat. I tell you, they went wild over it. Harissa (included) is a big player here, and it takes only a few minutes to make a nice size batch.
You don’t want to ever run out of my dry spice rub! You’ll be amazed at all you can do with it. You will note that I make it without any salt, leaving you in complete control of the amount of salt you want to use (For example, Kosher meat and poultry, being fully salted during the Kashering process, in my opinion need no added salat whatsoever), even as you spread the other good flavors really thick. Boneless chicken is easier to use at buffet meals, as it reduces the mess and the need for knives.
I know, corny, right? But if corny comes out delicious, why not? I sold it out in minutes. The friend pictured here said he could never bring himself to try liver, but he did last night, because nobody says no to Levana’s Food; I gave him the promised dollar as a reward for being such a good sport. I made a convert!
Fantastic flavor lineup, and vegan too. Swiss chard plays a huge part in our cuisine. It’s like this: you say Kale, we say chard. Love the briny flavor of the ribs, and when I find the tricolor bunch, I dont miss it
. This is the brand new kid on the block. You’ll be happy!
Needs no introduction. Take a look how it is cooked down until not a single drop of liquid remains, except the oil which resurfaces. Super easy when you work with a broad bottom pot.
A terrific take on fresh salad greens. Oranges brighten up everything, and the orange-fennel-radish flavor trio cannot be beat.
Here I must add a friendly warning: you will sell out too soon no matter how much of it you make. It’s just the way it is. A delicious problem.
I got lucky and found my fav eggplant, the long skinny one called Japanese Eggplant; So instead of dicing the eggplant, I cut it into long thin strips, and proceeded with the recipe.
Here you will find all pickles variations, from Asian to Moroccan, all good, all easy, and all much superior to any commercial pickles.
We called it Amhammar, which literally means “roasted”, because of the way it comes out, puffed and golden. This dish is great hot or at room temperature, and is always a great addition to our buffets.
🔺Said Patis sourdough whole grain mini rolls.
🔺Said Meska Assorted Moroccan Pastries
My newborn star! Easy and delicious
Frozen and thawed berries are the best choice, another item that sells out in no time
OK I think that’s enough! Told you it was a feast!
I was pleasantly surprised to see very few leftovers. They didn’t go to waste, I assure you. I sent dinner to a guest that couldn’t make it, and rerouted a dinner date I had with two dear friends tonight, and we had the best leftover party.
We are a few dear friends that get together a few times a year, and take turns hosting: the perfect dinner for eight. This was the perfect meatless feast. My hosting Day fell (OK, I gave it a little push, to make it fit) on my birthday (don’t ask what number 😱), and the best birthday gift was, making lunch for a few dear friends.
I trust you will find enough of my thoughts on composing a menu and on my irresistible attraction for Moroccan Food in the previous paragraph, so I will just rattle off the dishes here.
🅾️ Vodka, Sake Lychee Punch
🅾️ Fava Bean Soup
🅾️ Orange Olive Salad
🅾️ Matbukha
🅾️ Celery Root Salad with Rémoulade Dressing
Just shredded celery root, with Rémoulade Dressing. Start by making the dressing, then shred the celery root in a food processor, and mix it with the dressing quickly, so as not to give the celery root any time to oxidize.
🅾️ Sliced Beefsteak Tomato
That’s right, just sliced perfect tomatoes, with Cooking Argan Oil and Maldon Salt: Amazing!
🅾️ Homemade Pickles
🅾️ Baby Eggplant Salad
(I really mean baby, the size of half a finger)
🅾️ Moroccan Potato Pie
Potato Pie #Amhammer
🅾️ Beet Salad
No recipe even. Several brands offer vacuum-packed roasted beets.
diced with pomegranate arils, good olive oil and pomegranate molasses
🅾️ Swiss Chard, Date and Chickpea Tajine with Toasted Almonds
🅾️ Dry Spice Rub Seared Salmon
🅾️ Raw Halvah Chocolate Pie
🅾️ Mixed Seed Bark
🅾️ Giant Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookie
My friend Kayla took dinner for her husband. And this morning I got the following message from him: “Levana Thank you so much for introducing Kayla to the takeout place in your building. I had a fantastic dinner from there tonight!”
