Yasmin's Moroccan fish

Recipes: Moroccan-spiced fish with vegetables, Roasted asparagus

 Our friend Yasmin has been visiting, and when she's here we often have a cook-a-thon and of course a resulting eat-a-thon. Yasmin, who is originally from Israel, cooks Middle Eastern style and I love her spicing. She says there were many Moroccan families in her neighborhood near Jerusalem, and she learned to make this dish from them. It's an original one-pot meal, with vegetables, potatoes, beans, and fish all cooked together in a delicious sauce that can be as spicy, or not, as you wish.

We served Moroccan fish with a simple dish of roasted asparagus with balsamica and Parmigiano cheese, plus chunks of bread for dipping. And wine, of course. It was a memorable meal.

Moroccan Fish 

Spread one tablespoon canola or peanut oil over the bottom of a large skillet or Dutch oven. 

• Add a layer of sliced red or yellow potatoes, about two medium potatoes, unpeeled if you wish.
• Add a layer of carrots, peeled and either sliced or cut into thin sticks (two or three medium carrots).
• Add a layer of red bell pepper, cut in strips (one bell pepper)
• Add a layer of sliced fresh ripe tomatoes, if they are in season, or you could use chopped roasted tomatoes, if you roasted and froze some of last year's crop. Or you could eliminate the tomatoes. In this case, it is better not to use canned.
• Add five or six whole cloves of peeled garlic.
• Add fresh seeded sliced hot chiles, or seeded and crumbled dried chiles, to taste. Or, if you would like it to be only a little spicy, add a sprinkle of crushed red chile flakes. Or forget about the chiles.
• Place four pieces of salmon (or tuna, or talapia) on top. This is one time when it's just as good to use frozen fish, as opposed to fresh fish, because it's going to cook a long time. And frozen fish is usually much less expensive!

Put your pot with all its vegetables and fish on a medium high flame. When you hear it start to sizzle, add water to halfway up the vegetables. Cover and bring it to a boil.

While the pot's coming to a boil, make the sauce. In a bowl combine:

• 1/3 cup canola or peanut oil
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• a dash of ground cumin
• a dash of ground turmeric
• a pinch of good saffron (optional, only if you have it)

When the pot boils, add one can of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed. Then add the sauce over all. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. 

Uncover and cook for one hour over medium heat. The liquid should just evaporate, but the potatoes should not stick to the bottom, so you will need to keep an eye on it close to the end. 

Top with a handful of chopped cilantro and serve with Roasted Asparagus below. Yum!

Roasted Asparagus

Buy fat asparagus with fresh green tips. Trim the stems about an inch from the bottom, or where the stem turns woody. Carefully peel the lower half of each stem with a vegetable peeler.

Wash the asparagus briefly in running water and pat dry with a towel. In an wide baking pan, toss the asparagus with a tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of sea salt. 

Roast in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 20 minutes. When you remove from the oven, drizzle a tablespoon of good Balsamic vinegar over the spears.

Make shavings of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese with the vegetable peeler and sprinkle over the asparagus. Serve.