Moroccan Pesto Recipes

MOROCCAN PESTO ROCKFISH WITH CLAM AND CHORIZO SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Pesto:.
• Mortar and Pestle Method:.
• Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, and salt in a large mortar with a little of the olive oil and pound into a paste with a pestle. Add the remaining olive oil. Slather mixture on the fish and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
• Food Processor Method:.
• Place the parsley, cilantro, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, salt, and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture forms a paste. Add remainder of olive oil, a tablespoon or so at a time, and pulse to mix well. Slather on the fish and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.
• For the Sauce:.
• In a large pot or saute pan, heat olive oil. Add shallots and garlic and cook on low heat for 1 minute. Add sausage and cook through. Add tomatoes, clams, and wine. Cook until clams open. (Discard any that don't open.) Season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice.
• For the fish:.
• Heat a scant 1/4 inch of good olive oil in a large saute pan. Remove the rockfish fillets from the refrigerator and saute approximately 4-5 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of the fillet (Fish should be cooked through until opaque and flaky for best flavor).
• To serve, place the cooked fillets on a platter, and place the clams around them. Spoon the sauce over the fish and garnish with green onion slivers.
• Note: To toast cumin seeds, heat oven to 400 degrees F. Spread seeds on a baking sheet and cook until fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

VEGETABLE COUSCOUS WITH MOROCCAN PESTO

Steps:

• Make the pesto:
• Combine the cilantro, parsley leaves, almonds and garlic in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt; process until smooth.
• Prepare the vegetables for the couscous: Heat a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the butter begins to brown. Add the onion. Tie the reserved parsley stems and cinnamon stick together with twine; add to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, carrots, zucchini and/or Swiss chard, raisins, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the parsley and cinnamon.
• Meanwhile, cook the couscous as the label directs. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, season with salt and pepper and fluff with a fork. Top the couscous with the vegetables and pesto.

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, raise the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Off the heat and add the couscous. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Add the pignoli nuts and currants to the couscous, stir and serve.
• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot with 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface as needed. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill. Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.

POACHED SALMON WITH MOROCCAN PESTO

Steps:

• Stir the lemon juice and salt together, then add the salmon and turn to coat thoroughly. Marinate in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
• In a large straight-sided sauté pan or a low-sided pot just wide enough to hold the salmon in a single layer, bring the broth to a slow boil over medium heat. Slide the salmon into the broth and poach for 7 to 9 minutes, just until the fish is tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each fillet registers 127°F.
• Garnish each with a generous dollop of Moroccan Pesto and serve immediately.
• There are many toppings you can dollop on poached salmon, including Basil Lemon Drizzle (page 177), Olive and Caper Relish (page 186), and Parsley Basil Drizzle (page 187).
• Usually it's best to buy your fish the same day you're preparing it. However, life doesn't always work that way. If you must store the fish longer, put it in a resealable plastic bag in the coldest part of your refrigerator, which is usually the back of the bottom shelf. It should hold for an extra two days. Put a note on the fridge to remind you that the fish is there. You know that old saying, "Out of sight, out of mind."
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days.
• (per serving)
• Calories: 245
• Total Fat: 10.9g (1.7g saturated, 4.9g monounsaturated)
• Carbohydrates: 12g
• Protein: 24g
• Fiber: 2g
• Sodium: 530mg
• Are you wondering which fish cancer experts like in terms of beneficial nutritional content? Integrative oncologist Donald Abrams, an ardent foodie, suggests the following: "I like fish from deep, cold water. Salmon, albacore tuna, black cod, herring, mackerel, sardines-those are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids."

FETTUCCINE WITH MERGUEZ AND MINT PESTO

Steps:

• Make the pesto: Turn on food processor, and drop garlic through feed tube to mince. Add pine nuts through the tube and grind. Add mint leaves and process until mixture is combined. Scrape down bowl, and with machine running, slowly drizzle in the 1/3 cup olive oil. Process until blended. Transfer to a small bowl and season to taste with salt. Set aside.
• Make the pasta: Heat 3 quarts water in a large pot. As water comes to boil, heat oil in a large sauté pan, and sauté onion on medium-low until soft. Stir in cumin. Add merguez, increase heat to medium and cook, using two forks to break up the sausage and stirring all the while, until the meat is nubbly and no longer looks raw. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, olives and 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Reduce heat to low.
• Add fettuccine to boiling water and cook about 5 minutes, until nearly al dente. Drain, reserving 3/4 cup of the pasta water, and set pasta aside. Add pasta water to the merguez mixture and let cook until liquid in the pan just coats the ingredients. Stir in lemon juice. Add fettuccine to sauté pan, tossing with other ingredients over low heat. Add salt to taste. Transfer to individual bowls or a serving dish and serve with remaining pesto alongside.

BROILED TILAPIA AND EGGPLANT WITH MOROCCAN PESTO

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Bring 3/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Put the couscous in a medium heatproof bowl and stir in the boiling water. Cover the bowl and set aside until the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Meanwhile, puree the garlic, cilantro, 3 tablespoons olive oil and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Pulse in the lemon zest, cumin, coriander, paprika and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Score the eggplant flesh in a 1/2-inch crosshatch pattern and place cut-side up on a foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with 2 tablespoons of the cilantro pesto and season with salt and pepper. Broil the eggplant, without turning, until browned and softened, 10 to 14 minutes.
• Lay the tilapia on another foil-lined baking sheet. Brush with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil until the fish is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Brush each fillet with about 1 teaspoon pesto.
• Divide the fish, couscous and eggplant among plates. Mix the yogurt with 1 tablespoon water and drizzle on the eggplant. Top the fish with the remaining pesto and more cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.

CHERMOULA (MOROCCAN PESTO)

Steps:

• combine in blender or food processor until smooth paste forms.