Thursday, March 10, 2011

Moroccan Feast or Diffa

I hosted a Moroccan Feast on Tuesday. This I had promised to my girl friends who all gave me a huge casserole/braiser pan for my Bday in Jan. So I planned to make an easy Moroccan chicken with a salad... that was my initial plan. Then as always once I start planning and researching a bit about Moroccan food I ended up with so many dishes:

~ Mint tea with fresh mint leaves to start of and to end the meal with
~ Moroccan chicken with chickpeas & zucchini
~ Lamb tagine with sweet potato
~ Zaalouk (egg plant dip)
~ Hummus with pine nuts on top
~ Yogurt dip with fresh mint and cilantro
~ Pita bread
~ Couscous
~ Green Salad
~ Dessert: Oranges infused with Orange blossom water, served with vanilla frozen yogurt, candied rose petals & pistachios

And instead of the 8-10 girl friends I thought were coming we had a full house that day and I ended up having 12 ladies, one young man, a baby and 2 little ones over for lunch! So much fun! I love these impromptu gatherings, and since I always make enough food it was no problem that a few more ended up at the lunch table. These moments are special to me, having a nice meal and chatting with your friends... what better way can you imagine than spending your time like this!!

The day before I even went out to a Moroccan here in town and bought these cute original glasses and tray, serving mint tea you can only do this way!



Table settings in some Moroccan colors, the deep hues of the reds/purples/blues/greens, it looked so nice!





Baby Gabriel didn't taste our food yet, but he is getting to know the girl friends of his mom Olimpia!



I love these hang-outs with my friends... too bad Tehmina was not there, although she called us from London to say Hi! and we missed her!!



My friend Karen took all these photographs since I had no time to take some myself, thank you Karen, they are great!
This time my husband was even lucky and we all had some left-overs for dinner that evening, although I added some more chicken pieces to the stew and some more couscous.

More events like this to come, because I am thinking of starting to give cooking classes after I come back from India. Got a few requests now and it made me think about it...
This menu will be on the list for sure then, but I have many more themes in my head ;-)

We get together and it is always around food with us... no wonder I have a hard time loosing my pounds I had in mind! LOL
Have a Terrific Thursday!
Mireille

10 comments:

Leila said...

Wouahouu! It looks delicious! Bravo Mireille.
I'm right now in Thailand. Now, I understand why you are so attached to this wonderful country. I like it too.

Leila

Flyss said...

Looks delicious as usual! You'd make such a great cookery teacher. I'm teaching cooking in a summer camp in Maine, New England this summer, but it will be more basic things like muffins and pies! x

Mireille said...

@Leila, enjoy the Land of the Smiles, it is a wonderful country... but be aware, you will get addicted to Thailand! Most people do.
@Flyss, how fun to do that in a summer camp in NE, I used to live in Connecticut before moving to SA and I just LOVE it up there!! So beautiful. Enjoy your summer, I will be in the USA as well, all over the place though...

Bing said...

It was the best home cooked lunch I've ever had. I loved each dish, especially the lamb! You've outdone yourself!

Wendy said...

I gain weight just reading your blog.

Unknown said...

Can't wait for those cooking classes.

Mary

Mireille said...

Thanks Bing! You outdid yourself with the pictures :-)
We could be a good team...
@Wendy.. unfortunately that is the down side of cooking... you have to eat it as well. Well, not that I dislike that part, it just is not good for my waistline :-)
@Mary, soon I am starting, will put you on the list!

Miss Footloose said...

I agree with you, eating a great meal with friends is a wonderful way to spend time. Cooking and preparing is fun for those who love to cook (and a nightmare for those who don't) and I love the creative part of putting it all together and making it look beautiful.

Your photos show the fun ambiance of your party, and of course, Moroccan cuisine is one of the best in the world!

Anonymous said...

IMPRESSIVE! the dishes look fantastic for this wonderful dinner theme! What lucky friends!

Maci Miller said...

wow, what a feast! Looks incredible! And how casually you seem to throw it together! Mighty impressive, my friend!

Love those little glasses you picked up...gorgeous! And I think it's a lovely idea for you to teach others and share your gift...brilliant!

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