Welcome to the next Maroque newsletter.  As promised in the last one, this newsletter is a bit sooner.  I hope you enjoy it.

I'm continuing the series of taking a different room in the house each, and this time I'm taking the bedroom.  I have been looking forward to doing the Moroccan bedroom section since I began this series: I guess it's the one room in the house, which is most private, your own little sanctuary where you can indulge your taste, without the same level of scrutiny that the rest of your house can receive.

The recipe this time is my own creation (oh nerves).  I promise it's dead easy.

And finally Maroque is branching into Moroccan ingredients, read on...

Contemporary Moroccan Bedroom

I have decided to split the bedroom section into two very distinct parts: a contemporary Moroccan themed bedroom, and a traditional Moroccan bedroom.  I will chat about the modern one this time and the traditional one in the next issue.

Moroccan décor leads itself very well to a modern makeover, and also has the advantage of creating a distinctive theme without a major redecorating project.  Many people want a hint of an idea in their private space rather than a full-blown extravagant make over, or if you are sharing your room, sometimes a compromise has to be made on the decor.  A modern Moroccan room can fill both of these very well.

Looking at a modern Moroccan bedroom you can work with tranquil creams, contemporary whites and muted shades, to make your bedroom calming, serene and peaceful, yet distinctive and individual.

Cool crisp white linen off set by some distinctive yet understated cushions, some white and 'silver' edged pottery, and maybe a camel bone mirror in creams and silvers, can add that little something with out detracting from the overall sense of space and calm.

Another option on a modern Moroccan bedroom would be to introduce strong colours, so familiar and recognisable as Moroccan.  Vibrant reds, deep terracottas, sunburnt yellows.  Introducing these colours to your bedroom gives it an instant lift.

A vibrant 'shades of the sunset' throw, across your bed and your room is transported to a sunnier climate.  An amber and white Moroccan glass light on a bedside table adds an interesting feature (and now that some of the small glass lights come wired they are much more practical).  These simple additions to your bedroom can be done very easily, not a paintbrush in sight, and give a sunny Moroccan tone to your room while still leaving a contemporary feel, simple lines and minimum fuss.

I have pictures on the site of some bedrooms in a contemporary Moroccan theme please click here to have a look.

Food

Maroque Chicken (No-lemon chicken)

I hope you will like this simple chicken dish, it is my own creation, and so I would value your feed back on it.

It originated from a whinge (oh no sorry, merely a strong suggestion) from hubby that all Moroccan chicken dishes contained lemon, and why could we not have one without lemon.  This is the result: Maroque's no-lemon chicken.  I hope you like it.

Ingredients
Serves 2, easily doubled

1 tbsp of olive oil
2 chicken breasts chopped into bite-sized bits
1 large onion chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1 red pepper diced
a large pinch of saffron
a large shake of cumin seeds
1 tsp of ground coriander
1/2 tsp of chilli powder
1 pint of chicken stock
salt and a generous amount of black pepper

1. Add the oil to a large saucepan or deep-sided frying pan and fry the onions and garlic until brown.  Set aside.

2. Fry off the chicken until coloured, return the onions and garlic to the pan.

3. Add saffron, cumin seeds, coriander, chilli, salt and pepper, and stir well to coat everything.

4. Add the chicken stock and bring to the boil.  Reduce to a strong simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until you have a nice consistency to the sauce.  Serve with rice.

Branching into something new

If like me you don't live in a major city, getting Moroccan spices is always a bit hit and miss, and they are never all in the same place.  This prompted me to try to get all the major Moroccan ingredients under one roof, easily accessible to buy at any time, and introduce a selection of recipes using each of the ingredients.

To try to achieve this we have expanded the food section on Maroque, to include a selection of Moroccan spice blends, spices, preserved lemons, and other difficult to find Moroccan foodstuffs including our own mint tea!  Please click here to see our selection.

I'm in the process of adding recipes on all of the spice blends we are selling, if you have a recipe you would like to share, please pass it on and I will add it to the section, or if there is a particular food that I currently don't have that you would like to see, please let me know.

Thank you for your continued support.  If you have any comments, ideas or suggestions I would love to hear from you.  Please email info@maroque.co.uk.

Have a fantastic tail-end of the summer and I will write again in a couple of months.

Kind regards

Julie Woodard
Maroque