Maroque Newsletter
Welcome to the 4th birthday edition of the Maroque newsletter. Four! I can't believe it, where has the time gone? Hopefully lots of interesting things to entice you in this issue and a little birthday something to say thank you for your support.
I'm not mentioning the weather this time, in the last newsletter I said what a glorious summer we were having, and it proceeded to do nothing but rain for the next month.
Our featured city this month is Essaouira, known as the windy city and a haven for windsurfers, but so much more. I thought our recipe should also follow on the seaside theme and I have a tasty recipe for trout (ok, sea trout) that uses couscous as a stuffing.
Our featured product this month is a whole new range of luxury bathing and body products, they are so sumptuous!
Essaouira
On the western shoulder of Africa, just about level with the Canaries, Essaouira stands on a vast bay sweeping south with miles of superb sandy beach, and wooded hills dominating the skyline to the east.
A Phoenician trading post for nearly 3000 years, Essaouira is justifiably proud of its ancient port and reputation as a pirate's cove. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is probably the best known coastal tourist town of Morocco. Essaouira is called the windy city and is more of a town on the coast than a beach resort.
The word Essaouira means image. Observed from any angle, Essaouira is a perfect photograph. Inside its whitewashed medina with blue doors lies a city that has been influenced by various cultures (Berber, Carthaginian, Portuguese, English and others). It was the Jewish traders that once formed the majority of the population and it was they who transformed Essaouira into what became Morocco's most prosperous city in the 17th and 18th centuries. The lively port and honeycombed media are a delight to explore and, as cars are forbidden in the medina, it is a hub of human activity.
Essaouira is also a favourite haunt for artists and musicians: Orson Wells filmed most of Othello here in 1949. Essaouira has a great selection of boutique hotels to chill out in, and to absorb its laid back atmosphere.
Recipe
This light fish dish is taken from Hilaire Walden's The Moroccan Collection. As an avid collector of cookbooks, especially North African cookbooks, I find myself going back time and time again to this one. While I enjoy many of the others, this cookbook consistently delivers authentic results that are surprisingly easy.
Trout stuffed with couscous, almonds and herbs
Ingredients
4tbs olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
125g (4oz) couscous
300ml (1/2pt) fish or vegetable stock
1tbs of chopped parsley
1tbs of chopped mint
4 trout, each weighing about 375g (12oz), gutted, heads removed and boned (worth talking nicely to your fish monger, and he should do this in no time)
50g (2oz) flaked almonds
Salt and pepper
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and fry until softened, adding the garlic towards the end. Stir in the couscous, fish or vegetable stock, parsley and mint. Bring to the boil then remove the pan from the heat and leave for 10-15 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
2. Season the trout with salt and pepper and fill the cavity of each one with a quarter of the couscous mixture. Lay the fish in a greased shallow baking dish. Mix the remaining oil with the almonds and spoon over the fish.
3. Bake in a preheated oven, 200C (400F, gas mark 6), for 15-20 minutes until the fish flakes when tested with a fork.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges and serve with warm bread.
Serves 4
Featured item - Luxury bathing and body products
While I was in Morocco in June I came across a range of bath and body products that were so fantastic, I thought I have to supply these (sounds a bit like a telly ad, ugh). The company, called Les Sens de Marrakech and run by a lady called Celine, produces a range of products that are rich in argan oil and beautifully presented in glass bottles with hand crafted metal accessories.
Argan oil is great for nourishing and hydrating the skin, it is also reputedly famous for its anti-aging properties (count me in!), and the scents of these products are just sumptuous.
I have brought in a small range in three scents: jasmine, orange blossom, and amber and musk. The range includes:
Site update
We have some new products that have just arrived from Morocco, but unfortunately not the full range of new ceramics I was hoping for. These are currently sitting in a container in Casablanca, but should be with me mid October. We have some very swish new large lamps, some very unusual large frames with silver detail, and of course our new range of body products.
Birthday offer
I am truly delighted that Maroque has reached the grand old age of four (and more than a little proud), but I'm also extremely aware that I would not have got so far without the tremendous support of my customers, especially the loyal readers on my mailing list! And I feel I would like to say a huge THANK YOU, and offer a 12% discount across our range from now until the end of September (this also applies to our sister company Bhatik). All you have to do is type MAR04 into the offer code box on the checkout page.
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
Kind regards
Julie Woodard
Maroque