Maroque Newsletter
Welcome to our birthday newsletter. We are five! I am so excited, as each of our birthdays comes around I get more enthusiastic: I assumed the excitement would diminish with time but I have more ideas now and more plans for the future than I ever had before!
But Maroque's birthday always reminds me I wouldn't be anywhere without my customers and your support and enthusiasm over time always amazes me, so a huge THANK YOU and I have included something special for you at the end of the newsletter.
As autumn starts its steady pace, I have a few tips that should brighten up your living room and slow the creep of damp evenings.
I take another look at the artisans that make the stunning items available from Morocco, in the north western corner of the medina in Marrakech, close to the city walls, several caravanserai have been beautifully restored and are now used by craftsman (mostly carpenters) the detailed carving on view for the curious passer-by.
With my vegetable garden in abundance at this time of year, an obvious choice of recipe seemed my version of Seven Vegetable Couscous.
Meet the artisans
For many years the ancient caravanserai dotted around Marrakesh have been slipping further and further into disrepair, but a recent government-funded scheme has seen these wonderful structures restored to their former glory.
Traditionally resting places for travellers and a place for them to sell goods and catch up on news, these large two-storey square structures have small bays designed for merchants and their families, which have now been converted into workshops and homes for craftsman, mostly carpenters.
The quality of their work is amazing: the detail and finish stunning. From huge doors over 8 feet tall to tiny moucharabi detail on chairs, the work is truly remarkable.
Sensuous Moroccan living room
As the nights draw in, and the first chill of autumn can be felt in the air, recreate the heady warmth of Morocco in your living room.
From the deepest shades of amber to earthy terracottas, twinkling brass and sultry lighting will have you reclining in your Moroccan living room in no time!
One of the favourite colours used on Moroccan walls is terracotta: the enveloping warmth of earthy colours can create a truly seductive atmosphere. In the most luxurious homes in Morocco the walls are covered in tadlekt, this ancient plastering technique makes the walls reflect the light and almost appear to glow from within.
The labour-intensive process of creating tadlekt involves using lime dust to produce a hard waterproof surface, the plaster is painstakingly polished to make it as hard as marble, painted with egg whites, and finished with black soap.
But a similar finish can be created by painting your walls a shade of terracotta and then sponging them with a slightly paler colour, such as peach, this will create a warm glow and add depth to your wall.
Subdued lighting is key in creating an atmosphere full of warmth: sensuous and inviting. A few brass lanterns dotted about, twinkling with candle light reflecting their soft patterns on the walls, add an instant sense of intimacy and warmth.
A larger centre light can be an ideal opportunity to show your bold and daring side, with a strikingly large antique style Moroccan lamp. These stunning lamps, while not ideal for creating bright light, have the ability to take your breath away when illuminated. Casting a myriad of intricate patterns in shadow and colour across your ceiling and walls, and creating an atmosphere that is exotic, mysterious and at the same time cosy and sensuous.
Hand woven Moroccan kilim rugs in their traditional bold red and black add a striking contrast to the subdued walls and subtle lighting. The traditional patterns used, dating back a thousand years, add a dimension of an ancient culture and a sense of the unknown, while fitting perfectly with your lighting and adding to your sensuous den.
While it's not practicable to change your sofa each time you decorate your living room, changing the look of it can have a huge effect. A Moroccan silk throw in the sumptuous shades of a Moroccan sunset, burning red, deepest orange, dazzling amber and burnished copper, conjures the sense of the heat at the end of a glorious Moroccan day.
A Moroccan inspired living room can seem vibrant and alive, mysterious and exotic, yet at the same time warm and welcoming.
Recipe
Seven Vegetable Couscous
Every family in Moroccan has its own version, this is mine. It does include lamb, but it works just as well without the meat for a veggie feast. Using seven vegetables is meant to be lucky, and at this time of year it's quite easy to get seven vegetables.
Ingredients
1kg (2lb) lean lamb cut into large chunks or a lamb shank each.
2 onions sliced
300g (11oz) couscous
1100ml (2pts) of vegetable stock
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 generous pinches of saffron strands
30g (1oz) butter
Coriander leaves chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 small carrots
1 squash cut into slices
8 small courgettes
4 small aubergines
4 large tomatoes
2 peppers cut into quarters
400g (13oz) tin of chick peas (I class this as a veg)
You can also add potatoes, parsnips, swede and cabbage.
This dish is ideally cooked in a couscoussiere, but a large pot with a lid and a large sieve or colander lined with damp muslin will do fine. Or for ease, cook the couscous separately with stock and butter.
1. Fry off the lamb and onions until brown.
2. Add all the spices (not the coriander leaves) and stir until coated. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.
3. Cook the lamb and spices for about an hour, longer for lamb shank.
4. While the lamb is cooking, rinse the couscous in water drain and set aside, break up any lumps that form with your fingers.
5. Add the carrots and the chickpeas to the lamb and cook for 30 minutes.
6. During this time add the couscous to the sieve and place over the pot with the lid on, to steam the couscous in the aromatic steam, for about 10 minutes. Remove from the top of the pot and fork through to break up any lumps and then add the butter to the couscous working it through with a fork.
7. Add the rest of the vegetables to the pot along with the chopped coriander, add more stock if needed.
8. Place the buttered couscous back on top of the pot and replace the lid. Cook for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
9. To serve, heap the couscous onto a warmed platter and form into an even ring around the outside. With a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb and the vegetables to the centre of the dish. Pour some of the juice over and the rest into a serving jug.
Serves 4 to 6
Site update
We have some new tables and lamps on site and a few vintage rugs: a new thing for me, these fine woven rugs in muted shades are a contrast to the vibrant bold colours of the new rugs and have much more subtle impact.
We have a few new food items in stock and a new range of Lebanese foods including wild rose jam, which should be with me next week.
Birthday 'thank you'
At our birthday I feel it's especially important to say thank you to my loyal customers and try and show how much I value your support, input and, of course, continued custom.
So to say a huge THANK YOU, I would be delighted to offer you 12% discount across our range from now until the end of September (this also applies to our sister company Bhatik, which has just had a revamp, so if you haven't had a look for a little while you may find something to entice you).
All you have to do is type MAR05 into the offer code box at 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