Maroque Newsletter

Welcome to the new decade, and what a start!  Here in Suffolk we escaped the worst of the weather, but what we had caused chaos.  Definitely comfort food weather: who can diet when it's so cold and gray?  Well that's my excuse for this year sorted!

I'm very excited that the next instalment of my cook book, my new Little Orange Cook Book, is ready for down load, a little more on that later.  I'm taking a quick look at very Persian ingredient, rhubarb and I promise no custard in sight.  We have had a new delivery of mirrors, as well as lots of terracotta lamps and quite a few other new items, but first back to rhubarb.

Rhubarb

I always imagined rhubarb to be quintessentially English, so I was very surprised to see it feature in Persian cooking, but not as a sweet ingredient rather as a savoury one.

It also plays a role in the ancient Persian religion, Zoroastrianism.  This religion has a belief in good and truth (asha) versus evil and untruth (durj).  Fire, believed to be good, is worshiped as a key part of their beliefs, but they also believe that from the bones of the first prophet a rhubarb plant grew, and from this plant human life sprang.  You can now look at the rhubarb plant in your garden with new eyes!

Recipe

This recipe is a great introduction to using rhubarb as a savory ingredient, the key is not to put the rhubarb in too early so it loses it shape.  It adds a sharp uplifting zing to dishes.

Lamb with rhubarb and herbs

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
600g lamb leg or shoulder, cubed
2 tsp ground coriander
600ml vegetable stock
10g or a small bunch of parsley
10g or a small bunch of mint
10g or a small bunch of coriander
200g rhubarb

1.  Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onions and cook for 15 minutes, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Set aside in a bowl.

2.  Add half the lamb to the pan and brown well.  Add to the bowl with the onions.  Add the other half and brown.  Tip off any excess fat from the bottom of the pan to stop the finished dish being too oily.

3.  Add the onions and the browned meat back to the pan and mix well.  Add the ground coriander and fry for a minute.

4.  Add the stock and season to taste and simmer with a lid on for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  Remove the lid and continue simmering for about 30 minutes until tender.

5.  Add the fresh herbs and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.  The dish should have quite a green look to it.

6.  Add the rhubarb chunks to the pan and stir.  Leave to simmer for about 8 minutes.  Try to resist the urge to stir too much or your rhubarb will turn to mush, it will still taste great but look less pretty.

7.  Serve with plain fluffy white rice and a scattering of mint leaves over the top.

Serves 4

Maroque's Little Orange Cook Book

My Little Orange Cook Book is ready for you to download here, full of recipes from the last 2 years, gathered together in an easy-to-use format, along with a summary of our dinner party ideas.

From the melt in your mouth sensation of cumin scented crumbles and the spicy aroma of winter fruits in ginger sauce, to the complexity of fish with dried limes.  These are just a few of the delights that await you.

The Orange Book is designed to complement the Little Yellow Cook Book and I very much hope you will enjoy using it.  Your feed back is really appreciated and valued, so please let me know what you think!

New stock ... and a shout out for some great olive oil

We have had a new range of terracotta lamps arrived from Tunisia.  They are in four sizes and will make great garden lamps when the weather thaws out.  Some interesting new mirrors, Moroccan lamps, and some soft furnishings are also up online.

I would also like to mention our Moroccan olive oil: I have to say, I think it's wonderful!  It has a strong olive taste, is smooth and has no bitter back taste.  Fantastic as a dipping or drizzling olive oil.  If you haven't tried it yet, I have reduced the price for a few weeks to try and tempt you!

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
www.maroque.co.uk