Zaalouk, the wondrous Moroccan roasted vegetable spread

richard-in-cincy

Well-known member
I posted this Moroccan recipe awhile back and have since been tinkering with it. This stuff is sublime. I made a batch last night and I can't stay out of it. The present batch was roasted on a pan that had roasted chicken on it. Chicken fat is a mighty flavorful ingredient.

The other half's family dinner is on Sunday and I'm making the Zaalouk for an appetizer with pita triangles and the Indian potato salad I posted earlier. Tim will make some Austrian baroque tort. I was surprised to see the Grande Dame of Austrian torts featured on the Great British Baking Show: The Spanischer Windtorte. I've never done it, but Tim was all over it and will do a much better job of it than the contestants. I'm thinking that's what he will be making. For those of you with the Time Life International Foods library, check it out in the Austrian volume. (I'm STILL missing a couple volumes of this amazing series from the 60's).

Nephew is a chef at a local restaurant. It will be interesting to see his response.

I'm now adding a tablespoon of dark sesame oil to the recipe and have switched from lemon to lime. I've also upped the cilantro to 1 cup and eliminated the parsley.

Zaalouk

Roasting vegetables: • 1 large eggplant • 8 roma tomatoes • 1 red bell pepper • 12 cloves of garlic • 1 large red onion • 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1 cup chopped each fresh cilantro • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika • 1 tablespoon cumin • 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt • 1/4 teaspoon Aleppo or cayenne pepper • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon. 1 tablespoon of dark sesame oil.

Toss vegetables with olive oil and roast until tender, then blister and blacken under the broiler.

Note: I put the pan of veg in the oven at 450F and after an hour all are done and properly blackened without the broiler step.

Let cool. Roughly chop (scrape it all into a large bowl and take your stick blender to it) and place into a bowl with all of the other ingredients. Squeeze fresh lime juice over, stir, and let sit for 1/2 hour to let the flavors develop. Serve with hot pita bread and/or crackers.

 
This Moroccan Zaalouk recipe has been fine-tuned for exceptional flavor, making it a standout in Moroccan cuisine. Roasting the vegetables on a pan with chicken fat adds a rich depth to this traditional Moroccan dish. The latest version includes dark sesame oil and lime juice instead of lemon, with increased cilantro and no parsley. The vegetables—eggplant, roma tomatoes, red bell pepper, garlic, and onion—are roasted until tender and slightly charred. After cooling, they're blended with smoked paprika, cumin, sea salt, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, and sesame oil. The mixture is finished with fresh lime juice and allowed to sit for 30 minutes before serving with hot pita bread or crackers. This delicious Moroccan food will be served as an appetizer at a family dinner, accompanied by pita triangles, an Indian potato salad, and an Austrian baroque tort.
 
Wellllll................I'm sold. I like to do Egyptian, N. African, Moroccan, Persian, often and don't want to double up with filo in the hors d'oeuvre, so this on a bit of pita would work well. But honestly, I have not seen dark sesame oil for about 10 years.
 
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