You don't have to own a passport to experience the sights, smells and tastes of Morocco. A combination of the right kinds of meat and vegetables paired with spices such as cumin, paprika and fresh parsley are enough to make anyone's mouth water. Easy to prepare and baked to perfection, the popular Moroccan dish can be made with chicken, fish, beef, or lamb. Chicken and fish are the easiest to prepare.
Instructions
1. Thorougly wash the chicken or fish with hot water after rubbing it with salt. Set it in a large glass bowl and put it aside for later use. Mix the olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and lemon juice together and whisk lightly. Pour the mixture over the meat and give it time to marinate.
2. With a sharp knife, begin preparing the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and cut them into round pieces. Do the same with the carrots, tomatoes and squash. Dice the green peppers. Mix all the ingredients together in the medium glass bowl with the exception of the potatoes and the carrots.
3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the deep sided baking pan and coat the bottom with olive oil. Evenly distribute the potatoes and carrots across the pan.
4. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin, paprika and olive oil over the potatoes and carrots and mix everything with your hands. Once the vegetables are coated, spread them out on the pan again.
5. Allow the potatoes to roast slowly. They should puff up and turn golden brown before you should flip them over. Add a splash of olive oil to keep them from sticking to the pan.
6. Sprinkle salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, garlic and olive oil over the uncooked vegetables sitting in the medium bowl. Again, mix the concoction with your hands and pour it over the layers of potatoes and carrots. Use a spatula to evenly distribute everything across the surface of the pan.
7. Add the chicken or fish over the top of the vegetables and cook until done. No pink should be showing on the chicken, and the fish should be browned and slightly crispy on the outside.
8. Allow everything to cool, and serve with sprigs of fresh parsley, lemon slices and pita bread. For a truly ethnic feel, forgo using utensils and use the bread to scoop up your food.
Tags: cumin paprika, potatoes carrots, chicken fish, salt pepper, fresh parsley, glass bowl