This week's classroom: a Moroccan kitchen

I’ve been in Fes for the past 10 days running from morning til night and finally sitting down to write something. I was traveling with such a fabulous group last week – 7 friends from Wisconsin travelling together who loved to cook and eat, and also loved our riad (little hotel) and everything about Fes. Of course I think it’s impossible not to love Fes.

Shopping with Lahcen Beqqi

Our first cooking classes were with Lahcen Beqqi. The first morning we went to the souk to shop for ingredients and then straight to the kitchen to make harira, zaalouk, chicken b’steeya dates rolls. For our second class we made choukchouka, and okra salad, a great couscous with vegetables (and lamb) and a cream b’steeya for dessert.

Camel butcher shop – they display what they sell

We spent our last two days cooking with Danielle Mamane, co-author with Kitty Morse of cookbook – The Scent of Orange Blossoms - Sephardic Cuisine from Morocco. After spending two fabulous days cooking with her, she invited us for Shabbat dinner and my group (none of whom is Jewish) loved it.

Lamb Tagine

We cooked in her garden – salads, including fried eggplant, twice cooked roasted red peppers, and tomato salad with preserved lemons and then cooked meatballs (cinnamon onion sauce and another meatball dish seasoned with the traditional Moroccan spice mixture) ras el hanoot (head of the shop). For dessert we made almond and walnut macaroons and dates stuffed with almond paste. Danielle also made a number of other dishes – in case any of us were hungry. Nobody is ever hungry on cooking trips!

Cooking with Danielle Mamane

Fes is the most highly populated medina in the world (about 300,000 residents) and Fes el Bali (old Fes - the 9th century) and Fes el-Jedid (new Fes -12th century) are fascinating to explore.

Buying spices to take home

The entire medina is a labyrinth of narrow streets that can only be explored on foot. Donkeys and mules are the only means of transportation – and lots of handcarts delivering goods from place to place.

In a few days, I’ll show you some of the sights of the medina.