Friends of Morocco News in review 111508

Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review
November 15 , 2008

Princess Lalla Meryem attends reception held by High Atlas Foundation in Rabat.
Rabat, 13 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

Princes Lalla Meryem, sister of King Mohammed VI of Morocco, attended on Thursday a reception held by the "High Atlas Foundation" (HAF) at the residence of the US Ambassador in Rabat. Princess Lalla Meryem, who was welcomed by US. Ambassador, Thomas Riley and his spouse, followed a presentation on the foundation's activities.

The HAF was created in 2000 by former volunteers of the U.S. Peace Corps for the benefit of Moroccan disadvantaged communities. On this occasion, the Foundation announced its three latest partnerships signed respectively with the Law Faculty of Mohammedia (University Hassan II), the High Commission for Waters and Forests, and the Office Cherifien des phosphates (OCP).

The first partnership provides for creating, by the end of November, a center for Community Consensus-Building and Sustainable development within the Law institution. The center’s main purpose is to train Moroccan students, community, and NGOs in participatory planning, sustainable development and project management. “The training offered will serve as a catalyst for new development projects benefiting impoverished communities,” Deputy President of Hassan II University, Nabil Benchekroun, said. Those objectives will be achieved through promoting the participation of local populations in determining and implementing priority development projects.

The second seeks to advance development in the villages that neighbor Morocco’s national parks and reserves. Presenting this project, Mohamed Berri, an official from the High Commission for Waters and Forests, underlined that the partnership will help realize Morocco’s potential as regards fruit tree growing.”

The third provides for expanding rural, economic and social development in the region of Ben-Guérir (center), while strengthening the local environment. It is the first major partnership with the private sector, said Said Moline, a counselor at the OCP.

HAF’s President Yosef Ben-Meir, a former volunteer Peace Corps (1993-1995) currently professor at the New Mexico University recalled that since 1995, some 150,000 fruit trees were planted in the region of the Atlas, through the foundation which, he said, plans to plant a million fruit trees. “We are humbled by the confidence and enthusiasm our newest partners have shown us,” he said, calling on other partners to show support and exchange their ideas.

As for Riley, he praised the achievements of the foundation since its inception, reiterating support of the US Embassy for such initiatives that help local communities to define their own social, economic and environmental objectives.

The gathering was attended by several Moroccan and American personalities including King’s Advisor, André Azoulay, who is member of the Advisory Board of the Foundation.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/princess_lalla_merye_2/view
------------------------------------------------------

Gvt. allocates $ 68.5 mln to rural development.
Rabat, 14 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

The Moroccan government has allocated $ 68.5 mln to the Rural Development Fund (FDR) in the 2009 finance bill compared to $ 34.5 mln in 2008, minister in charge of Economic and General Affairs, Nizar Baraka said. This amount reflects the government's efforts to develop rural areas, said Baraka, who presented Thursday, on behalf of the Prime Minister, the 2009 sectorial draft budget of the Prime Minister’s cabinet before the Committee of Finance and Economic Development in the House of Representatives. The finance bill also provides $ 260 mln for the 2009 National Initiative for Human Development programs.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/gvt._allocates__68./view
-----------------------------------------------------

Health ministry to allot $1.13 mln to training, Minister.
Rabat, 13 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

The Health ministry will allot, for the first time, $1.13 mln to a training program that will benefit physicians, nurses and technical and administrative executives, said Wednesday Health minister, Yasmina Baddou. Speaking at the question time in the House of Representatives (Lower House), the minister underlined that this program seeks to enhance professional skills of people in charge of health programs and institutions management and special professional skills of physicians and nurses in medical and technical fields.

Funds allocated to the National Institute of Health Administration will thus jump from $284,562 in 2008 to $796,607 next year, which is a 180% increase, to enable the institution play its avant-garde role in training and supervision in the field of administrative and health management, in line with an approach based on modernization and efficiency. Baddou emphasized that universities offer an integrated training space on disciplines unavailable outside hospital centres

University Hospital Centres (CHU) contribute, indirectly, in physicians’ continued training by providing scientific medical associations with the necessary means to organize congresses and workshops. The ministry attaches great importance to continued training to step up medical services and accompany medical advances, she said. http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/health_ministry_to_a/view
-----------------------------------------------------
Morocco To Expand HIV/AIDS Plan To Reach 1M People, Health Minister Says. Nov 10, 2008
Moroccan Health Minister Yasmina Baddou on Wednesday at the House of Representatives announced that the country's 2007 to 2011 National Strategic Plan for AIDS hopes to expand prevention programs to reach one million people by the end of 2011, the Maghreb Arab Presse reports. There were 22,000 people living with HIV in Morocco as of 2007 out of a total population of 30 million, Baddou said.

According to Baddou, the four-year plan aims to provide treatment to people living with HIV and establish an autonomous body to manage and coordinate the efforts of different HIV/AIDS groups working in the country. She added that the plan also intends to increase the number of medical consultants and administer 150,000 HIV tests by 2011. Since launching the plan, the health ministry has collaborated with several partners to focus on prevention and educational activities targeted at populations in highly affected areas, Baddou announced. She said that Morocco has made progress in terms of its HIV testing programs, generalizing drug therapy, conducting epidemiology checks and developing a system for monitoring sexually transmitted infections (Maghreb Arab Presse, 11/6).

http://www.kaisernetwork.org/daily_reports/rep_index.cfm?DR_ID=55447
-----------------------------------------------------
Increase in underage marriages worries Moroccan women's groups.
By Imane Belhaj 2008-11-14

For some Moroccan women, marriage may mean an end to their education, or a premature start to adulthood. NGOs are pushing the nation's judges to respect the marrying age – 18 years – laid out in the Family Code.

Meriem and her friends, while washing their families' clothes in a stream near their rural homes, used to dream and giggle about having a romantic wedding someday. Her fairy tale would turn into a nightmare when she was 14 years old, however, when her father decided to give her away in marriage. In spite of her young age, she thought her betrothed was better than everything she had ever imagined. He was not too much older – only 25 – and capable of starting a new family. While her family was poor, he could also provide well for her. Her rosy dreams quickly faded. He thought he had acquired a maid, Meriem said, who had no rights other than compliance to his brutal sexual desires.

"Although I'm illiterate, I had tender feelings and emotions. I thought I would live in love with my husband, in whose eyes I saw looks of admiration. But less than two months after our marriage, I started to suffer from his brutal treatment, with no regard whatsoever for my slim body. I had to serve his peasant parents, because they were providing us with food and housing. I had to do all the household jobs and perform my married life duties towards him at any time he wanted, be it day or night."

Meriem endured that for a while. Later, when she fled to her parents' house, she was surprised to learn that her marriage consisted solely of readings from the fatiha and witnesses' testimony. No civil contract had ever been signed. This allowed her husband to deny fathering the baby she was carrying. Meriem now lives in limbo: she is neither married nor divorced, and she is taking care of her child all alone.

Scores of such cases, mostly from people in rural areas which are home to the highest numbers of the poor and illiterate, are tracked on a daily basis by the Democratic League for Women's Rights (LDDF). Marriages to underage girls are on the rise. Family Court judges received 30,312 requests for such marriages in 2006. In 2007, that number had increased to nearly 39,000. The fact that 86% of these requests are approved raises real concerns for women's rights groups.

Moroccan Family Code sets the minimum age of marriage at 18 years. To mark the 4th anniversary of the family law's adoption, the LDDF presented a report documenting 1,862 cases where permission was given to marry girls less than 15 years old.

Hania never thought about marriage. The 15-year-old was too busy working hard in school. At the end of the school year, however, her father brought her a present: a 39-year old husband. As a result, she traded her diploma for a marriage contract that prevented her from pursuing her dream.

"Lack of respect for the spirit of the Family Code and non-application of its dictates – that mainly aim at protecting children's rights – make us return to zero. The door of struggle is still open in order to raise awareness about the risks of early marriage and its social effects on Moroccan girls and the family in general," said LDDF director Fouzia Assouli. "We're sorry that the law, in spite of the positive things it has brought for the Moroccan family, is still being violated," she added. "We urge women's organisations to confront the violations and monitor cases in which the spirit and philosophy of the new law raising the age of marriage to 18 for both men and women were not respected."

Certain cities recorded a significant increase in the marriage of minor girls, such as Beni Mellal (18.78%), Marrakech (18.94%) and Ouarzazate (12.21%).

"In our Injad Centers, which are located in several areas across the Kingdom, we have received cases in which the girl agreed to get married because she couldn't express her refusal in the presence of her legal guardian, relatives and fiancé," Assouli explained. Rather than evaluating official documentation of age and adhering to legal requirements, the judge often relies on his own subjective assessment of the girl's age and her father's assertion that she is not a minor, she added.

Casablanca lawyer Fatima Shamakh agreed with Assouli's assessment, confirming to Magharebia that when judges give permission for the marriage of underage girls, they say they have reviewed all the conditions and have complied with all the necessary procedures. Still, some rule in favour of allowing these marriages based on the girl's facial expressions: "If we conclude that she was unwilling or forced to get married in any way, we just reject the case."

An increase in school drop-outs last year was one of the reasons cited by the judges in the LDDF report to justify their rulings permitting minors to marry. Poverty is another important factor in the rise of these marriage applications, observers say, noting that applications rarely come from well-to-do families.

LDDF's report concluded that certain social factors may be behind the rise of approvals for minor girls' marriages: parental illiteracy, lack of awareness about children's rights, and strict religious discourse (such as the recent fatwa allowing the marriage of a 9-year-old girl).

"It's true that the marriage of minor girls leads to problems if there is financial greed involved, or if the marriage is done under pressure," said schoolteacher Halima Baghdadi. "However, there are successful cases," she continued. "My daughter was married when she was just 16 years old, and I myself got married at the same age although I didn't get to know my husband before that. My daughter got to know her husband before marriage, and the two families blessed the bond, which was reached with the acceptance of both sides."

Others are not so lucky. Mlika S. was married at the age of 15 and had to stop going to school. When she divorced at the age of 22, she had to leave her rural community and family to work as a house servant in Casablanca. "Fortunately, I didn't have any babies," she said.

Organisations are now looking to do more than just speak out about the social consequences of early marriage. Women's rights advocacy groups have asked the Ministry of Justice to impose strict penalties against any legal guardian who facilitates underage marriage and on any man who marries a minor girl without permission from the court. The women's movement has also called for implementing the international treaty on children's rights, educational and media campaigns to raise awareness and case-by-case inquiries to make sure that no compulsion or coercion is involved.

In one major move, the LDDF is calling for the removal of the penal code provision which absolves the rapist of an underage girl from punishment if he marries her. But awareness campaigns about the problems with underage marriages may work better in urban areas than out in more isolated, agricultural parts of the Kingdom.

Data compiled by the Moroccan Women's Democratic Association (MWDA) indicate that the majority of applications come from rural areas, where the prevailing belief is that if a girl doesn't get married at an early age, she will not find a husband later.

"We are living in big contradiction nowadays," Farid, an employee, points out. "The percentage of spinsterhood is rising, and some young women in the cities don't marry until they are 30, even 35 years old." Bouchra agrees with Farid, but she stresses the need to respect and apply the law."If the intention of the man who desires to get married to a minor girl is good, he will wait until she reaches the legal age." http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/reportage/2008/11/14/reportage-01
------------------------------------------------------

Govt. earmarks $ 31 mln for 2008-2009 reforestation campaign.
Rabat, 13 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

Morocco's High Commissioner for Water, Forests and the Fight of Desertification (HCEFLD) has earmarked some $ 31 mln for the 2008-2009 reforestation campaign. This operation will provide for producing 40 million forest seedlings and reforesting 37,000 hectares, a press release of the High Commissioner said on Wednesday. The rate of soil preparation reached 70% up to October 2008, said the same source, adding that the operation will end this month. Reforestation programs are conducted in all regions and ecosystems, while giving priority to tree species such as cedar, cork oak, Argan and carob. The HCEFLD strategy in terms of development of forest ecosystems is based on reforestation as a major component of production, development of natural forests, protection of water and soil against erosion, conservation of biodiversity and improvement of the living conditions of forest residents.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/govt._earmarks__31/view
------------------------------------------------------

Morocco, model of Judeo-Arabic coexistence par excellence, king's advisor.
Ifrane (200km east of Rabat), 12 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

Morocco is a model of Judeo-Arabic coexistence "par excellence", said, here Tuesday, king Mohammed VI's advisor, Andre Azoulay. "Morocco is the only country where its citizens of Jewish faith were able to protect, develop and express their memory," said Azoulay, who was speaking during the 1st Judeo-Moroccan cultural day, organized by Al-Akhawayn University. "The Jewish memory has found in Morocco a space where it has managed to impose its difference and resist the shocks that characterized periods of our modern history," he underlined, adding that Moroccan Jews feel today free, serene and proud of their heritage and identities. Azoulay also stressed the importance of this meeting, "which conveys a great message of hope to a whole generation, who wants to express the pluralism and diversity of our cultures and our history." The Judeo-Moroccan cultural day was marked by the organization of an exhibition of art objects evoking the history, religion, traditions and daily life of Moroccan Jews.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_model_of_ju/view
------------------------------------------------------

FIFM 2008 kicks off Friday.
Marrakech, 14 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

The 8th International Film Festival of Marrakech (FIFM) kicked off on Friday with a wide range of movies from around the world. Fifteen films from the Philippines, Island, Argentina, Italy, Poland, the U.S, India, Germany, Ireland, Denmark, Morocco, Finland, China and Russia will compete before the jury which will be chaired by four-time Oscar winning American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer Barry Levinson.

Prince Moulay Rachid, who is the President of the FIFM Foundation, said the festival aspires to honor "all those who contribute to the construction of the future." "I would like to say that the festival will miss, this year, the warm sight of HASSAN SQALLI, but Marrakech will be full of the memory of the great moviemaker Youssef Chahine who passed away this year too and to whom (...) we pay a homage through the projection of seven of his most beautiful films," the Prince said in an editorial on the FIFM official website. "Long live the 7th Art, which allows us each year in Marrakech to feel the pulse of our world and see how humanity today needs to build and watch all its pictures and dreams," Moulay Rachid went on to say.

This year's edition, which runs through November 22, is to pay a tribute to British cinema and Egyptian film director, Youssef Chahine. Under the theme "40 years of the British cinema", the festival will screen 40 movies tracing the history of the British cinema that has managed to keep its flavor amidst globalized competition.

The festival will screen eleven Egyptian movies in a second tribute to the late film director Youssef Chahine, as part of "Best of Youssef Chahine" special. The festival had already paid tribute to the Egyptian legend in 2004. Cinema lovers will also discover Russian cinema through seven works of prominent Russian director Andrei Konchalovsky, as part of "Andrei Konchalovsky's Russia" special.

Under the theme “50 years of Moroccan cinema”, the festival will pay tribute to the godfather of Moroccan Cinema, Mohamed Osfour.

The International Film Festival of Marrakech started in 2001 as one of the big events devoted to the 7th art in Morocco, a shooting site of many international productions.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box5/fifm_2008_kicks_off/view
------------------------------------------------------

Study shows deficit in some promising jobs skills.
Rabat, 14 Nov, 2008 (MAP)

Recent studies carried out by the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC) unveiled a "big deficit" in promising jobs skills, said, here Wednesday, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Jamal Rhmani. Speaking at a question time of the House of Representatives on the unemployment among degree holders, Rhmani said that those studies focused on three sectors and listed some 75,000 job opportunities.

Graduates of some institutions manage to easily integrate in the public and private job market, while some university degree holders find it difficult to get a job, he said, recalling some of Morocco's programs to promote employment. 25 % of recruitment operations were carried out under the program "IDMAJ", the Minister said, noting that "TAEHIL", another employment-driven program, has helped to provide 2,576 job opportunities, 35% of which benefited university degree holders. According to Rhmani, Morocco managed to reduce the rate of unemployment from 13.9% in 1999 to 10% in the third quarter of 2008.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/study_shows_deficit/view
------------------------------------------------------

Sustainable development, essential component of national mining strategy.
Marrakech, 13 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

Minister of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment, Amina Benkhadra, stressed, here Thursday, the importance of sustainable development as an essential component of mining and energy strategy implemented by the kingdom. Benkhadra who was speaking at the opening session of the 12th mineral industry meeting, said that her department is working with mining operators and deploys major efforts for an efficient management of water resources and energy. She added that "development would not be sustainable without the human factor because human resources are an essential element to maintain and develop the mining activity."

The minister also highlighted the main aspects of the national mining strategy: the development of geology and strengthening of the geological infrastructure, modernization of legislative and regulatory framework that governs mining and sustainable development. She also stressed the strategic importance of the mining sector in Morocco’s development, through investment, social development, its contribution to GDP, its share in national exports and its involvement in some key sectors of the economy.

According to Mineral Industry Federation (FDIM), the mining sector provides more than 30,000 direct jobs and achieved a turnover of $ 3.6 bln, including 80% for export.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/sustainable_developm/view
------------------------------------------------------

Spain grants Morocco a $ 5 mln loan to install 1215 photovoltaic solar systems.
Madrid, 14 Nov. 2008 (MAP)

Spain granted Morocco a $ 5 mln loan to fund the setting up of 1215 photovoltaic solar systems in the central provinces of Errachidia and Benguerir. The project is part of the solar energy program, dubbed "Chourouk" which aims at promoting rural electrification. The program provides for installing 200,000 systems nationwide, noted a press release of the Spanish Council of Ministers. The solar systems are to benefit 9,000 families in the two provinces and are to use clean and renewable electrical energy, the same source added. The Spanish loan also aims to improve the living conditions of the population, and to protect the environment, the document concluded.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/spain_grants_morocco_1/view
------------------------------------------------------

Oukaimeden: In Morocco, the ski's the limit.

Just south of Marrakesh, in the Atlas Mountains, is an eccentric ski resort where lift passes cost £7, says Catherine Cooper. There is something surreal about putting on salopettes and a ski jacket in a riad in Marrakesh and stepping out into the sun-drenched passageways of the Medina lugging a ski-boot bag. We were leaving chic Riad Akka to make a day trip to the tiny ski resort of Oukaimeden, 45 miles south of the city in the Atlas Mountains.

Oukaimeden is Africa's highest ski resort, its village sitting at 2,600m and its chairlift rising to 3,258m – the peak of Jebel Attar. Five runs come down from this dizzying height; elsewhere are four drag lifts servicing the nursery and intermediate slopes. It has all the facilities you find in a typical European resort – ski hire, ski school, restaurants and hotels – but all done in a Moroccan way. The ski hire shops offer reasonably well-maintained, if dated, skis and boots for around £11 a day – or you can take your chances with the many unofficial renters, whose "shops" consist of piles of 1980s skis and boots costing about £4 laid out in the mud. A lift pass costs £7; ski lessons range from £3 to £8 an hour and donkeys, rather than shuttle buses, wander back and forth between lifts.

The chairlift is ideal for those who are afraid of heights, as it is slow and you are never far from the ground. At the top, young men, all keen to offer their services as "moniteur", argued over who was going to accompany me down – for a price, of course. Eventually I agreed to a guide, as I couldn't see anything resembling a piste. There are a few signs pointing vaguely in various directions, but once you have left the top, the boundaries – such as they are – are not marked. The only piste map is a faded board at the bottom of the slope.

The snow is far from the groomed-flat pistes of European or US resorts, and this, combined with the old-fashioned hire skis, made for a bumpy ride and a lot of difficulty turning. After one cautious and very mogulled run, I ditched my moniteur, who didn't seem sure of himself, and sought the guidance of the president of the Oukaimeden Ski Instructors' Association, a young Moroccan called Mohammed. He said the authorities should do more to keep unofficial workers away, adding: "They put people off and it can be dangerous, as they don't always know what they are doing."

The longest run is 3km and none of the runs from the top of the chairlift is easy. The main runs are Grande Combe (a steep mogul-field) or Pistes des Mouflons, which is dotted with huge boulders and feels more like being off-piste on hard, icy snow. If you fall, you fall a long way, as I terrifyingly discovered, and while Mohammed assured me the pistes are groomed, they felt nothing like any piste I had skied before. The slopes were uncrowded, even though the resort seemed busy, and skiers mainly picked their way gingerly rather than swooshing in smooth turns. There are no motorway runs for showing off your carving here.

Over on the nursery slopes, catapult-like drag-lifts take skiers to the top of a reasonably well-groomed snowfield and local men mill around trying to sell bags of walnuts, honey and necklaces. Guides also offer other mountain activities such as ski-touring and snowshoeing.

But Oukaimeden is not just about skiing. There is a big sledging area for families, while the queue for the chairlift for people going to admire the view is four times as long as the one for skiers.

As well as kiosks selling snacks, there are a couple of restaurants. We ate at Chez Juju, which felt French; tagine was on the menu, of course, but there were also some chicken dishes, cassoulet and a children's menu, and you could even order a beer. There are four hotels, ranging from the 160-bed hostel Club Alpin to the 101-room four-star Hotel Club Louka. Nightlife and other activities are limited and for most people, it would probably be better to make it a day trip from Marrakesh.

But all this is set to change. Dubai-based company Emaar is investing $1.4 billion in Oukaimeden – improving the infrastructure, updating the lifts and runs, introducing snow-cannons, building 11 luxury hotels and installing the world's highest 18-hole golf course. Planning has already started and before long this truly old-fashioned little ski resort will probably start to look much like any other. Catch Oukaimeden in the raw while you still can.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/3446834/Oukaimeden-In-Morocco-the-skis-the-limit.html?source=rss
------------------------------------------------------

Moroccan home cooking: Tagine offers exotic flavors in a traditional one-pot meal
By MARCIA VANDERLIP of the Tribune’s staff Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008

As we close in on holiday party season, some of us are hoping to prepare dinner parties that dazzle without breaking the month’s grocery budget. Tagine, or tajine, is a great way to make a very flavorful dish using mostly inexpensive foods and using more expensive items - such as meat and saffron - sparingly. The word applies to both the meal and the traditional pot used to cook it.

The first time I tried Moroccan food at a low-budget student potluck, I was won over by a chicken and prune tagine that was simmered in Moroccan spices, creating tender chicken and a rich, fragrant sauce. It was served over a mound of light couscous. I don’t remember much more about that dinner party, except that I made a note to try more of these exotic and delicious dishes.

Moroccan cuisine is influenced by an unusually varied blend of cultures: the native Berbers, the nomadic Bedouins, the Moors from Andalusia, Sephardic Jews, Islamic Arabs and the French.

The tagine and couscous traditions come from indigenous Berbers. Some years after that first potluck discovery, we bought a tagine of our own. The traditional, cone-lidded cooking vessel can be used on a stovetop to make these succulent, slow-cooked stews. Be aware that tagines come in different sizes. The first time we used ours, the cooking liquid leaked all over stovetop. We later learned that we bought a tangine that serves two but were cooking for a family of four, with leftovers in mind. We continue to use the tagine for smaller recipes, but for larger parties, a cast-iron pot or covered casserole dish works fine.

Our more modern tagine operates on the same principle as the traditional earthenware pot with the conical lid. The lid traps and recycles the moisture in the steam and leads to moist, tender results. The Berber tribes of North Africa invented the original tagine, which in Arabic means "slow-cooked dish." Moroccan tagines sit on a charcoal brazier. In Morocco, coals are kept at a constant temperature - a low simmer - so heat is distributed evenly at the base, allowing the liquids to condense into a flavorful sauce.

Tagines - the meals themselves - are made with lamb, chicken or seafood. They are distinguished by a combination of spices and herbs, fruits and nuts. Moroccan cooks use cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, ginger, paprika, saffron, chopped cilantro, flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint. Nuts, prunes, raisins, apricots, dates, olives, fresh or preserved lemons, apples and pears also are common ingredients.

We made three tagines for a recent dinner party to sample a cross section of flavors: A classic Lamb Tagine with Almonds, Prunes and Apricots, a traditional Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Olives and a Tangier dish with Andalusian gestures, Shrimp Tagine with Ginger and Fennel. We served this banquet of bliss with a pile couscous, mint tea with a little sugar and Spanish rioja.

I used two cookbooks for these tagine recipes: "Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa" by Ghillie Basan and "Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, & Lebanon" by Claudia Roden.
http://columbiatribune.com/2008/nov/20081105food007.asp
------------------------------------------------------
Couscous . Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008
1 Couscous is a staple of the North African diet and also is used in Egyptian and Middle Eastern dishes. Moroccans believe those who eat it receive God’s blessing. It is prepared on Muslim holy days and Fridays, the Islamic day of rest.

2 The word couscous refers to the granules, and the dish, which, when prepared correctly, should be light and airy. It is flavored with butter or olive oil and moistened with broth from stew.

3 Couscous is referred to as a grain but is more like pasta, made with semolina flour and water, hand-rolled, dried and served like rice. Precooked versions of couscous are available in Middle Eastern specialty stores and in supermarkets.

4 In Morocco, plain buttery couscous is piled into a mound and served on its own. It is also served as an accompaniment to tagines as well as grilled and roasted meats. It can be topped with dates and almonds or with sweet onions, raisins and saffron. It is served with spicy chickpeas, marinated raisins and harissa paste.

5 A Moroccan saying: “Each granule of couscous represents a good deed.”
Source: “Flavors of Morocco, Delicious Recipes from North Africa” by Ghillie Basan, Ryland Peters & Small, 2008.
http://columbiatribune.com/2008/nov/20081105food013.asp
------------------------------------------------------
Preserved lemons . Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008
10 organic unwaxed lemons, preferably the small, thin-skinned Meyer variety
10 tablespoons sea salt
Freshly squeezed juice of 3 to 4 lemons
Wash and dry the lemons, and slice the ends off each one. Stand each lemon on one end and make two vertical cuts three-quarters of the way through them, as if cutting them into quarters but keeping the base intact. Stuff 1 tablespoon of salt into each lemon, and pack them into a large, sterilized quart-size jar. Seal the jar and store the lemons in a cool place for three to four days to soften the skins.

Press the lemons down into the jar so they are even more tightly packed. Pour the lemon juice over the salted lemons until they are completely covered. Seal the jar again and store in a cool place for at least one month. Rinse the salt off the preserved lemons before using.

Note: Preserved lemons are added to many Moroccan dishes. They are available in jars at Middle Eastern and International markets, or you can make your own. Try them in tagines and in salads.

Makes: 1 quart-size canning jar
— Source: “Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa”
http://columbiatribune.com/2008/nov/20081105food009.asp
------------------------------------------------------
Lamb Tagine with Almonds, Prunes and Apricots .
Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons blanched almonds
2 red onions, finely chopped
2 to 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 thumb-size piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
1 pinch of saffron threads
2 cinnamon sticks
1 to 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, crushed
1 pound boned lamb, from the shoulder, leg, or shanks, trimmed and cubed
12 pitted prunes (dried plums) and 6 dried apricots, soaked in cold water for 1 hour and drained
3 to 4 strips orange rind
1 to 2 tablespoons dark honey
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bread or couscous to serve
Heat the oil in the base of a tagine or heavy-based casserole. Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until they turn golden. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until they begin to color. Stir in the ginger, saffron, cinnamon sticks and coriander seeds. Toss the lamb into the tagine and sauté for one to two minutes, stirring to make sure it is coated in the onion and spices.

Pour just enough water to cover the meat and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat, put the lid on the tagine and simmer for one hour, until the meat is tender. Add the prunes, apricots and orange rind, put the lid on the tagine or pot, and simmer for one hour, until the meat is tender. Add the prunes, apricots and orange rind, put the lid on again and simmer for another 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the honey, season with salt and pepper, cover and simmer for a further 10 minutes. Make sure there is enough liquid in the pot, as you want the sauce to be syrupy and slightly carmelized, but not dry. Stir in half the cilantro, then serve immediately, sprinkled with the remaining cilantro, accompanied by chunks of crusty bread or a mound of couscous.

Servings: 4 to 6
Note: Couscous can be found in the bulk sections of most supermarkets, or in Middle Eastern markets.
— Source: “Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa” by Ghillie Basan (Ryland Peters & Small, 2008)
http://columbiatribune.com/2008/nov/20081105food015.asp
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Shrimp Tagine with Ginger and Fennel
Published Wednesday, November 5, 2008
4 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
20 raw jumbo shrimp, heads removed
2 onions, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 pinch saffron threads
1 to 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
14 ounce can of tomatoes, drained of juice
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
4 fennel bulbs, trimmed and sliced thickly lengthwise
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil at the base of the tagine or heavy-based casserole. Add the shrimp and cook for two to three minutes, until they turn opaque. Using a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from tagine or pot and set aside. Keep oil in the pan.

Stir the onion, garlic, ginger and saffron into the oil and sauté for three to four minutes, until they begin to color. Add the paprika, tomatoes and half the herbs. Stir in sugar and season with salt and pepper. Cook gently, partially covered, for about 10 minutes, until the mixture thickens to form a sauce.

Meanwhile, steam the fennel for about five minutes, until it softens. Heat the remaining olive oil in a skillet, and add the steamed fennel. Cook gently on both sides for four to five minutes, until it turns golden. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Toss the cooked shrimp in the tomato sauce, place the fennel on top, cover with the lid and cook gently for five minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and parsley immediately before serving. Serve with crusty bread as an appetizer or an entrée.

Servings: 4
— Source: ”Flavors of Morocco: Delicious Recipes from North Africa”
http://columbiatribune.com/2008/nov/20081105food016.asp
-------------------------------------------------------------------

Morocco film festival to honour Weaver and Yeoh.
MARRAKESH, Morocco (AFP)

Hollywood stars Sigourney Weaver and Michelle Yeoh will be honoured at this year's Marrakesh international film festival which starts Thursday. Organisers described both actresses as "timeless female heroines". Weaver made her name in Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi epic "Alien" while Yeoh is best known outside of Asia for her roles in James Bond movie "Tomorrow Never Dies" and Ang Lee's "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon."

Some 15 entries will compete for the top "Etoile d'Or" prize, including films from China, India, Denmark, Ireland and the Philippines. Leading the jury is American director Barry Levinson, who directed Robin Williams in "Good Morning Vietnam" and Tom Cruise in "Rain Man".

Last year's winner was Estonian film "Autumn Ball" directed by Veiko Ounpuu. About 40 British films are to be shown this year, including Ken Loach's "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" which won the best film prize at the Cannes film festival in 2006. Screenings at the festival, which runs until November 22, will be in movie theatres and in city streets. A number will be shown in the Djemaa el Fna square.

French-German channel Arte has adapted eight films to allow blind or visually-impaired people to follow them using "Audio Description". An actor's voice describes each scene and is transmitted by headset.
http://nz.entertainment.yahoo.com/081112/8/96nd.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kasbah cuisine: A taste of Morocco.
By BETTY RIDGE Special Writer TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS November 12, 2008

Last Saturday evening, while most people went about their routine weekend activities, a group of Tahlequah residents took a trip to Morocco.
They didn’t take the Marrakesh Express or fly in on magic carpets. Simple vehicles were enough to get them to the home of David and Jacque Linebarger and daughters Emily and Ann, where they partook of a Moroccan feast, entertained with dancing by Traci Clark. For the past five years, the Moroccan dinner has been one of the highlights of the service auction, the year’s major fund-raiser for Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Tahlequah. Members bid on dinners, parties and items ranging from antiques to massage treatments and lawn care during the annual event.

A dozen bid on invitations to the Moroccan feast, and met at the Linebarger home. Jacque is well-known in the congregation for her culinary skills, with the capable assistance of her family. After arriving, guests partook of “gathering food,” an olive tapenade along with spiced nuts. These were accompanied by a variety of wines and mint tea.

They sat on cushions on the floor in the Moroccan style, or (for those with creakier knees) regular living room seating for the appetizer, B-stilla, a multi-layered concoction of phyllo dough, chicken, spices and other ingredients. “Moroccans eat with their fingers, the thumb and first two fingers of the right hand, although we have forks for those who need them,” Jacque said. So before the first course, she circulated among the diners, pouring out warm water scented with rosewater to cleanse their fingers, and offering a towel to dry them.

The adventurous diners all partook of the B-stilla as finger food. They moved into the dining room for the remainder of the meal, with courses punctuated by Clark’s dancing. Clark, who began learning belly dancing when living in Europe as a teen-ager, has studied in Egypt and Turkey. She teaches the art through the Northeastern State University Continuing Education program. “I’m still considered a beginner, even though I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” she modestly told her audience.

The first course – the vegetarian course – consisted of soup, salad or both. The salad was romaine lettuce, oranges and dates dressed with a bit of oil. The soup was saffron vegetable soup. “Last year, we made a soup that was the fast breaker for Ramadan. It was the most labor-intensive soup – I had to cook it all day,” she said.

Over the years, she’s experimented with several dishes, adding some to the repertoire and abandoning others – at least one because her family said it was too much work. Preparation for the feast took almost a week. Jacque purchased the food at Reasor’s Monday night, and began cooking on Tuesday. She said many of the dishes can be prepared in stages, refrigerated, and brought out later for more work.
“A lot of the tagines are things you can prepare in advance, and heat up at the last minute,” she said.

The Linebargers first were introduced to Moroccan food during graduate school days. “When we lived in the bay area, there was a Moroccan restaurant and I went there a couple of times,” she said. She bought a couple of Moroccan cookbooks and began experimenting. She found the cookbooks through a search on Amazon.com. Her references are “The Food of Morocco” by Fatema Hal, and “Cooking at the Kasbah,” by Kitty Morse.

The main course consisted of the Moroccan staple couscous, a grain product that can be dressed up in many ways. On Saturday night, it was surrounded by chicken. A tureen of broth was nearby to serve as the sauce, as well as harissa, a Moroccan type of salsa with hot peppers. Both could be used to flavor the couscous.

Next came two tagines, both favorites of the Linebargers. “The tagine is both the dish and the pot that it was baked in. It’s sort of shaped like a volcano,” Jacque said. One tagine featured apricots cooked in butter, which one diner described as “luminous,” leading to a debate on whether food could be termed luminous. The other tagine is a favorite – chicken with artichokes and preserved lemons. Although preserved lemons are available by mail order, Linebarger makes her own, using salt.

That brings up another point: Ingredients for Moroccan food aren’t hard to obtain. Unlike Indian food, Moroccan fare demands no unusual ingredients unfamiliar to Americans, though some of the spices aren’t part of the standard American cupboard. However, spices like saffron, coriander and turmeric are widely available. “Almost all of them [ingredients] can be bought at any grocery store,” Jacque said.
The exception was orange flower water. She obtained that at the Mecca coffee shop in Tulsa’s Brookside area.

The eagerly-received finale was mhancha, known as the “snake,” a coiled concoction of phyllo, stuffed with hazelnut paste and soaked in honey and butter. And to bring a grand end to the evening Clark, accompanied by husband Doug’s drumming, performed the sword dance, balancing a sword atop her head and on her chin while undulating gracefully. At her invitation, the Linebarger girls joined her for dancing, although they didn’t take up the sword.

Guests were lavish in their praise of the dinner.
“I love the steps here and all you went through,” Elizabeth Montgomery-Anderson said.
“That spice blend is something I’ve never tasted before,” Iris Tate said of one dish.
“The lamb was wonderful,” Lynn Cyert said.
The Linebargers admitted it’s a lot of work, mitigated by family cooperation.
“Ann makes the best mint tea, so she’s in charge of the tea,” Jacque said.

One of David’s duties this year was helping prepare the blanched almonds. “I had to peel the skin off every single almond,” he said.
“Some of the skins came off, and some didn’t,” Jacque said. “I told him, “Tomorrow, go buy the slivered almonds. They’re already peeled.” So he did, and the result was still satisfactory, by anyone’s standards.

Mouth-watering Moroccan
Jacque Linebarger used these recipes when preparing Saturday’s Moroccan dinner.

Honey Spiced Lamb
4 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
3 tablespoons Moroccan spice blend (see below)
2 to 3 cups water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup honey
3/4 cup raisins, plumped in warm water and drained
1 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Moroccan Spice Blend:
1-1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
20 threads Spanish saffron
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. With your hands, thoroughly coat the meat with the spice blend. Set the meat in an oven proof casserole with a lid. Add the water, oil, butter, olive oil and honey. Cover tightly. Bake until the meat is very tender, about three to three and one-half hours. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to an ovenproof dish and keep warm. Put the sauce in a bowl or tupperware container in the refrigerator or freezer, and let the fat separate from the sauce and harden. Discard the fat from the top of the sauce. Put the sauce back in the casserole dish and add the raisins. Cook, stirring, until the sauce attains the consistency of maple syrup, 10-12 minutes. Add the lamb. Stir to coat and heat through. Transfer the meat to a shallow platter and garnish with toasted almonds.

Tagine of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Artichoke Hearts
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 pounds chicken, cut up
1 onion, finely diced
1 cup chicken broth
8 threads Spanish saffron, toasted
10 sprigs fresh cilantro, tied with cotton string
20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley, tied with cotton string
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon preserved lemon pulp (see below)
1 14-ounce can small artichoke hearts, drained
Rind of 2 preserved lemons, cut into thin strips (see below)
Fresh cilantro leaves for garnish
In a medium Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, paprika, ginger, pepper, and chicken. Cook, stirring to coat, for one to two minutes. Do not overcook or the spices will turn bitter. Add the onion, broth, saffron, cilantro and parsley. Cover tightly and cook on low until chicken is tender, 50 to 55 minutes.
With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to an ovenproof dish, leaving the sauce in the pan. Discard the parsley and cilantro. Add the lemon juice, lemon pulp, and artichokes. Stir gently until the artichokes are heated through, four to five minutes. Gently stir the strips of lemon rind into the sauce. Mound the reserved chicken in the center of a serving platter and surround it with the artichokes. Spoon the sauce over the dish. Garnish with cilantro leaves.
Preserved Lemons
Preserved lemons can be purchased at specialty grocery stores. Or, you can make them using the recipe below:
12 or more unblemished, organically grown lemons, scrubbed
Sea salt, fine
Fresh lemon juice
Pat the lemons dry. Cut a thin dime-sized piece from both ends of the lemon. Set a lemon on one end and make a vertical cut three quarters of the way through the fruit, so that the two halves remain attached at the base: Do not cut it in half. Turn the lemon upside down and make a second vertical cut at a 90-degree angle to the first, again three quarters of the way through the fruit. Fill each cut with as much of the sea salt as it will hold. Place the lemon carefully at the bottom of a sterilized wide-mouthed quart glass jar. Proceed in this manner with the remaining lemons, compressing them in the jar until no space is left and the lemon juice rises to the top. Add fresh lemon juice to completely cover the lemons. Seal and set aside in the refrigerator. Lemons are ready to use in four to six weeks.

These postings are provided without permission of the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship, and research under the "Fair Use" provisions of U.S. Government copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the identified copyright owner. The poster does not vouch for the accuracy of the content of the message, which is the sole responsibility of the copyright holder.

Return to Friends of Morocco Home Page