Cooking Class in Marrakech (Faim d'Epices)

Sunday June 8 was our warmest day yet- but it is a dry heat and there is lots of blue sky (31C).
We were picked up at 10:00 a.m. by a small van with four other people for our cooking class at Faim d'Epices (Hungry for Spices) cooking school, located about 20 minutes outside of Marrakech in the countryside.

Michel, a transplant from Paris, opened the school in November 2010.  It is located in a well-equiped small building surrounded by orange, lemon and olive trees.  We were joined by a couple from London, England, and a woman and one of her daughters who are near the end of a seven month family world tour.

View of cooking school class room

A work station

Our instructor was Nezha, who was excellent.  She first showed us how to make Moroccan bread (batbout)

Showing us how to make bread

The key is to alternate between "boxing" and "stretching" the bread.

Right jab to the dough

After the demonstration, Michel had us don darkened purple sunglasses to try and "name that spice".  Lots of fun-- he also told us how to check if argan oil is the real thing [the Argan tree is unique to a very small section of Morocco and is used both for cosmetic and cooking purposes]. He also warned us about "fake" saffron.  Lot of fun trying to identify spices and other cooking items by smell.  One item was "rancid" butter, which is actually used in some Moroccan dishes.

Michel in front of spices

Spices and sunglasses

After the discussion, we headed to our work stations to make the bread.

Allan boxing the dough

We then received instructions on how to make a beef tagine with carrots and peas.  All the spices were laid out in little containers.  We used ginger, Ras el Hanout (the cooking school uses 63 spices in their mix), garlic, cumin, pepper, preserved lemon (for garnish), turmeric (for colour), a tiny bit of Moroccan saffron, etc.  The tagine starts with an onion base, then one adds the spices, meat and water and it cooks for a long time.  The carrots (soaked in lemon juice) and peas are added later.

Getting ready to make the tagine

Making the tagine

Nezha then showed us how to make three different salads- a gorgeous eggplant salad, a chopped cucumber, tomato, and cooked green pepper salad, and a cucumber with orange blossom water salad. We didn't make them, but they were served with our meal.  Nezha also showed us how to cook the bread in a hot pan.   As it was a while before we ate, we were given a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (very popular in Morocco), some bread and home-made olive oil and some dried fruits and nuts.

Preparing eggplant salad

Final mint garnish

Cutting onion in one's hand

grilling the green pepper

The final salads

From time to time, Michel would up the volume on the Moroccan music and bring out his drum.   Definitely, gets one in the mood.

Michel drumming

We then cooked our bread.

Alain at his work station with bread

The couple from London

Mother and daughter from Seattle

We took a break and sat outside in the sun for 15 minutes.  Gorgeous being in the country away from the traffic.

Outside the kitchen- roses, herbs, trees and plants

We then went inside for a demonstration of the making of Moroccan crepes (Msemen).  The good ones are made with a mix of butter and vegetable oil.  The key is semolina flour.

Making the square crepes

We then made a crepe on our own.

Finally the tagines were ready to eat.

Voila!

The final tagines

We then went outside, where three small tables were set with the three salads, our homemade bread and the tagines.  We also had a glass of Moroccan red wine.

Alain at the table.  My tagine in the foreground.

The main course was followed by a dessert of fruit, the crepes, and three home-made (though not by us) ice-creams (mint tea, gingerbread and almond).  I couldn't eat the ice-creams (my lactose intolerance), but enjoyed the fresh fruit.

Alain and dessert- fruit, ice-creams and our home made crepes

We then went inside for some mint tea and a look around their small shop of goodies.  We were each given a packet of ras el-hanout as we left.  Alain and I bought a small bottle of their home-made olive oil from the olive trees in the back yard.

Michel pouring mint tea 

It was a great experience.  Highly recommended.  Michel gave us the recipes of the dishes we had made and promised to send additional recipes by e-mail.

We got back to our hotel at around 4:00 p.m. and I went for a long swim.  We had a late dinner and chilled for the rest of the evening,  Lots of good food and lots of sun.