Morocco Round Two

Again, Wolferts recipes with my own twist are what I'm posting.... This was round 2:

• Riffian Split Pea Soup with Paprika Oil
• Potato Pancakes

Riffian Split Pea Soup with Paprika Oil

EVOO

1 large onion, chopped

salt and pepper

1 cup dried split green peas

3 cloves garlic

small handful fresh cilantro

1-2teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

lemon juice

1/2 cup crumbled aged goat cheese

cayenne

Drizzle some olive oil into the bottom of a pot and brown your chopped onion. You want the onions gold and soft, so cook over a medium heat for about 15minutes. Add the split peas, garlic, cilantro, cumin and paprika. Let it cook for just about 2 minutes and then add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium/med-low and let it cook for about an hour - stirring occasionally.

Add in the goat cheese and once the soup has cooled a bit puree it in batches. I made this the night before and then warmed it slowly on the stove for about a half hour before serving it. Before sending it out I added some more salt (you definitely want to be a bit heavy handed with the salt for this soup...if you taste it and think "what does this need?", it needs salt). I also added fresh lemon juice and drizzled it with olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika before sending it out. The recipe called for heavy cream, but this soup doesn't need it, so I left it out. This soup is taken to a whole other level by adding a scoop of HARISSA sauce (this is a Moroccan hot sauce paste that can be bought at any Middle Eastern supermarket, any speciality store, and can also be found at Williams Sonoma. This is absolutely essential for any Moroccan meal).

Potato Pancakes

2 pounds Red Bliss potatoes (or Yukon Gold)

3 garlic cloves

sea salt

2 teaspoons cumin

small handful fresh cilantro

small handful fresh parsley

pinch each of cayenne, ground turmeric, and white pepper

2 large eggs, whipped

EVOO

flour

lemon wedges

I made this the night before. I peeled and quartered the potatoes and then tossed them into a pot of boiling water. I boiled them for probably like 20minutes or so?? I cooked them about 5 minutes shy of them being able to be used for MASHED potatoes. I let the potatos cool a bit and then I used a potato smasher and smashed em, still leaving large chunks though. Then I cracked and whipped one egg, and tossed that in with the potatoes. I threw in all of the seasoning, zested garlic, and the fresh herbs. Then I made a bunch of small fist-sized pancakes. I made about 15 of em. I put them in the fridge and then the next night right before I was ready to serve them I dipped them in egg, coated them in flour and then lightly fried them in the skillet. Before serving them I hit em with a few more turns of sea salt, a touch of cumin and I garnished the dish with lemon wedges. LEMON is NECESSARY....you .must. put lemon juice on them. Also, dip em in HARISSA sauce (this is a Moroccan hot sauce paste that can be bought at any Middle Eastern supermarket, any speciality store, and can also be found at Williams Sonoma. This is absolutely essential for any Moroccan meal).