Laters, I am off for a quick sojourn to Morocco… I wish! At least my tastebuds are though. After the indulgence of Duncan’s famous chocolate and orange twists and 6-stage testing for another sweet recipe (coming soon), I thought it is time to do something healthy again.
As you know, I am a big fan of having goodness bowls for lunch and this one, inspired by the Moroccan flavours, is my latest favourite. I tuck in daydreaming of a trip to the colourful Marrakesh market. Sometimes, living on this small, remote island makes me miss travelling, especially that we didn’t manage to get away this winter. It’s funny but when we lived in busy, grey London, a chilled-out Greek island with white-washed walls contrasting beautifully with the always blue sea seemed like a true paradise. We still love living here but the honeymoon phase is over and we found that travelling to the more happening places is essential to break the monotony a little. There is one big difference though. When we lived in London, coming back from holidays was always a massive come down. Now, no matter how much we enjoy ourselves away, we always look forward to coming back to this beautiful island.
½ cup uncooked couscous or quinoa (for GF version) ½ cup cooked chickpeas 20 cherry tomatoes, quartered 1 medium cucumber, diced 1 small courgette, sliced thickly 1 small aubergine, sliced thickly 15 black olives handful of fresh mint, chopped thinnly ¼ pomegranate, seeds only 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped salt & pepper 3 tbsp olive oil ½ tsp chilli 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp sweet paprika a few slices of preserved lemons, store-bought or as per the recipe below
QUICK-PRESERVED LEMONS (optional) – make at least a day ahead
3 small unwaxed lemons 45 ml lemon juice 1 garlic clove, crushed with the knife edge ½ chilli, chopped (optional) 2 tsp sea salt 35 g sugar
