RECIPES

MORROCAN SOUP

• 1 large butternut squash
• 3 small onions, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon Arabica Ras el hanout spice blend
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 2 oranges, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt, to taste

Remove the peel, seeds and fibre from the butternut squash and cut into chunky pieces. Reserve the seeds, wash off any clingy bits of fibre and then pat dry with a tea towel .Heat the olive oil in a saucepan , add the onions and cook on a low heat until the onions soften and become translucent and give off there natural sweetness . Add garlic, Arabica ras el hanout spices, orange zest and the pieces of squash and continue to cook on a low heat for another 5 minutes stirring regularly. Add 1 litre of boiling water and the red lentils and leave to simmer for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and carefully blitz with a stick blender. Stir in the orange juice and season to taste.

If you’ve got the time we like to either dry roast the seeds in a hot pan or slowly toast them in a medium oven until they turn crunchy and golden in colour

TARATOR (TAHINI SAUCE)

Delicious as a dip with bread or with homemade chips

• 3 lemons, squeezed
• 1/2 jar Arabica tahini
• 2-3 cloves garlic, to taste, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 100ml ice-cold water
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped, to garnish

Serves 6

Blend the lemon juice, Arabica tahini, garlic and salt in a food processor or using a blender. Add the ice cold water slowly until you achieve a smooth light cream colour and texture. Serve in a shallow dish, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley

Variations:

Add 4 tablespoons of roughly crushed toasted sunflower seeds and or roughly crushed walnuts to accompany grilled, fried or baked fish.

or

Add 1 teaspoon coarsely ground fennel seeds and medium hot green chilli, to taste

or

Substitute the ice-cold water for 3 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt

GRILLED ASPARAGUS WITH DUKKA

• 2 bunch slender stem green asparagus
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Arabica Dukka
• 1 lemon, juiced
• salt, to taste

Serves 4 – 6

Preheat a ridged griddle pan. Trim and peel the asparagus stalks and wash them. Pat dry and toss in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. In a small bowl add the remaining olive oil, lemon juice and Arabica dukka and lightly whisk all the ingredients to make your vinaigrette.

Place the asparagus on the hot griddle pan until they begin to wilt slightly. Turn the spears using tongs and grill the other sides briefly. The ridges should mark the spears. You want to brown them slightly but be sure not to burn them.

Transfer them to a warm serving plate and drizzle over the vinaigrette.

Variations:

Delicious with a poached egg

FATOUSH SALAD - RUSTIC BREAD SALAD

• 1 head romaine lettuce cut into rough 2cm squares
• 4 ripe tomatoes on the vine, cut into 1cm pieces
• 4 baby cucumbers cut into 1cm cubes
• 3 spring onions, finely chopped
• Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 8 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 clove garlic, finely crushed
• 1/2 jar Arabica Za'tar Special blend
• 1 wholemeal flatbread, toasted
• salt and pepper, to taste

Serves 4 – 6

Cut the wholemeal flatbread into 2cm squares. Drizzle the bread with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, toss and evenly coat before toasting them off in the oven pre heated to 180 degrees centigrade. Put all the vegetables in a large salad bowl. Mix the remaining olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and Arabica Za’tar. Just before serving dress the vegetables and add the toasted golden croutons and toss well.

TOMATO, BULGAR CHICKPEA SALAD

• 1 cup wholemeal bulgur, fine
• 1 tin chickpeas, cooked
• 4 tomatoes on the vine, 1cm cubes
• 1 tablespoon Arabica Wild Mint, finely ground
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt to taste

Serves 4 - 6

Soak the bulgar in plenty of cold water for 45mins then drain and squeeze the excess water out. Mix with the rest of the ingredients and season to taste with a pinch of salt.

COUSCOUS SALAD

Breathe life into your couscous!

• 400g wholemeal Couscous
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1heaped tablespoon Arabica Couscous spices
• 4 tablespoons sultanas
• 400ml boiling water
• 4 tablespoons Arabica Rosewater

Serves 4 - 6

Put Couscous, spices, sultanas and olive oil in a bowl and mix thoroughly to evenly coat all the grains of couscous. Pour over boiling water and leave for 10 minutes to absorb the water and infuse. Lightly fluff with a fork and drizzle with rosewater.

GRILLED SEA BASS WITH ARABICA PRESERVED LEMON, ARTICHOKE AND GREEN OLIVE SALAD

We like to use fresh globe artichokes and broad beans when in season, but it depends on how much time you have for preparation. This is delicious as a warm salad with the seabass flaked or with the fillets left whole and the salad to garnish.

• 4 sea bass fillets (line caught)
• 2 Arabica Preserved lemons, soak in fresh cold water 2 hours before use
• 200g Cracked-green olives de-stoned
• 300g Artichokes hearts roughly quartered
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Arabica Wild Sumac
• 4 stems fresh chervil
• 4 stems fresh tarragon, leaves picked from stem
• small bunch flat leaf parsley leaves
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Salt for sea bass skin
• Pepper to taste for the salad

Serves 4 - 6

Sprinkle the skin of the fish with a pinch of sea salt. Remove the lemons which have been soaking and rinse under the tap. Finely dice the lemons, disposing of any unwanted pips. Pick the tarragon and parsley leaves off their stalks, discard the stalks or reserve them for stock. Wash all of the herbs, shake off the excess water, roll together and roughly chop just once or twice.

Heat a ridged griddle pan on a medium heat. Place the fillets on the hot griddle pan, leave them alone- however tempted you may be to push them around, as you’ll damage the skin. Leave them to cook for around 5 minutes. You‘ll know when there cooked as the fish changes colour. Meanwhile get a mixing bowl and add all of the other ingredients together and gentle toss, so that everything is evenly coated.

Take the fillets of the griddle pan and serve on a warm plate or a large shallow bowl with a large spoon of the salad.

Variations

Try the salad with a whole barbecued line caught mackerel

ROSE LABAN

Yogurt drink

• 400g plain whole-milk yogurt
• 600ml ice cold water
• 30 - 40g honey
• 2 tablespoons Arabica Rosewater

Makes 4 - 6 glasses

Pour the yogurt into a large jug, add the honey and Arabica Rosewater, and beat vigorously with a hand whisk until thoroughly blended. Now gradually add the ice-cold water whilst continually whisking until you reach the consistency of your desire.

LIMONADA

Fresh Lemonade

• 3 lemons
• 35g castor sugar
• 900ml ice cold water
• 1 tablespoon of Arabica Orange Blossom Water

Makes 4-6 glasses

Grate 1/2 the zest of 1 of the lemons into a large jug.

Juice all the lemons and Mix in the sugar and stir continuously until the fine granules dissolve. Add the ice-cold water and the Arabica Orange Blossom Water to taste.

ICED MINT TEA

• 1/2 jar Arabica Wild Mint
• 30-35g sugar
• 1litre boiling water
• 1 tablespoon loose-leaf green tea

Makes 4-5 servings

Add the boiling water to the other ingredients and leave to infuse overnight.

Strain, chill and serve over ice-cubes. Enjoy!

POMEGRANATE SHERBET

Pomegranate Quencher

• 4 tablespoons Arabica Pomegranate Molasses
• 2 or 3 tablespoons caster sugar, to taste
• 4 glasses ice cold water or carbonated water
• 1 teaspoon Arabica Rosewater or Arabica Orange Blossom Water (optional)
• 5 tablespoons boiling water

Makes 4-6 glasses

Put the Arabica Pomegranate Molasses, Rosewater or Orange Blossom Water and the sugar in a large jug and add a splash of boiling water and stir continuously until all the ingredients dissolve into one another. Then add the ice-cold water.

LOOMI TEA

Lime Tea

Simply break open a Arabica Shade-Dried Lime, pour over some boiling water and sweeten to taste with either sugar or honey

SOOTHING WILD SAGE INFUSION

• 1/2 jar Arabica Wild Sage
• Sugar, to taste

Makes a 5-cup teapot

Bring a kettle of water to a rolling boil. Heat the teapot by swirling around some boiling water in it, and then pour it out. Add the Arabica Wild Sage leaves and pour in 5 cups of boiling water. Sweeten to taste and leave to infuse for 5 minutes. If you’d prefer not to have little bits of sage floating around in your cup then pour using a small strainer.

ORANGE AND CINNAMON SALAD

• 4 oranges, peeled, pith removed
• 6 tablespoons water
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• a pinch of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons Arabica Orange Blossom Water

Put the water, sugar and cinnamon in saucepan and bring to the boil and then take off the heat and leave to cool. Add the Arabica Orange Blossom Water, pour over the oranges and chill in a refrigerator before serving on there own or with some thick Greek style yogurt and some cracked pieces of walnut