Urgent Help needed please - Moroccan Dish!

Clutterfree

Good Morning O/Sers.
Please could you help me out, or rather my son?

For food tech, he has to make a dish that is;
a) Moroccan
b) Christmas related
AND
c) Contain cous cous

Please help me with some ideas as I need to buy the ingredients today. Would prefer it to be fairly inexpensive too in case it's inedible!
I've never cooked Moroccan food so I've no idea where to start or how to get the Christmas theme in, other than to use turkey!

Many thanks.

Dumyat

Don't know if this is any use, but I was watching Nigella's Christmas the other day.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nigella-lawson/party-poussins-with-festive-couscous-recipe/index.html

floyd

Moroccan food uses ingredients like cinnamon, dates and pomegranate so something like a tagine http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/you/article-1059783/Lamb-date-tagine.html

Clutterfree

Thanks!
I meant to say I think his lesson is 1hr 30mins so he'll need to preare and cook within that time.
I can find Moroccan recipes with cous cous but it's the Christmas part that we are struggling with.

Dumyat

Well just do a Nigella and call it Festive cous cous.

Not sure what makes something "christmas". Seems a bit tricky...could it just be the garnish, the plate..

Clutterfree

Dumyat wrote: »

Well just do a Nigella and call it Festive cous cous.

Not sure what makes something "christmas". Seems a bit tricky...could it just be the garnish, the plate..

I know, because isn't Morocco a predominantly Muslim country so won't celebrate Christmas?

Might try and find a chicken recipe with cous cous, then substitute it with turkey and stick some tinsel on the plate!

lostinrates

Christmas? I'd use the colour theme....red (pomegranate) and green (olives, may some green peppers too) over the cous sous. I'm trying to think of a gold,frankincense and myrrh conection for a tagine(which he could do in a pan on the cooker top) but I've only got as far as saffron or preserved lemons for gold.....

For a country where about 1 % of people are Christian and that I presume your child hasn't studied or been visited it seems a bit ''trite''and forced to me. What a shame to not have them indulge in a more ''mainstream'' appreciation of one of the most wonderful cuisines and exciting places in the world on its own terms!

rachbc

Dreid cranberries in the cous cous? Cranberries are quite synonymous with christmas and using dried fruit is also authentic with Moroccan food

And a little lecture on Morrocon culture, traditions and religion to the Tech teacher!

Clutterfree

Thanks everyone.
I keep wondering if she has added the Christmas part as a "trick", to see if they pick up on the fact that most Moroccans won't celebrate Christmas.
What's wrong with cooking mince pies or a quiche in food tech like we used to?!

babyshoes

As said above, cous cous takes on dried and fresh fruit really well, so dried or fresh cranberries would be good. A tagine would take too long to cook in the time allowed.

How about a griddled/panfried turkey breast marinaded the night before with some Moroccan type spices and plain yoghurt. When cooked, remove the turkey and leave to rest on a board or plate. Turn the juices from the meat into a sauce with the addition of a splash of pomegranate juice and seeds (if you can get some which aren't too expensive - just the juice will do) and maybe some fresh tomato pieces cut quite small and even a bit of stock, then slice the breast into neat slices and serve on a bed of cous cous made with chicken stock and dried cranberries, apricots and maybe other dried fruit, all chopped up quite small. Drizzle juice over to serve.

To make the couscous soak the dried fruit and cous cous in enough very hot stock to cover it by a few mm, then add a cover like a lid or plate. Fluff up with a fork after a few mins and re-cover. If there is too much liquid in it after 10 mins or so, just cook it off either in the micro or on the cooker.

Make a quick veggie stir fry on the side if he needs a veg dish to go with it.

2009ismyyear

If you have green and red peppers you could use those as the 'festive' colours theme (to save you buying cranberries/olives if you don't already have them)

ETA - and yellow ones for 'gold' too I guess