Customer Reviews

Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

For cooks who really know their stuff, and love making spectacular and complex meals, this is a great resource. This book enables me to lay out a phenomenal spread that amazes and delights my friends. There are a few very simple recipes as well, which make creating a full meal quite feasible in a normal kitchen.

Even before I opened it, I liked "Cooking at the Kasbah." This is a crash course in Moroccan cooking--a subject that I wouldn't have said interested me particularly, but which is made very inviting by author Kitty Morse.

Listen and learn from just one of the fascinating tidbits within: "Smen, an aged butter similar to Asian ghee, is a prized flavoring ingredient in Moroccan dishes. Berber farmers in southern Morocco bury a tightly-sealed pot of smen on the day of a daughter's birth, unearthing it years later to flavor the couscous served on her wedding day."

The recipes are surprisingly easy and well-thought-out, although the use of a bigger typeface would have been a good idea. Laurie Smith's sumptuous photographs are especially to be commended. Using a lens which seems to have perhaps been coated in honey, she manages to impart a golden, glowing, richly colored look to every dish she shot for this book. "Cooking at the Kasbah" would not have been nearly as wonderful without Smith's photographic contributions.

Don't let the slimness of this volume fool you, it is loaded with info and recipes and charm. From its beautiful color photos to its warm and personal intro and associated history and culture to go along with more than 100 recipes, this is a fine resource for those of us who want to continue our delving into Moroccan cuisine.

Fascinating the history of her family in Morocca and their long-term commitment to remain there and contribute to the preservation of the architecture and culture. Passed on was Kitty's love for the people and their food.

What attracts me and just might you also is the seductive use of fragrant spices, herbs and dried fruit in wonderful, delectable dishes such as: Stuffed Meatballs with Dried Sweet Onion Sauce, Tangine of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Artichoke Hearts, Briouats of Shrimp and Chinese Rice Vermicelli, Chicken B'stilla (the best! cinammon laced chicken filling in razor thin pastry, here made of phyllo), or the Spiced Tomato and Honey Coulis, or the Sweet Cinnamon Couscous with Dried Fruit.

Worth the inclusion into the venturesome gourmet's repoirtoire. A delight to thumb through and to cook from.

I used this book to help create a very successful Moroccan dinner party. I used 9 recipes from this book. The Lamb Marrekesh Stew, Tomato and Eggplant Salad, Dates with Almond paste and especially the Chicken B'stila were EXELLENT! The instructions were clear and I liked that Kitty Morse indicates how far in advance the dishes can be made and which ones are freezable.

There was plenty of information about Moroccan dining to help me make the dinner more authentic. We washed our hands at the table with orange blossom scented water and ate with our fingers. Our guests LOVED it.

Kitty has included a list of suppliers which I found very useful. I was even able to order Moroccan wine and beer from an importer on her list.

I hoghly recommend this book. It is the first book I have ever felt motivated to rate. It is that good!

Rarely does one encounter such a perfect union of artistry, culture, and good taste in a not so plain paper wrapper. I found this book a tour de force of good writing, beautiful photos, and interesting sidelights of local history. A finer example of the modern cooking genre is hard to imagine. Bravo Miss Kitty: we await an encore!

Ms. Morse has done it again with wonderful recipes and beautiful photographs to inspire you and carry you away to her beautiful Morocco.

Finally, a book that makes Moroccan cooking approachable, flavorable, and beautiful. The photographs are wonderful - setting the mood for the cooking - real and rustic. The B'stila B'djej is out of this world, the Briouat B'Kemroon - creative, delicious and innovative, and K'seksoo B'kemroon - light and refreshing. The head notes give excellent background, history, and author's hints. Morse's book invited me back to an arena of food that I had walked away from.

Kitty Morse's outstanding Cooking in the Kasbah will bring the sunny Mediterraean to any table, any time of the year. Her recipes savorfully reflect centuries of myriad influences that have visited Morocco's cuisine. Colorful, happy dishes beg conviviality. Sultry flavors and textures adapt to more intimate occasions. The recipes themselves are finely tuned and easy to follow. Readers come away with a enlarged picture of North Africa's morés, and full, happy bellies!

Having traveled throughout Morocco several times and savored the food from La Mamounia Hotel to a bus driver's humble two room home, I found Cooking at the Kasbah a treasure. The tantalizing recipes are presented in an uncomplicated and motivating format. The photos capture the sensuality of the food and presentation. The cultural insight offered in the introduction and throughout the book provide a virtual tour of this intriguing country. I have several Moroccan cookbooks and this is my favorite.

Having only heard stories of Morocco from my Grandma who grew up there, I instantly fell in love with this book. The pictures are captivating, the recipies scruptous, and the information was put together very well. Along with most recipies I found historical/cultural accounts of how/when/where/why the recipie was used. This, along with the Introduction really helped. I will be giving this book as a gift to both my mother and grandmother, and hope that they will give it as gifts too.