Weekly Dinner Party: Casual Moroccan

This week’s dinner party was a pretty casual affair. I made a simple Moroccan-style menu using many of the same staple ingredients purchased for last week’s Turkish party. I had a light cold, so it was nice to take it easy.

Menu

Appetizer: Imported dolmas
Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives
Mograbieh (a type of Istaeli couscous) pilaf with chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, onion and citrus peel
Mixed green salad with cucumber and tangerine
Dessert: Peach and blueberry galette

I cooked the chicken the night before. It does save time the day of, but more importantly it gives the flavors of the tagine time to really settle in. Mmm, preserved lemons have such a unique flavor.

Guests arrived shortly after 7:00 and we sat down to eat at 8:00.

I had the table set with red and white linens and blue china. The chicken and pilaf both came out so well – especially considering my half-hazard attention to recipes.