Ingredients
| ¼ preserved lemon | |
| 3 tablespoons olive oil | |
| 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| 2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped flat-leafed parsley | |
| 2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped coriander | |
| 2 heaped tablespoons finely chopped celery leaves | |
| 500g spinach leaves, coarsely chopped | |
| 1 teaspoon ground cumin | |
| 1 teaspoon sweet paprika | |
| pinch of cayenne pepper | |
| salt | |
| ½ lemon | |
| olives, to garnish |
This classic salad is prepared with spinach or with fresh mallow (bakoula; mauve in French), a spinach-like plant found in springtime in Morocco. (It is virtually impossible to find fresh outside of the country.) If using mallow, steam it first for 15–30 minutes before adding to the pot as it is tougher than spinach. You can also prepare this dish using fresh chard. Serve anywhere from hot to cooled.
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Instructions
| 1. | Cut the preserved lemon into 2 pieces and remove any seeds. |
| 2. | Scrape out the pulp, chop and put into a small bowl. |
| 3. | Chop the peel, put half into the bowl and set the remaining half aside to garnish. |
| 4. | Heat the oil in a large pot or saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, or until aromatic |
| 5. | Immediately stir in the parsley, coriander, celery and reserved preserved lemon pulp and peel. |
| 6. | Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. |
| 7. | Add the spinach, cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper, season with salt, then increase the heat to high and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the spinach is wilted, the flavours combined and the liquid has evaporated. |
| 8. | Squeeze the lemon over the top and stir. |
| 9. | Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the olives and the remaining reserved preserved lemon peel. Serve hot, warm or even cool. |
This is an edited extract
from The North African
Cookbook by Jeff
Koehler, photography
by Simon Bajada,
published by Phaidon,
$80, phaidon.com.