A lil’ Chefchaouen hospitality

Deep in the heart of the Medina, wound around corners and between the beautiful blue washed walls, we met a man by the name of Mohsine Ngadi. His brilliant paintings lined one of the alleyways and we couldn’t help but stop to stare. Looking turned to talking and talking turned into a dinner invitation. Not just eating but an opportunity to cook with him and his shop keepers a traditional Moroccan Goat (the most common in Chefchaouen) tagine. Agreeing to rendezvous back at the studio at 8pm we parted ways and eagerly awaited our little lesson in Moroccan cuisine.

Needing to cook for at least 2 hours we chopped, sliced and diced as fast as we could as our bellies were rumbling. While we waited we laughed, exchanged stories and enjoyed a cold glass of cola. The room grew increasingly fragrant and before we knew it we were ready to eat. Served family style and sans utensils, we all dug in with fresh bread from the market. The meat was succulent and tender and the vegetables sopped up all the scrumptious flavors of the sauce. With our minds filled from story telling and our bellies filled of tagine, we served desert (which we brought as a gift) and acknowledged in silence how lucky we were to have relished in this experience.

Goat Tagine

2 lb……...goat cut into chunks
10 ………carrots pealed and cut
5………...potatoes pealed and cut into quarters
3………...onions pealed and cut half and then quartered
2………...tomatoes halved then quartered
½ cup …..olives
2 cups ….water

Bunch of Parsley
Paprika, Ginger about 3 tbs
Salt & Pepper to Taste
Pinch of Saffron
Fresh Bread
In a large pot layer 1) onions 2) goat meat 3) parsley 4) spices & few shakes of salt and pepper
Pour a cup of water into the pot from the side ( not over the spices)
Let simmer for an hour, turning to keep tagine from burning, add the rest of the water gradually over time
After one hour, add the olives, potatoes, tomatoes and carrots, tomatoes should simmer and dissolve into the sauce
Continue to simmer and stir occasionally for another ½ hour or so (aka full hour) , add salt and pepper to taste
Serve family style with fresh bread …. Delish!