Moroccan Cauliflower and Almond Soup

Another Moroccan recipe, this time in the form of a soup. I have probably said it before, but soups are one of the quickest ways to produce a tasty and nourishing meal.
Use only the freshest of cauliflowers. They should have white and firm little rosettes and the green should be really green, just like on the photo below.
This soup is very quick and easy to make, and yet so very tasty.

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower
1 l vegetable or chicken stock
50 g toasted almond flakes
half a cup of fresh coriander /cilantro
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 to 3 tsp harissa chili paste
1/2 tsp  ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/4 tsp salt (optional, depends on the saltiness of the stock)
1/2 tsp pepper

Method

1. Cut the cauliflower into small pieces and sauté them for a few minutes in the olive oil.

2. Add the stock, vegetable for vegetarians and vegans or chicken stock

3. Add all the spices and the chili paste. Before you add any salt or pepper, taste the stock, as some stock is more salty than others.

4. When the cauliflower is cooked, ( after approx. 20 min), puree the soup, add the fresh cilantro/coriander and add the toasted almonds just before serving.

As it happens, for once I did not take any photo of the finished Product. The soup was gone before I thought of it. So I decided to show you a wonderful display of vegetables to motivate you to use more fresh vegetables to make tasty soups.

Courgettes filled with Ricotta cheese, walnuts and roasted red pepper

I have been thinking for awhile what kind of a starter would work with the Moroccan chicken. I wanted something fresh, tangy and light. I found the answer in an Italian cookbook, which was hidden on a shelf in the local library. I have used courgettes in many different ways, but mostly cooked in ratatouille, grilled, baked in the oven or in batter like the Greek cuisine does it. I have never used it in its raw state. I was surprised how much I liked the end result.

Ingredients

2 medium courgettes

6Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 Tbsp balsamic vinegar ( use a good quality)

1 x 250 g tub of ricotta cheese

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

50g walnuts coarsely chopped

Small handful shredded fresh basil

250g ( approx) chargrilled red/yellow peppers in a jar, drained and cut into small squares to suit the slices of courgettes

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the courgettes lengthways, into long strips.(  I would recommend 4-6 rolls per person) The above recipe serves 4-6 portions

2. Pour half the oil and half the vinegar into a large dish. Lay the courgette slices in the mixture. Drizzle the remaining oil and vinegar over the top, cover with cling foil and put it into the fridge to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes. See picture below

Courgette slices marinating

3. Meanwhile place the ricotta in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, walnuts and basil, season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine the ingredients

4. Place a spoon of ricotta mixture at one end of each courgette strip, lay a piece of red/yellow pepper on top and roll up.
Repeat until all courgette strips have been used up.

Now roll 

I served the courgettes rolls with a mixed leaf salad and a lemon, honey and red chillies dressing!

Finished result

A big "Thank You" to my friend Margret, who motivated me to get back into writing my recipes!