North African

This dish is a characteristic Moroccan Jewish preparation. North Africans, Jews and non-Jews alike, are particularly skilled at cooking fish because the long coastline yields so much. Dried chickpeas, a staple starch in the Mediterranean, traveled with the Jews when they emigrated.

North African spices combine with a touch of honey and lemon in a refreshing summer soup.

Mint, orange peel, cinnamon and raisins give this dish the distinctive flair of North African cooking, which has become so popular. Couscous with minced green onions would be a delicious accompaniment.

Ras-El-Hanout This vibrant spice blend makes an excellent addition to lamb burgers or roasted chicken. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark, dry place.

Moroccan Turkey Pie Traditionally, Moroccan b'stilla is a pie made with minced squab.

In Morocco, the word tagine refers to any of the country's slowly simmered meat, chicken, fish or vegetable stews that often have both savory and sweet flavors. It also refers to the earthenware dish with a conical lid in which the stew is cooked and served. Couscous or bread is a typical accompaniment.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This dish is delicious over couscous, which will absorb the flavorful broth.

This fragrant mélange mixes starchy tastes with sweet. The dish is like a stir-fry, only it's done in the oven—a great, no-fuss way to cook a slew of vegetables.

A hearty Moroccan-style one-dish meal.

Fish from the Mediterranean waters is put to a variety of uses in Tunisian cuisine, and a simple soup such as this one of the most common. It's flavored with an appealing blend of herbs, spices and citrus.

Because a food processor grates the carrots too fine, I recommend that you grate them by hand for this recipe. Be sure to use the side of a grater with teardrop-shaped holes instead of the kind that look like the metal has been punched out from the back. The punched-out kind will turn the carrots to mush.

Preserved lemons, sold ready-made in Moroccan souks, are essential to that country's cuisine. The peel, pulp, and juice squeezed from the lemons can all be used. Sometimes, however, the juice and preserving brine can be bitter; use fresh lemon juice in that case.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This Moroccan-style dipping sauce would also be delicious on grilled chicken or fish. Active time: 20 min Start to finish: 1 hr

Preserved lemons are a staple Moroccan condiment that can take up to 2 weeks to make in the traditional manner. Added to various foods, they impart a tangy brininess similar to that of olives but with the unique perfume of lemon. In most Moroccan dishes only the peel is used, the pulp being scraped away and discarded. However, the pulp is not wholly without value, making a delicious addition to Bloody Marys, and to salad dressings — wherever a salty-sour taste is welcome. The recipe below is an effort to approximate preserved lemons without having to plan a week or more in advance.

Call them galettes sucrees, mandelbrot, or biscotti — I love these Moroccan cookies, made by Rosette Toledano of Netanya, who, as her daughter says, "puts her heart in her cooking."