ras el hanout

There is something very exciting about transforming a simple bunch of carrots into a deeply flavorful and satisfying weeknight meal. Carrots are given a lot of love here: Leaving the skin on adds texture, slicing them into thin batons ensures that they cook quickly and evenly, and drizzling them with honey right out of the oven amplifies their natural sweetness. A sprinkle of lemon zest adds brightness. Ras el hanout, a North African spice blend, means “head of the shop” in Arabic as it was often one of the best mixes a vendor had to offer. Its fragrant blend of coriander, cumin, ginger, clove and turmeric brings warmth and richness to the tahini. The perfect chew of pearl barley is so gratifying in this dish, but for even more flavor, cook your barley in stock.

Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Salad

pearled barley

Kosher salt and black pepper

carrots, washed,

olive oil

runny honey, honey

lemon

arugula

parsley

almonds

tahini

lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)

garlic clove, grated

Heat oven to 425 degrees and place a rack on the lowest shelf. In a medium saucepan, combine barley with 4 cups water; season with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 20 to 25 minutes. If the barley hasn’t absorbed all of the water, drain off the excess.

Meanwhile, place the carrots on a sheet pan, drizzle with the olive oil and toss to coat, spreading into an even layer. Season with salt and pepper. Place on the bottom oven rack and roast until tender and starting to turn golden, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, toss and return to the oven for 5 to 7 minutes until completely tender.

While the carrots roast, make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, ras el hanout, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add 3 to 4 tablespoons water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is smooth and has a pourable consistency.

When the carrots are ready, remove them from the oven, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to coat.

In a serving bowl, combine the carrots with the barley, arugula and parsley. Drizzle with the spiced tahini and sprinkle with almonds.

Whether served as a meal, or as a part of a serving platter, these 'not quite felafel' will go down a treat.

Cauliflower and lamb 'not quite falafel'

garlic

red onion, roughly chopped

parsley, leaves and stems roughly chopped

(200 grams) almond meal

lamb mince (we used leg mince)

tbs ras el hanout

Garlic sauce

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Taking inspiration from the Rio Olympics, try this super healthy brown rice, lentil and lamb dish. It's the right combination for an easy to make, healthy meal.

Brown rice mujadarra with lamb cutlets

milliliters extra virgin olive oil,

red onions, sliced

garlic cloves, chopped

cinnamon quill

(200 grams) brown rice

can lentils, rinsed, drained

coriander, leaves

chopped,

French-trimmed lamb cutlets

Quartered cukes, chopped roasted almonds, yoghurt and lemon wedges, to serve

Seed and feed, who says you need a backyard? These days, home grown produce can be found in pots, on walls and even on top of garages and houses. For the first instalment of his new column sharing family-friendly recipes, Shannon Bennett raids his own urban garden to beat the dinner rush.

Chermoula snapper cooked in a bag

skinless snapper

red onion, chopped

tbs each cumin and coriander seeds

coriander parsley

tbs each sweet paprika turmeric

tbs ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)

tbs ground chilli

This maple-glazed salmon with pomegranate salsa is the perfect midweek meal. The salmon is coated in a sticky spiced glaze and the pomegranate salsa adds a punchy tang and sweetness to the dish.

Maple-glazed salmon with pomegranate salsa

skinless salmon fillet, pin-boned

maple syrup

garlic cloves, crushed

11/2 tsp ras el hanout (Moroccan spice mix)

jalapeno,

red onion, finely chopped

Lebanese cucumber, finely chopped

coriander, leaves picked

pomegranate

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Take a trip via the Middle East with this flavour-packed recipe.

Ras el hanout lamb ribs

(80 milliliters) extra virgin olive oil

2.5kg (3 plates) lamb riblets,

red onions, chopped, plus 1 extra thinly sliced

chillies

(750 milliliters) beef stock

tbs runny honey

Baby parsley leaves and mint leaves, to serve

tsp each fennel, cumin and coriander seeds, toasted

cardamom pods, seeds reserved,

cloves,

tsp each ground turmeric, cinnamon, sweet paprika and chilli powder

ginger

tsp allspice

nutmeg,

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This warmly spicy, soul-satisfying Moroccan lentil soup blends red lentils, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, and cilantro with ras el hanout, a North African spice mix. On top? Chile-fried onions. Healthy doesn't taste any more soothing.

Moroccan Lentil Soup

onion (finely chopped)

celery (finely chopped)

garlic (finely chopped)

cumin

coriander

red lentils

tomatoes

chicken stock, canned chicken broth, vegetable stock, or water

Salt (to taste)

black pepper

cilantro leaves (coarsely chopped, plus extra to garnish)

onions (very thinly sliced)

cinnamon

brown sugar

chile

black pepper (to taste)

Greek yogurt

Simmer

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and sauté the onion and celery until softened but not colored. Add the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute. Then add the ras el hanout, lentils, tomatoes, and stock or water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the lentils start to break down and sort of become a purée. The mixture will be quite thick and more dal-like than soup-y. If you prefer a thinner consistency, add more stock or water as necessary.

Make the Moroccan lentil soup

Sauté

Slick a skillet with the olive oil, place it over medium-high heat, and toss in the sliced onions. Heat until the onions are golden brown and crisp at the edges. Add the cinnamon, sugar, and chile and stir just until the onions are coated. Then let the onions cook only until the sugar has dissolved. Immediately add the lemon juice—and be ready to dodge some spatters. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Make the chile-fried onions

Season

Season the lentil soup with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped cilantro. Ladle the soup into bowls and add a dollop of yogurt and the chile-fried onions. Garnish with cilantro.

Serve the soup

This recipe for mrouzia, a Moroccan tagine of lamb shanks with a syrupy sauce made with onions, ras el hanout, honey and raisins, is adapted from “Casablanca: My Moroccan Food” by Nargisse Benkabbou (Firefly, 2018). This centuries-old dish has been around so long that traditional recipes call for large amounts of animal fat and honey, which were needed to preserve the meat before the invention of modern refrigeration. Mrouzia is usually served to celebrate Eid al-Adha (also known as Eid el-Kabir), or other special occasions. Enjoy with fluffy couscous or plenty of crusty bread.

Mrouzia Lamb Shanks

lamb shanks (about 3 to 4 shanks), trimmed of excess fat

yellow onion, grated (about 2 cups)

garlic cloves, peeled,

kosher salt,

saffron threads

vegetable stock, plus more as needed

dark raisins

honey

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Working in batches if needed, add the lamb shanks and cook until browned on each side, about 15 minutes. (Make sure that the oil is very hot before adding the meat; you should hear a sizzle when the meat touches the pan, otherwise it isn’t hot enough.) The meat will be released naturally from the pan once browned on one side, so don’t be tempted to turn it beforehand. Transfer the browned lamb shanks to a dish and set aside until ready to use.

Reduce the heat under the pot to medium, add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the onion, garlic, ras el hanout, salt, cinnamon and saffron and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Return the lamb shanks to the pan, add the stock and bring to a boil over high heat. (The meat of the shanks should be mostly covered, but not necessarily fully submerged in the stock.) Cover the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat is fully cooked and fork tender, about 2 hours, depending on the size of your shanks. If it looks like there isn’t enough liquid in the pan and the tagine is drying out at any point during the cooking process, add a couple tablespoons of water.

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the almonds out on a cookie sheet and roast for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden, giving them a good stir halfway through to make sure that they roast evenly. Remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle, then grind using a food processor or crush with a rolling pin until coarsely ground. Set aside until ready to serve.

Once the lamb shanks are fully cooked, remove them from the pan and set aside. Add the raisins and honey to the sauce and gently stir to combine. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat for about 35 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has reduced to a syrup-like consistency and the raisins are plump.

When the sauce is ready, return the lamb shanks to the pan to warm them through and coat them with the sauce. Garnish with almonds and serve immediately with fluffy couscous or crusty bread.

Ces noix épicées et parfumées au miel vous invitent à grignoter. Irrésistibles!

Noix épicées

d’amandes

200 g de noix de cajou

g de noix de pécan

c.s. de miel liquide

blanc d’œuf frais

c.c. de ras el hanout (voir remarque)

c.c. de fleur de sel

c.c. de ras el hanout

Préchauffer le four à 180° C.
Mélanger dans un grand bol amandes, noix, miel, blanc d’œuf, ras el hanout et fleur de sel. Répartir le mélange sur une plaque chemisée de papier cuisson.

Cuisson: env. 15 min au milieu du four en retournant les noix une fois. Retirer, incorporer le ras el hanout, laisser refroidir.

Everyone loves a good oatmeal cookie — and this one will take you straight to Morocco. Ras el hanout is a common Moroccan spice blend and translates to “top of the shop” in Moroccan Arabic, which suggests that the spices selected were the finest available in the merchant's shop at the moment. The fragrant and warming spices of ras el hanout pair beautifully with the sweetness of the oatmeal cookie and the sharpness of the dark chocolate. Because of the spice mixture, these cookies won't appear to brown much, so be careful not to overbake. You can use your favorite store-bought ras el hanout for your cookies or make your own blend (see tip).

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies With Ras el Hanout

light brown sugar

unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

vanilla extract

180 grams old-fashioned rolled oats

all-purpose flour

ras el hanout (see Tip)

baking soda

fine sea salt

semisweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Combine the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla in a large bowl, and use a handheld electric whisk or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to mix all ingredients until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the oats, flour, ras el hanout, baking soda and salt; mix on a low speed until everything is just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Use a spatula to fold in the chocolate. 

Scoop the dough in single heaping tablespoonfuls and transfer them to the lined baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between each piece.

Bake until the edges are light golden brown and the center of each cookie is a bit soft, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days at room temperature. 

An awesome spice rub seasoning recipe to coat lamb, chicken, beef or pork. Full of flavour and great for grilling, roasting, smoking and more!

Moroccan Spice Rub - Ras el hanout seasoning

paprika

tbsp cumin

tbsp white sugar

tsp salt

cardamom

cloves

nutmeg

cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients together and rub on meat. Grill, roast, smoke your meat as desired.

To store, place in an airtight container and store in a cool and dry place.

Try these protein-packed lentil and oat balls blitzed with ras el hanout for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Serve over couscous with our olive salsa

Lentil, ras-el hanout & date ‘meatballs’ with olive salsa

green olives

tomato

porridge oats

medjool dates

tbsp ras el hanout

green lentils

feta

couscous

Combine 1 tbsp of the lemon juice, olives, tomato, half the parsley and 1 tbsp of the oil in a small bowl. Season to taste and set aside.

For the meatballs, tip the garlic, oats, dates, ras el hanout, lemon zest and remaining parsley into a food processor and blitz until well combined. Tip in the lentils and pulse a few times until fully combined – the lentils don’t have to be completely broken up. Season the mixture with a big pinch of salt and pepper and stir in the feta. Wet your hands and form the mixture into 25 small balls, around the size of ping pong balls. Set aside on a plate.

Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the balls to the pan and brown all over, around 10-12 mins, turning them with a spoon rather than shuffling the pan as they will be fragile. Serve over the couscous with the olive salsa spooned on top.

Ras el Hanout is a one-of-a-kind combination of floral aroma and peppery, citrusy heat. Make your own in minutes to use in all your cooking!

Moroccan Ras el Hanout Recipe

allspice berries ((or 1 tsp ground allspice))

red chiles ((or 1 tsp red pepper flakes))

tsp black peppercorns ((or 3 tsp ground black pepper))

tsp turmeric

mint leaves

tsp mace

tsp anise seeds

nigella seeds

lavender

rosebuds

black peppercorn

Cinnamon

coriander seed

Ground Ginger

Ground Turmeric

In an electric coffee or spice grinder, blitz all of the ingredients to a powder.

Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.

Hi.  One of my Tagines doesn't have a hole in the top.  Is that okay?  Make your Shakshuka all the time for guests.

Top 14 ras el hanout recipes from across the web

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Top 14 ras el hanout recipes from across the web

The most viewed ras el hanout recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Warm Roasted Carrot and Barley Sala...

Cauliflower and lamb 'not quite fal...

Brown rice mujadarra with lamb cutl...

Chermoula snapper cooked in a bag

Maple-glazed salmon with pomegranat...

Ras el hanout lamb ribs

Moroccan Lentil Soup

Mrouzia Lamb Shanks

Noix épicées

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies With...

Moroccan Spice Rub - Ras el hanout ...

Lentil, ras-el hanout & date ‘meatb...

Moroccan Ras el Hanout Recipe

Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with zucc...

The most viewed ras el hanout recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine