Opinion – Recipes from Marcão: Typical of Morocco, zaalouk is made with eggplants burned on the stove top

Today the recipe is from Morocco, which will compete in the group of Belgium, Croatia and Canada.

When talking about Moroccan cuisine, the first food that comes to mind is couscous — the original, made from semolina, the father of all other couscous.

It is quite possible that our repertoire will not go beyond couscous, as the Moroccan community in Brazil is numerically irrelevant. We know almost nothing about the culture and food of that African country — it’s not worth saying that he learned everything watching the rerun of the soap opera “O Clone”.

Located in North Africa, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, Morocco is an Arab country; it is also a nation that shares culinary elements with other parts of the Mediterranean — in particular Spain and France, which have already occupied their territory (the Spaniards still maintain enclaves on Moroccan soil).

This Mediterranean identity means the abundant use of olive oil and olives, Sicilian lemon, eggplant, tomato, zucchini and herbs. Wine, so important to the European Mediterranean, has a timid presence in Morocco — the majority of the population follows the Islamic religion, which condemns the consumption of alcohol.

For a little variation on couscous, here’s a wonderfully simple recipe: zaalouk. It is an intense paste of eggplant, tomato and spices, great to eat with bread. It is a related dish to the Lebanese babaganuche and the Greek melitzanosalata.

These three preparations have in common a very peculiar flavor trait: the smoked eggplant. To get it, you can burn the eggplant directly over the flame of the stove, holding it with a fork or long tongs (like those for barbecue).

Don’t worry about the burnt shell. It comes off easily if you seal the roasted eggplant in a plastic bag, smothering it in its own steam.

Also burning the tomato, to remove its skin, accentuates the smoky character even more. I recommend.

If you want to skip this step, that’s fine: zaalouk is also good (although not so good) if you sauté raw and chopped eggplant (peeled) and tomato. But then it’s better to double the smoked paprika, which will replace the burnt flavor.

Zaalouk

Yield: up to 4 servings (appetizer)

Difficulty: easy

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant (or 2 small)

2 ripe tomatoes

80 ml of olive oil

3 minced garlic cloves

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 teaspoon cumin

1 bunch of coriander

1 lemon wedge with rind

salt to taste

Coriander leaves and bread

PREPARATION

1. Burn the entire eggplant skin on the stove over high heat. Put it in a plastic bag and close it to trap the steam. The eggplant will finish cooking on its own heat and the skin will come off.
2. Do the same thing with the tomatoes.
3. When eggplant and tomatoes are cool, peel them and chop their flesh.
4. Heat half the oil and lightly sauté the garlic. Add the seasonings, the eggplant and the tomatoes and cook over low heat, with the pan uncovered, until the eggplant has finished softening. This can take 10 to 20 minutes — the time depends on the size, variety and age of the eggplant.
5. Adjust the salt, remove from the heat, discard the lemon and let it cool. You can store it for up to 1 week in the fridge.
6. To serve, leave at room temperature, drizzle with the remaining olive oil and garnish with more coriander leaves. Eat with bread.