Farm to Table Cooking Class, Morocco

On a trip through Morocco in 2019 while in Marrakesh my father, sister her husband and I all took a farm to table cooking class that we found on airbnb experiences.

My sister and her husband took one earlier in the trip when were in Fes on bread making. They found it very interesting and were able to talk my father and I into doing one.

(Rayner taking a photo at the park we met the host at)

I believe it was a half day class and we met the host at a park not far away from where we were staying at a Riad in the madina or old city.

We jumped in the car with him and picked two other couples before heading to the market. For this market we were getting the protiens and main courses. My father and sister are pescitarians and my sisters husband and I eat and enjoy everything. So we picked up some fish and some lamb in the market.

Since it was the off season for many of the farmers including our host we went to a farmers market after we got a little ways out of the city on the way to where we will do the cooking. Even though it was the winter months the amount of fresh beautiful looking veggies in the farmers market was astonishing. We each filled our basket with the veggies we wanted for our dishes.

From the farmers market we continued down the road a little further until we came to the place where the class will take place. The space was amazing. It was set up beautifully for being able to cook and also relax. Started with some mint tea relaxing on the pillows before w got to work.

We then took some time to forage around what was left of the winter crop for some herbs and spices.

After learning how to bake some bread that I do not have photos of we got the charcoal started and prepared our work spaces. We then also prepared and washed the veggies. All the cooking is done is clay pots. I was preparing a Lamb Targine, my sister prepared a veggie targine, my sisters husband did a fish targine, and my dad did a veggie soup that was used to also steam the couscous.

We then turned up the heat and got to work cooking. Here you can see the prep of the soup and the couscous before it goes in the steamer. The steam pot is sealed to the top of the soup pot so the vapors can cook the couscous. The magic ingredient here to give the couscous a rich flavor is Ghie, or clarified butter.

I then started the base and the spice for the lamb I would be cooking.

After the meat is cooked in the spice the veggies are piled on and the cap is put on the targine. You can also see here the fish being prepared in a nice bed of spices.