Moroccan Patties With Minted Cucumber Salad Food

MOROCCAN BEET SALAD

Steps:

• Place water in a 3-quart saucepan, and bring to a boil. Add beets, and simmer until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 45 minutes. Cool, peel, and cut beets into bite-size pieces. Place in a serving bowl.
• Place lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl. Whisk in olive oil, then toss with beets. Let sit a few hours. Just before serving, sprinkle with parsley.

MOROCCAN KEFTA

Steps:

• In a large bowl using your hands or a large spoon, combine the beef, onion and the juices, parsley, cilantro, mint, sweet paprika, cumin, salt, black pepper and cayenne.
• Take about 1/2 teaspoon of the kefta mixture, cook it (in a pan or in the microwave) and taste it to check the seasoning. Add more salt to the kefta mixture if necessary.
• Take about 2 1/2 tablespoons of the kefta mixture (slightly larger than a golf ball) and mold it onto a skewer to form a log. (If using a long skewer, form two logs on each.) Repeat until you've used all the kefta mixture. Place the skewers on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
• Heat your grill or grill pan to medium-high and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until cooked through, using a thin spatula to help turn if the kefta sticks. Serve immediately with bread and a side of vegetables or a salad.

MOROCCAN BURGER SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pitas on a baking sheet and bake until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, preheat a grill to medium high. Combine the ground beef, grated red onion, 1 tablespoon each olive oil and harissa, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix with your hands until just combined. Form into four 1-inch-thick patties; set aside.
• Whisk the lemon juice with the remaining 1 tablespoon harissa in another large bowl. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs and sliced red onion; toss to coat. Set aside.
• Brush the grill grates with oil. Grill the burgers about 4 minutes per side for medium rare. Add the lettuce and pita wedges to the salad bowl; toss. Top each serving of salad with the feta and burgers.

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Arrange the cucumber, potato and pepper slices, and the pitted olives on a serving plate or in a dish.
• 2. Season with salt, if you like. (Olives tend to be very salty so you may not wish to add any extra salt.)
• 3. Sprinkle the garlic, onions, olive oil, vinegar, and lemon juice over the salad. Chill for at least 1 hour. Before serving, sprinkle with the chopped mint leaves and cilantro leaves.

CUCUMBER RAITA

Steps:

• Stir together the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, mint, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.
• FOOTNOTES:.
• To make your own Greek yogurt, place 2 1/2 cups of plain, nonfat yogurt in a strainer lined with several layers of cheesecloth. Place over a bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight. Discard the liquid collected in the bowl, and proceed with the recipe!

FEGGOUS AND TOMATO SALAD (MOROCCAN CHOPPED CUCUMBER AND TOMATO S

Steps:

• Lightly peel the feggous so that some dark green skin remains, and finely chop it. (If using regular cucumbers, you'll want to remove the seeds before chopping.).
• Peel the tomatoes, seed them, and chop them into small pieces. Mix the tomatoes with the feggous, parsley or mint, onion, lemon juice or vinegar, oil and salt and pepper to taste.
• If time allows, leave the vegetables to marinate at room temperature or in the fridge for up to an hour. Serve in small bowls or on individual salad plates.