Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen [Paperback]

Kitty Morse (Author), Laurie Smith (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1998

Moroccan food features the delicious flavors and health benefits of other Mediterranean cuisines, but tantalizes the senses with its own unique combinations of spices and simple ingredients. Grilled meats, vegetable or fruit tagines (stews), delicately spiced salads, couscous, and sweet or savory pastries are its hallmarks. Kitty Morse, who grew up in Casablanca, brings to this new book fascinating details about life and food in Morocco. Her approach to this exotic culinary tradition is surprisingly accessible yet authentic. With Morse's easy, step-by-step recipes and time-saving tips, any cook can create exquisite Moroccan flavors. On-location photos taken by the author's husband together with Laurie Smith's luscious stills create a beautiful insider's look at an intriguing cuisine and culture.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kitty Morse's 'Cooking at the Kasbah' presents recipes from Morocco, pairing color photos by Laurie Smith with dishes such as Barley Bread with Cumin and Tagine of Lamb with Prunes. Notes on Moroccan customs pepper this attractive presentation. -- The Bookwatch

About the Author

Award-winning author Kitty Morse was born in Casablanca, Morocco, of a French mother and British father. She emigrated to the United States at the age of seventeen. While studying for her Master's Degree at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Kitty catered Moroccan diffas, or banquets, and went on to teach the intricacies of Moroccan cuisine in cooking schools and department stores nationwide. In June 2002, she conducted a Culinary Concert on Moroccan culture and cuisine hosted by Julia Child, as a benefit for the Harry Bell Foundation of the International Association of Culinary Professionals. From 1983 to 2007, Kitty organized an annual tour to Morocco that included culinary demonstrations in her family home, a Moorish riad south of Casablanca.

Laurie Smith has had her gorgeous photographs appear in such publications as the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times as well as in Saveur, Time, and Garden Design magazines.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (September 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081181503X
• ISBN-13: 978-0811815031
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,912 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #9 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > African
  • #32 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > European > Mediterranean

More About the Author

Kitty Morse hails from the "real "kasbah" in Morocco. She was born in Casablanca of a French mother and British father, and emigrated to the United States in 1964.

She is the author of nine cookbooks, five of them on the cuisine of Morocco and North Africa. They include Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from my Moroccan Kitchen (Chronicle Books), The Scent of Orange Blossoms (Ten Speed Press), and The California Farm Cookbook (Pelican Publishing).

Kitty's career as a food writer, cooking teacher, and lecturer, spans more than twenty-five years. More recently, she became the author/publisher of the second edition of A Biblical Feast: Ancient Mediterranean Diet for Today's Table.

Her next book bears the working title of Mint Tea and Minarets: A Memoir of Morocco with Recipes.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great recipes, beautiful photos & interesting Morrocan info., October 1, 2001

By 

Nita Gill (Solana Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen (Paperback)

I used this book to help create a very successful Moroccan dinner party. I used 9 recipes from this book. The Lamb Marrekesh Stew, Tomato and Eggplant Salad, Dates with Almond paste and especially the Chicken B'stila were EXELLENT! The instructions were clear and I liked that Kitty Morse indicates how far in advance the dishes can be made and which ones are freezable.

There was plenty of information about Moroccan dining to help me make the dinner more authentic. We washed our hands at the table with orange blossom scented water and ate with our fingers. Our guests LOVED it.

Kitty has included a list of suppliers which I found very useful. I was even able to order Moroccan wine and beer from an importer on her list.

I hoghly recommend this book. It is the first book I have ever felt motivated to rate. It is that good!

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars authentic and great recipes!, November 15, 2005

By 

hsianghicham (columbia, md) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen (Paperback)

My husband is a Moroccan and I am a Taiwanese. I love Moroccan food and always want to learn how to make those delicious dishes my mother-in-law made. When I bought this book, my husband and his brother thought the recipes must be westernized. After they tasted my Briouats(shrimp and ground beef) and B'stilla (seafood and chicken), they changed their minds. Most recipes are authentic and easy to follow. It's a great book. I love it!

35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Impressive resource for Moroccan Cuisine, January 28, 2002

By 

rodboomboom (Dearborn, Michigan United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cooking at the Kasbah: Recipes from My Moroccan Kitchen (Paperback)

Don't let the slimness of this volume fool you, it is loaded with info and recipes and charm. From its beautiful color photos to its warm and personal intro and associated history and culture to go along with more than 100 recipes, this is a fine resource for those of us who want to continue our delving into Moroccan cuisine.

Fascinating the history of her family in Morocca and their long-term commitment to remain there and contribute to the preservation of the architecture and culture. Passed on was Kitty's love for the people and their food.

What attracts me and just might you also is the seductive use of fragrant spices, herbs and dried fruit in wonderful, delectable dishes such as: Stuffed Meatballs with Dried Sweet Onion Sauce, Tangine of Chicken with Preserved Lemons and Artichoke Hearts, Briouats of Shrimp and Chinese Rice Vermicelli, Chicken B'stilla (the best! cinammon laced chicken filling in razor thin pastry, here made of phyllo), or the Spiced Tomato and Honey Coulis, or the Sweet Cinnamon Couscous with Dried Fruit.

Worth the inclusion into the venturesome gourmet's repoirtoire. A delight to thumb through and to cook from.