The Momo Cookbook: A Gastronomic Journey Through North Africa [Paperback]

Mourad Mazouz (Author), Abdallah El Rgachi (Author), Richard Meyniel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2005

Over eighty recipes from Momo, one of London's most fashionable restaurants, together with sumptuous photography and photography and an atmospheric text, recreate the sexy and mysterious flavours of North African life and cuisine. The Momo Cookbook contains eighty-eight authentic North African recipes which allow the reader to make these spicy and aromatic dishes at home. Each chapter concentrates on the food of a particular region - Morocco, Algeria or Tunisia - and text from the award-winning author Janine di Giovanni relates the recipes to the rich history and culture of these remarkable regions. Some of the delicious dishes which can be recreated include lamb ribs with corlander crust and tagine mqualli of beef and fennel. There are also 'modern' dishes inspired by authentic North African cooking and recently created in the restaurant such as croustillant of skate with cucumber and coriander and sea bass fillet with tabbouleh and citrus juice. The Momo Cookbook provides an exciting opportunity to experiment with the spices and subtle flavours of Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, but the rich location photography and detailed desciptions of life there means it is much more than just a cookbook - it is also a fascinating evocation of the spirit of North Africa.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Roasted meats seasoned with precious saffron underlaid with the pungent notes of cumin, cinnamon, and turmeric. Marinated fish snuggled in a bed of almonds, pickled lemon, and couscous. Simultaneously sweet and piquant salads. Delicate and sugary pastries flavored with fragrant orange-blossom water, dripping with honey, and served with a fresh rinse of mint tea. What more proof could there be that food for the body should be food for the soul? Small wonder that the worshippers of sensual culinary delights have anointed Momo one of the most successful new restaurants in recent years for vibrantly conjuring up the atmosphere of a North African souk in the heart of London.

The Momo Cookbook is much more than a recipe collection. Prose portraits of the land of the Maghreb (Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria) connect its rich history to the development of a distinctive cuisine that, over the centuries, has been influenced by Jewish, Arabic, Italian, and Spanish cultures. Stunning location photographs bring the colorful landscape, its traditions and people, to life.

But the meat of the book is, of course, the food. The 90 recipes open a door to North Africa, and fortunately the ingredients do not cost the price of a return flight: lots of vegetables, fruits, cereals, meats, fish, and poultry that, with the artful use of spices, herbs, and fragrant waters, are transformed into marvels. Momo himself offers traditional recipes (such as mechouia, a roasted-pepper and tomato salad; harira, a rich, thick soup made with cereal; and briouats, stuffed and fried pastry parcels) as well as modern dishes created in the restaurant (such as Fillet of John Dory, with aubergine confit and polenta; dried fruit salad with aromatic spices; and boureks of crispy vegetables) that can easily be prepared in a home kitchen. Although some of the more exotic ingredients such as orange-blossom water may need searching out if you don't live in a large multicultural city, the book includes helpful and surprisingly easy methods for making such ingredients as pickled lemons and almond milk, as well as a full glossary and meal plans. A doorway to a land where sugar and salt, spice and honey coexist happily will always serve up pleasure, whether on the coffee table or the kitchen counter. --Fiona Buckland --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Algerian-born Mazouz, chef and owner of the titular London restaurant, offers a vivid immersion into the Maghreb region-made up of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria-with this elegant, temptingly illustrated cookbook. The chef's lyrical introduction, historical and cultural background on North Africa, an explanation of the region's cuisine (it emerged from Jewish, Arab, Turkish, French and Spanish influences) and a glossary of herbs and spices precede the book's 90 recipes. The extensive chapter of Moroccan recipes details a range of salads, desserts, tagines and couscous dishes, many accompanied by information on the food's cultural context and all with a vibrant photo. Most of the recipes are traditional, like the pigeon pastilla, a "sweet and spicy" meat pie, and harira, a thick, rich soup eaten by Muslims during Ramadan, but Mazouz also includes modern Momo innovations such as fillet of John Dory with confit aubergines and polenta. The chapters for Tunisia and Algeria are shorter but no less appetizing, with appetizing basics like a Tunisian version of couscous with seven vegetables and lhem lahlou, an Algerian sweet lamb stew. Mazouz deliberately omits recipes that might be inaccessible for Westerners (no chicken's feet or stuffed tripe, for example), and most ingredients should be readily available. Despite the clarity of the recipes, though, some home cooks might be daunted by the preparation required, from steaming couscous three times to folding thin, delicate pastry sheets. Even if the sumptuousness on display here doesn't convince readers to make the effort, they should be tantalized by this culinary exploration of North Africa.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (UK) (August 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743263723
• ISBN-13: 978-0743263726
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 8.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,930,580 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most inspirational North African cookbook I've read!, July 11, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Momo Cookbook (Hardcover)

What a gorgeous book! The photography is unbelievable--I'm tempted to buy a second copy just to cut out and frame selected prints. But this treasure goes beyond appearances--the recipes are delightful and do-able. Some may complain that many of the ingredients are too exotic, but I find that to be much of the appeal of world cuisines. And while the book is indeed a British publication and measurements are most often given in metrics, American ounces are also given (in any case, a good-quality food scale is a great investment for the home chef). This title will be on my holiday gift-giving list for culinary friends and armchair travellers. As good as or better than my vast Paula Wolfert/Kitty Morse/Claudia Roden collection, and that ain't small potatoes! Or small pastilla...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passageway into The 5 Senses of N.African Cuisine, August 24, 2004

By 

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

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Momo Cookbook (Hardcover)

This N.African now restauranteer in Europe desires to share his passion for his native cuisine, with its simplicity, mystery, and satisfying qualities.

It is cuisine that is not difficult to prepare, nor difficult to secure its ingredients. It is also cuisine that can use ingredient substitutes with success. It is above all cuisine to relax with and enjoy, not fast food but sensual cusine which takes in all the senses for a feast. I find this cuisine highly attractive and relaxing, a real cuisine to share with special friends.

This cookbook endeavors to be as its cuisine, attractive to the senses -- it has great photos as well as great accompanying copy -- the recipes and history behind them are chosen carefully, so that there is not just an abundance, but some very good ones.

There are fine sections on the people, the ingredients, then three countries' cuisine: Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. I'm especially fond of this cuisine. These recipes caught my attention and palette: "Harira-- Moroccan soup which is yummy, loaded with lentils and chickpeas, veggies, grains, and lamb or beef. Then one of my favorites due to its being part of my first Moroccan meal -- Pigeon Pastilla, which I substitute with chicken with outstanding results. The King Prawn Tagine is scrumptuous, with its layering in tagine of fennels and tomatoes with prawns cooking on top of this aromatic bed. Or a knockout of main course: Confit of Duck Tagine with pears, figs and glazed carrots. Amazingly refreshing Couscous Seffa--a sugary delight with raisines and tea and orange blossom water with buttermilk, a Moroccan rice pudding type dish.

An Algerian hit is "Lamb Ribs in a Coriander Crust".

There is additional aids on Wines and Drinks, menu ideas, glossary, book references.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gastronomic Journey worth the undertaking, October 7, 2005

By 

Mary Lou Heiss "www.teatrekker.com" (Northampton, Ma) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Momo Cookbook: A Gastronomic Journey Through North Africa (Paperback)

I picked up this book as soon as I saw the cover and when I scaned the insides I knew immediately that I had to own this book. I adore books that take my hand and draw me in and effortlessly and skillfully transport me to another place. With spell-binding precision,this book gives us a glimpse into the people, the markets, the food and the land of North Africa, and creates a mood that prepares us for the aromas, flavors and colors of these traditional savory and sweet dishes. I was impressed with the number of tagine recipes given, and immediately made the Chicken Tagine with Honeyed Pears and Cinnamon. This was easy to prepare and as delicious as it suggested. I have also made and loved the Soup of Chick-peas, Pumpkin and Aniseed which I served with the Couscous with Fish (in an improvised couscoussier ) to a small group for dinner. The recipe for Tomato Confit with Golden Sesame Seeds is a wonderful example of how ethnically diverse a simple tomato can be.