Vegetarian Table : North Africa [Paperback]

Kitty Morse (Author)

Book Description

Series: Vegetarian Table | Publication Date: August 2000

"An exciting new perspective on a cherished cuisine" (The San Francisco Chronicle), the Vegetarian Table series celebrates the rich diversity of flavors, fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, and the variety of enticing spices found all over the world, providing the perfect opportunity for indulging the vegetarian palate. Lavishly illustrated with stunning full-color photography and text by some of the finest food writers in the industry, this popular Chronicle Books series is now available in paperback. Featuring distinctive vegetarian recipes for appetizers, soups and salads, pastas and noodles, main dishes, breads, and desserts, the cuisines are as delicious as they are exotic. The Vegetarian Table series offers an enticing and nutritious way to bring the sumptuous food and flavors from around the globe to any vegetarian tablewherever it may be.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Kitty Morse grew up in Casablanca, and through her extensive network of family and friends, she accumulated expertise in the cuisine of the entire Maghreb: Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. In this part of the world, banquets called diffas are long affairs which include heaping platters of couscous, aromatic tagines or stews, and exquisitely spiced dishes like feather-light Bisteya, a kind of pie often filled with pigeon. Meat, fish, and poultry are eaten, but most of the time, meals center on legumes like lentils, grains, and heaps of vegetables. Some of these dishes require seasoning with preserved lemons, fiery harissa, or a Tunisian blend of ground coriander, caraway, garlic, and chili powder which is called Tabil. Morse opens by showing how to make them all. There are recipes for a meatless Harira, a delightful Cauliflower and Zucchini Salad, and Tunisian Mechwya. There are also grilled peppers, several crustless Tunisian quiches, Foul Mudamus, a stew of fava beans with olives, plus a variety of couscous dishes and breads. Vegetarians will appreciate the complex flavors and brilliant colors of North African food. Those who eat meat will not miss it, thanks to the rich aromas and satisfying heft of Morse's dishes. Photos by Deborah Jones display the beauty of this traditional cooking. Menus will help you organize memorable meals, and mail-order sources can supply needed ingredients wherever you live. --Dana Jacobi --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Morse (Come With Me to the Kasbah) does a standout job with this latest entry in the publisher's geographic/ethnic Vegetarian Table books, not because she follows the series formula but because she transcends it with her personal stories and recipes. A descendant of Sephardic Jews with a peripatetic history, Morse examines dishes from the Maghreb, the area consisting of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria. The recipes are consistently clear and tempting, and she exhibits great ability in tinkering with some traditional fare to render it meatless. An entire chapter on the Moroccan and Algerian stews called Tagines includes classic vegetarian dishes such as Foul Mudammas (Fava Bean Stew with Olives) and vegetarian adaptations such as Kefta aux Oefs (Vegetarian Meatballs with Eggs in Tomato Sauce). Among the most intriguing of the many couscous recipes are Meherzia's Couscous with Fennel, flavored with the spicy hot sauce called harissa and Anaheim chilies, and the unusual Barley Grit Couscous with vegetables. A brief description of how Moroccans usually entertain and dine will likely inspire American readers to thoughts of their own entertaining, as will recipes for savory stuffed Berber Pizza and Cashew Phyllo Pie. Suggested menus, a glossary and a list of mail-order sources are included.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (August 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811830373
• ISBN-13: 978-0811830379
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #392,151 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > African

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

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!!!!!, December 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Albany NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vegetarian Table: North Africa (Vegetarian Table Series , Vol 4) (Hardcover)

I'm a professional vegetarian chef and with out a doubt this ranks as probably my favorite "ethnic" cookbook, if not just one of my all time favorite cookbooks in general.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gorgeous Book of Exotic Recipes, July 8, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Vegetarian Table: North Africa (Vegetarian Table Series , Vol 4) (Hardcover)

This is quite simply a beautiful book of wonderful Moroccan recipes written by a Moroccan-born American. Kitty Morse was born in Casablanca and now is a food and travel writer living in Southern California. Kitty has been returning to her homeland yearly to lead tours-- most recently a chef's tour of her favorite Moroccan restaurants. This book includes traditional Moroccan recipes that have been tailored to allow preparation in an American kitchen. The photography by Deborah Jones is first rate. From cous-cous to harira soup, this book will help those who are not vegetarians realize they're not missing anything

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great variety!, August 11, 2001

By 

merrymousies (Waterford, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Vegetarian Table : North Africa (Paperback)

This is a great cookbook. I'm so glad I bought it. It has a whole bunch of different couscous recipes, a number of moroccan tagines, appetizers that are quite yummy and salads. A variety of spices are used which lends itself to foods that have a nice depth of flavor. Each recipe has a brief intro that tells about the food and gives additional tips. Its a fun cookbook with great recipes. I highly recommend it!