COUSCOUS FROM THE KASBAH : MOROCCAN-BORN WRITER TOUTS VEGETARIAN CUISINE OF NORTH AFRICA.

Byline: Cathy Thomas Orange County Register

Moroccan-born food writer Kitty Morse gives home cooks an inside look at the cuisines of Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria (known collectively as the Maghreb), in her new cookbook, ``The Vegetarian Table: North Africa'' (Chronicle Books; $22.95), and her upcoming book ``Cooking at the Kasbah'' (to be published this year).

Filled with passion for the cuisine of her homeland, Morse's voice fires at lightning speed at a recent cooking lesson.

``There are many family recipes in my cookbooks,'' Morse said in her unique accent, an amalgam of her mother's French and father's English. ``They are based on ancient traditions, rarely written, but handed down orally from mother to daughter.

``And there's a tradition of meatless cooking. So many vegetables and fruits are grown in Morocco, it's not difficult to be a vegetarian. Growing up, I remember the open-air, French-style market in Casablanca. It's one of my fondest memories.''

She rattled off a list of 30 fruits and vegetables sold at the market, from muscat grapes and sugary little tangerines to Swiss chard and tiny artichokes.

Mouths watered.

``And, oh, the olives from Tunisia. Some hot, some pickled, black, green, big, small. Dates, fresh herbs and spice blends, too.''

Stomachs rumbled.

Morse, who lives in the San Diego area, began the feast by passing an ornate silver dispenser filled with orange-flower water. We sprinkled the fragrant liquid on our hands.

Next, came small decorated glass cups of mint tea. She moved the pot dramatically up and down as she poured, explaining that the motion aerates the tea and shows off your skill.

``Throughout the Maghreb, mint tea is the most popular drink,'' Morse said. ``It's served as a sign of welcome. You can leave only after you drink three glasses.''

Hunger pangs were soothed.

Morse prepared a variety of couscous, dishes made with semolina flour rolled into tiny, grain-like pellets, then combined with a variety of tasty ingredients.

With a determined, never-say-die expression, Morse pushed her rust-colored hair behind her ears, using her glasses as a headband. She embraced a huge, shallow, glazed earthenware bowl called a gasaa.

``A gasaa is indispensable in a Moroccan kitchen. It's used for forming the couscous, but you can buy instant couscous at almost any supermarket in the pasta and rice section,'' Morse said. ``So you can skip this step.''

She sprinkled water over the freshly ground semolina. Moving her hands in a couscous ballet, she raked, rolled and sifted it, until tiny pellets formed. In the United States, they sell medium-sized granules, but in Morocco, they prefer smaller granules. Peewee pellets the ``size of ant heads,'' according to 13th-century scholar Ibn Razin Al-Tujibi.

From-scratch couscous steams in a keskes (Arabic) or couscoussier (French), a large soup pot topped with a tight-fitting colander (where the couscous steams). The seam between the colander and pot is sealed with a strip of damp cloth, so all the steam goes into the couscous.

Morse combined the made-from-scratch couscous with a chicken-beef mixture and moved her attention to a much simpler version, made with instant couscous and sea bass, a popular dish in Tunisia.

Instant couscous is presteamed and dried. It plumps to four times its dry volume when hydrated with hot liquid and allowed to steep, covered, for four to five minutes. Morse says, that when you use the instant variety, couscous is just a process of assembly. One: cook the flavorings. Two: steep the instant couscous. Three: assemble on a platter. Easy.

``Good spices are essential,'' Morse said as she heated olive oil, sweet paprika, ground cumin, turmeric and black pepper in a large pot. ``Buy spices at a store that has a big turnover: health-food stores, Middle Eastern markets or Indian markets.''

Broth, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, carrots and turnips were added to the aromatic spices. The mixture bubbled for 20 minutes, then Morse added strips of zucchini and peppers. Sea bass sizzled with slivers of garlic in one skillet, the shrimp garnish sauteed in another. Couscous, steeped and fluffed with olive oil, formed a mound on a shallow platter. Vegetables and seafood were arranged on top.

``It's an old Arab proverb: `First you eat with your eyes,' '' Morse explained, as she arranged carrots and zucchini sticks in a spoke pattern on top of the couscous. ``In Tunisia, the ingredients are mixed with the couscous, but in Morocco, they're arranged.''

After ladling a little broth on top, the fish couscous was served with extra broth and harissa on the side. Harissa is a fiery sauce made with chiles, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and tabil, a Tunisian spice blend. Harissa is sold in cans or jars in Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets.

The couscous parade continued with a sweet couscous. This luscious mixture combines instant couscous with butter, shallots, Spanish saffron, sugar, cinnamon, raisins, dates and almonds. It can be used as a side dish or a stuffing.

``Sometimes when I take my tours to Morocco at Thanksgiving, we have a feast of four stuffed turkeys for just 20 guests. They're stuffed with sweet couscous,'' Morse said.

Delicious. One taste and you understand why couscous is to North Africans what pasta is to Italians.

SWEET PEPPER TART

This is Morse's great-aunt's specialty. A glorious blend of roasted red peppers, ripe tomatoes, garlic and black imported olives is encased in flaky pastry.

CRUST:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

10 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening

1/4 cup cold water

FILLING:

4 red bell peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely diced (see Note)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

12 kalamata OR nicoise olives, pitted and sliced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Vegetable oil OR butter, for greasing pan

1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

For Crust, in a medium bowl, mix flour with salt. Using 2 knives or a pastry blender, cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water gradually until pastry is just moist enough to hold together. Do not overwork dough or crust will be tough. Separate dough into 2 equal balls. Cover with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.

For Filling, place peppers on a lightly oiled baking sheet. In preheated broiler, broil about 3 inches from broiler element, turning carefully with tongs until skin is evenly charred. Place in a paper or plastic food bag or a bowl and seal.

When peppers are cool, peel, seed and cut into strips. Place in a colander to drain.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic, tomato paste and olives. Cook, uncovered, until most of liquid evaporates.

Add peppers. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to almost a jam-like consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool.

Lightly grease an 8-inch pie pan with vegetable oil or butter. On a floured surface, carefully roll out dough into 2 (10-inch) circles. Line bottom of pan with 1 circle of dough. Fill with pepper mixture. Cover with second sheet of dough. Trim off excess dough; crimp edges to seal. With a sharp knife, make 4 slits in top crust. Brush lightly with beaten egg.

Bake in preheated 425-degree oven 20 minutes. Serve immediately. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: To peel tomatoes, submerge about 30 seconds in simmering water. Skin should slip off easily. Cut in half horizontally and gently squeeze to push out seeds.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 654 calories; 43 grams fat; 53 milligrams cholesterol; 609 milligrams sodium.

From ``The Vegetarian Table: North Africa'' by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books).

MOROCCAN MINT TEA

2 tablespoons Chinese green tea OR Chinese gunpowder tea

5 cups boiling water

1 large bunch fresh mint

1 cup sugar OR to taste

Place tea in teapot. Pour in boiling water. Cover and steep 2 to 3 minutes. Rinse mint under running water and add to pot. Steep 3 to 5 minutes. Add sugar. Serve in mint tea glasses or small cups. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: In Morroco, tea is served very sweet. Decrease amount of sugar, if desired.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 192 calories; 0 grams fat; 0 grams carbohydrates; 0 grams protein; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 1 milligram sodium.

From ``The Vegetarian Table: North Africa'' by Kitty Morse (Chronicle Books).

FISH COUSCOUS

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

8 cups chicken broth OR fish stock

30 sprigs fresh parsley, tied with a string

20 sprigs fresh cilantro, tied with a string

6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into sticks

2 large turnips, peeled and cut into 4 to 6 wedges

6 medium zucchini, cut into sticks

2 Anaheim peppers OR red bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into strips

2 garlic cloves, sliced

3 pounds sea bass OR red snapper fillets

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (optional) (see Note)

2 cups instant couscous

Harissa hot sauce (optional) (see Note)

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add paprika, cumin, turmeric and pepper. Cook, stirring, until spices are heated, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add broth, parsley, cilantro, tomatoes, carrots and turnips. Cover and bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cook until carrots are tender-crisp, about 15 to 20 minutes.

Add zucchini and peppers; cook until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to an ovenproof dish.

Keep vegetables warm, covered, in preheated 200-degree oven.

Discard parsley and cilantro. Keep broth simmering on stove.

Cut fish into 3-inch pieces. In a medium skillet, heat remaining olive oil and cook garlic on medium heat, until golden.

Discard garlic. Saute fish fillets for 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Add fish and shrimp to broth and poach until fish loses its translucency, 5 to 10 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer seafood to an ovenproof dish. Cover and keep warm in oven.

Prepare couscous according to package directions.

To serve, mound couscous in center of a large, shallow platter. Set carrots and zucchini sticks on top of couscous like spokes of a wheel. Set seafood and peppers around dish. Spoon remaining vegetables on top. Ladle a little broth over couscous. Serve immediately, with extra broth and harissa on side. Makes 8 servings.

NOTE: For a brighter color, shrimp can be sauteed in a little olive oil in a nonstick skillet (rather than poached) and used as a garnish.

Harissa is a fiery hot sauce made with chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander and caraway. Harissa, in cans and jars, is sold in Middle Eastern markets and some supermarkets.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 534 calories; 16 grams fat; 117 milligrams cholesterol; 937 milligrams sodium.

From ``Come With Me to the Kasbah: A Cook's Tour of Morocco'' by Kitty Morse (1989, self-published and out of print).

SWEET COUSCOUS

4 tablespoons butter, plus additional butter if necessary

2 shallots, minced

1 cup chicken broth

6 threads Spanish saffron, crushed

1 cup instant couscous

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons orange-blossom water (see Note)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons raisins, plumped in warm water and drained

2 tablespoons chopped dates OR any other chopped, dried fruit

2 tablespoons slivered almonds

Salt and pepper to taste

Buttermilk (optional)

Place 2 tablespoons butter and shallots in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Cook, stirring, until shallots are transparent, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add broth, saffron and 2 tablespoons butter. Bring to a boil; add couscous in a stream. Remove from heat, cover and let stand 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer couscous to a bowl and fluff with a fork. Add a little additional butter, if necessary, to separate granules.

Add sugar, orange-blossom water, cinnamon, raisins, dates and slivered almonds. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serve hot as a stuffing or side dish. Traditionally served with a glass of buttermilk. Makes 4 servings.

NOTE: Orange-blossom water or orange-flower water is a perfumy distillation of orange flowers. It's used as a flavoring in baked goods, various sweet and savory dishes and a variety of drinks. Large supermarkets sometimes stock it in the liquor section.

If using for stuffing, use 1 tablespoon of orange-blossom water.

NUTRITION INFORMATION PER SERVING: 375 calories, 14.9 grams fat.

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Photo

Photo: (Color) Couscous, a staple of North African cuisine, is semolina flour rolled into tiny, grain-like pellets, then combined with a variety of ingredients.

Nadia Borowski/Orange County Register