Earlier this year, for a local charity fund raiser, Your Smart Kitchen offered to host a dinner for 6 with a Moroccan theme.The offer was part of a silent aution at the event and we had no idea who would bid on the dinner. Fortunately, it was won by a group of our friends.

We held the dinner last week and it turned out great. It was actually a lot of fun putting the menu together, preparing everything and cooking and serving the dinner. We've heard from several non- attendees that the winners of the dinner have been raving about the recipes. So, we are sharing them today.

The menu and recipes are below. Enjoy

This was not a difficult dinner to prepare.

It took a couple of hours the day before and much of that was organizing the sequence of activities for the next day. And final preparation and serving took only about 30 minutes and fit nicely between courses. There is a more detailed description of the event on our blog.

The recipe for the drink and desert are not included. If you would like these, send me a note and I will send them to you.

Notes:

You'll need a bunch of celery that weighs about 1 3/4 pounds; use a vegetable peeler to pare the coarse fibers from the curved back sides of the stalks, then use a pariing knife or a vegetable slicer to cut them diagonally into paper-thin slices.

You can cut the dates, cheese, and celery up to 4 hours ahead; chill them separately airtight.

Assemble the salad just before serving. Salt right before serving. Notes:try the champagne orange vinegar at Trader Joe's - Sandy

Yield: Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 9 to 12 Medjool dates
• 3 cups paper-thin slices celery (see notes)
• About 1/2 teaspoon kosher or other coarse salt
• 2 ounces parmesan cheese, cut into paper-thin slices
• About 2 tablespoons balsamic or berry-flavored balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. With a sharp knife, cut dates from pits lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips;
2. In a bowl, gently mix the celery with salt to taste (the mixture should taste slightly salty)
3. Mound celery equally on salad plates.
4. Scatter dates, separating pieces, over celery; top equally with parmesan slices.
5. Drizzle about 2 teaspoons vinegar over each salad.

Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

Ingredients

• 2 sweet onions (6 oz. each), such as Maui or Walla Walla, peeled
• 3/4 to 1 pound Asian or regular eggplant
• 2 or 3 zucchini (1/4 lb. each)
• 2 or 3 bell peppers (1/2 lb. each), red, yellow, or green
• 2 portabella mushrooms (4-in.-wide caps)
• About 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons drained minced dried tomatoes packed in oil
• Salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Cut onions crosswise in 3/4-inch-thick slices. Run a slender skewer across and through center of each slice to hold rounds flat and secure; put as many slices on skewer as will fit.
2. Rinse eggplant, discard stem, and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Thread skewers across and through rounds as directed for onions.
3. Rinse zucchini, trim ends, and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Thread on skewers as directed for onions.
4. Rinse peppers, cut into quarters lengthwise, stem, and seed. Thread thin skewers through center of slices, leaving about 1/4 inch between pieces.
5. Rinse mushrooms, trim stems flush with caps, and save stems for other uses.
6. Mix olive oil and tomatoes. Brush mixture onto vegetables.
7. Set vegetables on a barbecue grill over a solid bed of hot coals or high heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 2 to 3 seconds). Close lid on gas grill. Cook, turning as needed, until vegetables are browned and tender when pierced, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter as cooked.
8. Slice mushrooms.Remove vegetables from skewers. Add mushrooms to platter and season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes: To make things easier, on the night before the dinner I barbecued the vegetables (not the mushrooms) to about two thirds done and put them in the refrigerator over night in a cover dish. Then for the dinner, just as the mushrooms were getting heated through, I added them on to the barbecue in a vegetable cooker. This allowed me to be sure all of the different vegetables were cooked properly rather than have some too crispy and others too soft.

Notes: Preserved lemons are available in gourmet food stores. If you can't find them, use 2 teaspoons grated lemon peel and 3 tablespoons lemon juice.

Yield: Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth
• 1 package (12 oz.) couscous
• Half of a preserved lemon, finely chopped (see notes)

Preparation

In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart pan over high heat, bring broth to a boil. Stir in couscous and preserved lemon. Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and serve.

Notes: Preserved Lemons A popular condiment in Moroccan cooking, preserved lemons are made by soaking the fresh fruit in a saltwater brine for at least 1 week. They impart an intense lemon flavor to dishes, such as braised chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 cup kosher salt

  
  

• 6 thin-skinned lemons, well scrubbed and quartered. I buy the lemons in a bag at Trader Joe's

  
  

• 1 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed. I buy a plastic bottle of frozen lemon juice at Safeway, not lemonade to have on hand.

  
  

Directions:

Place the salt in a shallow bowl. Coat each lemon quarter with salt and place in a 1-quart canning jar. I use a plastic container. You may need to gently force the last few wedges into the jar. Add the remaining salt along with the 1 cup lemon juice. If there are any air bubbles visible, cover the jar and shake it a little to eliminate them. Uncover the jar and add enough lemon juice to reach the lip of the jar. Store on your countertop for 1 day. Uncover the jar and add more lemon juice, if needed, to completely cover the lemons, then cover again. Store on your countertop for 6 more days, shaking the jar at least once a day. The lemons are ready to use.

Store the jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 months (mine have lasted up to 4 or 5 months). Makes 6 preserved lemons. I use them in fish and chicken recipes. Also dips for asparagus, broccoli, etc. (From: Williams-Sonoma Kitchen)

Makes 4 main-dish servings

Ingredients

• 8 lamb loin chops (each about 1 in. thick and 4 oz.), fat trimmed
• Mint chutney (recipe follows)
• Salt and pepper
• Moroccan barbecue sauce (recipe follows)

Preparation

1. Rinse lamb chops; pat dry. Place chops in a bowl with about 1/4 cup mint chutney; turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or up to 1 day. Notes; Use all of the chutney and put in a sealed plastic bag over night. Turn the bag over in the morning.
2. Lift lamb chops from bowl (discard any chutney in bowl) and sprinkle all over with salt and pepper.
3. Place on a grill over a bed of medium-hot coals or medium heat on a gas grill (you can hold your hand at grill level only 3 to 4 seconds); close lid on gas grill. Cook chops, turning once, until browned on both sides but still pink in the center (cut to test), 9 to 12 minutes total. Notes: Use an instant meat thermometer and watch closely after 8 or 9 minutes. Take them off at about 125 degrees let sit for 6 to 10 minutes.
4. Place chops on plates and drizzle with Moroccan barbecue sauce; offer remaining chutney and sauce alongside.

Mint chutney: In a blender, whirl 1 cup lightly packed rinsed fresh mint leaves, 1/2 cup olive oil, 1/2 cup chopped green onions (white and pale green parts), 3 tablespoons parsley leaves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 peeled clove garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne until smooth. Makes about 1 cup.

Moroccan barbecue sauce: In a 2- to 3-quart pan, combine 3/4 cup honey, 1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, 1/3 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1 clove garlic, 1 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon stick (3 in. long, broken into pieces), 3/4 teaspoon black peppercorns, and 1/4 teaspoon each ground ginger, ground cardamom, whole cloves, hot chile flakes, and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced to about 1 1/4 cups, about 15 minutes. Pour through a fine strainer into a bowl. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

This was a fantastic meal. The transition from course to course went very smoothly. The combination of tastes, textures and colors was intreguing. And the paring of the wine was excellent.

The complement to the meal was the active conversation among friends. What could be better?