There are many perks to being a Jew of Russian descent, but good food definitely isn't one of them. Sorry Grandma, but someone had to admit it. There is nothing less appealing to me than a bucket of bland pink soup that has been frozen and de-frozen dozens of times in its' lifetime. Fortunately, there exists an entire section of the global Jewish community that not only loves to cook, but cooks really well.
Enter the Moroccans.
According to my current roommate, Orr Toledano an American-Israeli engineering student from UCSD, a Moroccan household is centered around it's kitchen. Every family interaction surrounds the kitchen, and children are taught from a young age to embrace creativity and explore unknown tastes. Earlier today, I stood in disbelief as he gracefully mixed together bright red paprika, lightening-yellow curry and orange tumeric that he had picked up at the nearby Shuk (market). Out of curiosity --and frankly a bit of desperation-- I asked him for his favorite home-cooked dish, and thus I was introduced to the Matbucha. I haven't made it yet, but I sure intend to.
On preparing it in the near future! I'll share the recipe below so you can follow along on my culinary adventure if you wish. Happy cooking :)
Original Matbucha Recipe: