I first tasted this celebratory dish in a stunning riad in Fez. My hostess Souad had invited me to join her family for their traditional Friday meal. Souad had prepared a mountain of couscous, piled high with spicy stewed vegetables. Some families cook the vegetables with lamb, and others without, and sometimes a tfaya – cinnamon-spiced raisins and onions–tops the dish. Food and family are what make life worth living, and it was so special to be scooped up by my wonderful hostess to join her family whilst I was away from mine.

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

3 tablespoons tomato purée

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons paprika

A small pinch of saffron threads

2 carrots, halved lengthways and cut into 5cm strips

250g new potatoes, halved

160g baby courgettes, some halved lengthways

230g baby turnips, washed, peeled and halved

1 bulb fennel, cut into 8 wedges

350ml vegetable stock

½ small cabbage (230g), cored and cut into wedges

1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 6 pieces

A small handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

300g couscous

1. Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pan over a medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until a little golden. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes and add the tomato purée, cumin, ginger, paprika, saffron and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well.

2. Put the carrots, potatoes, courgettes, turnips and fennel into the pan. Pour over the stock, mix together and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 30 minutes to soften. Push the cabbage and pepper into the sauce. Cover and cook for a further 20–25 minutes until everything is tender. Check the seasoning, stir in the coriander and mix well.

3. Meanwhile, put the couscous in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and pour over enough just-boiled water to cover by about 0.5cm. Cover with cling film and set aside until the water has been absorbed.

4. Fluff the couscous with a fork and tip into a huge serving dish. Make a well in the centre and fill it with the vegetables. Spoon over some of sauce, and pour the rest into a little serving dish. Serve the couscous immediately with the extra sauce on the table.

Zaalouk with Crispy Halloumi :

Zaalouk is served at room temperature as a side dish. The aubergine is first cooked over a flame until charred and tender and then added to a thick tomato sauce and finished off with olive oil, lemon juice and chopped flat-leaf parsley. It’s perfect for dunking, so get plenty of soft warm pitta lined up. To make this into more of a meal, I like to serve my zaalouk with pieces of crispy, pan-fried halloumi. Although it’s not really Moroccan, the salty cheese works so well with the richness of the aubergines that it’s a perfect pairing.

3 large aubergines

5 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato purée

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

½ teaspoon dried chilli flakes

1 bay leaf

A pinch of sugar

Juice of ¼ lemon

A handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

300g halloumi, cut into 0.5cm slices

Warm pitta, to serve (or try it with batbout)

Sea salt

1. Prick the aubergines all over with a skewer. Carefully place each one over a medium gas flame and cook for 3–4 minutes each side, turning four times, or until tender. You should be able to poke a skewer into the charred skin and straight through the flesh when they are cooked. Remove from the heat and leave to cool. Once cool to the touch, remove and discard the burnt skin. Cut off the top and finely chop the flesh. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes, tomato purée, cumin, paprika, chilli flakes, bay leaf and sugar. Season with a good pinch of salt. Add 100ml of water, mix well and bring to the boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the tomatoes have broken down.

3. Transfer the aubergines to the tomato sauce. Mix well and check the seasoning. Cover and cook for a further 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sauce is lovely and thick. Add the lemon juice and coriander and mix together.

4. While the aubergines cook in the sauce, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Carefully place the halloumi slices into the pan and cook for 1–2 minutes each side until golden and crispy.

5. To serve, spread the zaalouk in a serving dish and top with halloumi. Give a final drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately with pitta.

Herby Couscous Salad :

Deep in the desert, in a small village called Tagenza, my friend Aicha, a wonderful Berber woman, cooked me a feast that included this special couscous dish. She prepared the couscous traditionally, washing and steaming it three times. However, on the last round, she added a mix of herbs, onions and spices that had been pan-fried in oil. This was mixed into the couscous as she massaged the grains using her fingers before the final steaming. The flavours permeated the green-flecked semolina. The biggest surprise was the chives; most un-Moroccan, I thought. But no, they grew all over the garden, and the delicate allium tang perfumed the salad in just the right way.

250g couscous

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 red pepper, finely chopped

2½ teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

A large bunch of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

3 handfuls of finely chopped chives

Juice of 1½ lemons

1 preserved lemon, deseeded and finely chopped

Sea salt and freshly ground

black pepper

1. Put the couscous in a large bowl and pour over just enough boiled water to cover by about 0.5cm. Cover with cling film and set aside. Or, if you want to do this the traditional way and steam the couscous.

2. Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until soft. Add the paprika, cumin, parsley, chives and a good pinch of salt. Mix well and cook for 30 seconds so that the herbs soften. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Remove from the heat.

3. Fluff the couscous with a fork and tip in the vegetables. Add the preserved lemon and the remaining oil. Fork together. Cover and leave to cool for 5–10 minutes – this helps the flavours develop. Check the seasoning and transfer to a serving dish. Serve immediately.

Berber Frittata :

The Atlas Mountains are a huge pull for keen trekkers looking for challenging peaks and spectacular scenery – as well as for wandering chefs in search of authentic Berber cuisine. I was staying in a tiny village called Tacheddirt to learn about traditional barbecue, and on my last night there, a trekking guide called Abdul arrived at my friend’s house, starving hungry. He knocked up a frittata made with spiced vegetables, herbs, olives and egg. Served with masses of soft bread, it was perfect for anyone who had had a long day on the mountain. And if you’re not on the mountains, it’s superb served with a fresh salad as a light lunch.

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus a little extra for greasing

1 onion, finely sliced

2 red peppers, deseeded and finely sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

2 tablespoons tomato purée

100g pitted black olives, roughly chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons ground cumin, plus a pinch for the eggs

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground ginger

A large handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

6 free-range eggs

50g Cheddar cheese, grated

Sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Melt the butter and oil in a large, ovenproof non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8–10 minutes until soft and a little golden, adding the garlic half way.

2. Tip the tomatoes, tomato purée, olives and all the spices into the pan. Season with a good pinch of salt and add 100ml of water. Mix everything together and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–6 minutes until lovely and thick, adding more water if the pan gets too dry. Stir in the coriander and mix well.

3. Meanwhile, crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and season with salt and a pinch of cumin. Pour over the peppers and half mix, half shake the pan so that the eggs settle into the vegetables. Cook for 3–4 minutes, until the eggs start to set around the sides and little bubbles begin to appear on the surface. Scatter over the cheese and pop into the oven for 5–6 minutes, or until the eggs have just set and the molten cheese is a little golden. Leave to cool for a few minutes in the pan, then run a spatula around the sides and slide onto a board to serve.

Rabartahro Soup :

Rabartahro is a traditional soup made in autumn when pumpkin and squash are in season. The vegetables are cooked slowly with bulgur wheat. It is a little sweet and gently spiced, a perfect, hearty, warming dish to fight off the cold night air. For my version, I’ve added a fragrant herb oil at the end for a pop of freshness and colour. This is Moroccan mountain food at its best.

1 squash (about 900g), peeled, deseeded and cut into 2.5cm cubes

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 red onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

2 tomatoes, roughly chopped

1½ teaspoons ground cumin

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

800ml vegetable stock

50g bulgur wheat

Juice of ½ lemon

A handful of roughly chopped coriander leaves

A handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark 7. Tip the squash into a roasting dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Mix together and roast for 40–45 minutes until golden and tender.

2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until a little golden. Add two-thirds of the chopped garlic and cook for 10 seconds until fragrant.

3. Tip the tomatoes into the pan. Mix well, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2–3 minutes so they start to break down. Add the cumin, ginger and a good pinch of salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.

4. Transfer the cooked squash to the pan, and blend until smooth using a hand-held stick blender.

5. Add the bulgur wheat to the pan and mix well. Bring to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to low and cook for 15–20 minutes until the bulgur is tender. Check the seasoning and add the lemon juice. Mix well.

6. Meanwhile, put the remaining garlic into a mortar with a pinch of salt. Grind into a paste. Add the herbs and grind again to form a smooth paste. Add a pinch of pepper and the remaining olive oil. Mix well.

7. To serve, spoon the soup into bowls and add a dollop of the herb oil to each one.