Chicken tagine with preserved lemons and olives is one of the most well-known dishes from Morocco. With the recipe so readily available, I felt it didn’t warrant another – but the flavours are an essential part of Moroccan cuisine. So I started to experiment with it, and this is my interpretation: a modern, zingy salad inspired by the traditional version. The signature flavours of tagine became a marinade for the meat, and the other ingredients – olives, preserved lemons, couscous, herbs – form the salad. This is perfect for a summer supper with a cold glass of vino and if the weather’s lousy, it will bring a little of that hazy heat from the dusty hills of Morocco to brighten up your home.

2 garlic cloves

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

4½ tablespoons olive oil

Juice of 2½ lemons

600g boneless skinless chicken thighs

160g couscous

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 fennel bulb, finely sliced

400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 preserved lemon, pith discarded and zest finely chopped

80g pitted green olives, roughly chopped

A handful of finely chopped coriander leaves, plus a small handful of leaves to garnish

A handful of finely chopped mint leaves

Sea salt

1. Using a pestle and mortar, mash the garlic into a paste with a little salt. Add the cumin, ground coriander, ginger, turmeric, two tablespoons of the olive oil and the juice of ½ lemon and mix well. Tip the chicken into a mixing bowl and add the spice paste. Mix everything together really well so that the chicken thighs are completely coated. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.

2. Put the couscous into a small bowl and cover with 0.5cm of warm water. Cover the bowl with cling film and set aside.

3. Tip the red onion into a small mixing bowl, add the juice of ½ lemon and a small pinch of salt. Toss together and leave for a few minutes to mellow the rawness of the onion. Add the fennel and ½ tablespoon of olive oil and toss together.

4. Tip the couscous into a large mixing bowl. Add the chickpeas, fennel and onion, preserved lemon, olives, herbs, juice of 1 lemon and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix everything together really well.

5. Meanwhile preheat the grill to 250°C or its highest setting. Place the chicken on a foil-covered grill pan and grill for 7–8 minutes each side or until cooked through and a little golden. Once cooked, slice into thin strips, season with a little salt and squeeze over the juice of ½ lemon.

6. To serve, tip the salad onto a large platter. Arrange the chicken over the top and spoon over any juices

juice of ½ lemon and a small pinch of salt. Toss together and leave for a few minutes to mellow the rawness of the onion. Add the fennel and ½ tablespoon of olive oil and toss together.

6. To serve, tip the salad onto a large platter. Arrange the chicken over the top and spoon over any juices left in the grill pan. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve immediately.

Goat’s Cheese & Grapefruit Salad :

Morocco is not well known for its cheese, but on the edge of the Bouhachem Forest in the north, the goat farmers take their milk to local cooperatives who produce fantastic varieties of cheese. They make a soft, round cheese called chaouen (Berber for goat’s horn) and a light, spreadable cheese called jben, which is used on everything from pancakes to salads. This simple salad would be a great way to enjoy jben, dotted onto a variety of citrus fruits and rocket leaves. You can use any soft goat’s cheese you like. And if you can’t find argan oil, try using hazelnut or groundnut oil instead.

100g ciabatta or sourdough bread (slightly stale is best)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 oranges

2 pink grapefruits

Juice of ½ lemon

100g rocket leaves

60g lamb’s lettuce

20g walnuts, bashed

125g soft goat’s cheese

1 tablespoon argan oil

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark 4. Rip the bread into bite-sized pieces and put onto a roasting tray. Drizzle with the olive oil and bake for 5–6 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool.

2. Segment the oranges and grapefruits over a mixing bowl to catch the juices as you go. Add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Put the salad leaves into the bowl and toss together. Arrange on a serving plate and spoon over the juices.

3. Scatter the bread and walnuts over the top, and dollop over the soft cheese. Drizzle over the argan oil and add a pinch of pepper to the goat’s cheese. Serve immediately.

Cauliflower, Fennel, Orange & Saffron Salad :

Modern Moroccan food is so exciting. Creative chefs are reinterpreting traditional dishes and giving authentic flavours a different spin. I took inspiration from them to develop this salad. The cauliflower is lightly blanched to make it more palatable, and served with freshly shaved fennel and herbs. But it’s the dressing that’s really special – a simple vinaigrette base, infused with saffron and orange blossom. Sultanas are added, which wake up and swell in these floral flavours, adding sweetness. The golden-yellow colour of the saffron bleeds into the dressing and coats everything with its riotous colour.

FOR THE SULTANA DRESSING

4 tablespoons cider vinegar

4 teaspoons caster sugar

75g sultanas

A small pinch of saffron threads

½ teaspoon orange blossom water

Sea salt

FOR THE SALAD

400g cauliflower florets

1 fennel bulb

2 oranges

A handful of roughly

chopped mint leaves

A handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

15g roasted blanched almonds, lightly bashed into pieces

1. Begin by making the dressing. Pour the vinegar and sugar into a small saucepan and add the sultanas. Bring to the boil over a medium heat and dissolve the sugar, shaking the pan occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and add the saffron, orange blossom water and a pinch of salt. Mix together and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the sultanas are really swollen and the sauce is sticky. Remove from the heat and set aside to let the beautiful flavours infuse even more.

2. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for about 4–5 minutes, drain and refresh in cold water, then drain again.

3. Finely slice the cauliflower and shave the fennel super-fine (a mandolin is useful here). Segment the oranges over a bowl to catch the juices. Put all three ingredients in a serving dish with the juices, mint and parsley. Add the sultanas and all the fragrant, sticky syrup from the pan. Pour in the lemon juice and olive oil, and season well with salt. Toss the salad together so everything gets coated in syrup and the light dressing. Finally scatter the almonds over the top and serve immediately.

A handful of finely chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons olive oil

15g roasted blanched almonds, lightly bashed into pieces

2. Blanch the cauliflower in boiling water for about 4–5 minutes, drain and refresh in cold water, then drain again.

8 tablespoons olive oil, plus

2 teaspoons for the peppers

3 aubergines, sliced lengthways into 0.5cm strips

2 red peppers

Juice of ½ lemon

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

4 tomatoes, peeled, seeds squeezed out and flesh roughly chopped

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

A pinch of sugar

A small handful of roughly chopped mint leaves

Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Heat a griddle pan over a high heat until smoking. Brush around 6 tablespoons of the oil over the aubergine slices. Season with salt and griddle in batches, for 2–3 minutes each side, until charred and tender.

2. Meanwhile carefully cook the peppers over a medium–high gas flame, using tongs to turn them as you go, for about 10–12 minutes, until completely charred and tender. You should be able to poke a skewer into the charred skin and straight through the flesh. Place in a bowl and cover with cling film. Leave to cool. Once cool, discard the burnt skin, chop off the tops and scoop out the seeds. Finely chop the flesh and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil, a pinch of salt and the lemon juice. Mix well and set aside.

3. Heat the remaining oil in a pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Tip in the tomatoes and add the tomato purée, cumin, paprika, sugar and a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Mix together, and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thick. Leave to cool.

4. To serve, arrange the cooked aubergines on a serving plate, spoon over the tomato sauce and top with the peppers. Scatter with the mint and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately.

Mixed Vegetable Salad :

This simple dish is a variation on the classic Moroccan salads, where the individual veggies are boiled until tender and tossed in a dressing. They would be served as part of a meze starter, before a big meal, or served as a side dish to a simple tagine. Rather than boiling, I favour roasting the vegetables to intensify their flavours before dressing them in lemon juice and olive oil.

4 beetroots, washed, peeled and cut into little wedges

2 courgettes, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces

3 garlic cloves

4 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of ½ lemon

½ teaspoon ground cumin

A handful of finely 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 beetroot, courgettes and garlic into a small roasting dish. Pour in half the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Mix together and roast for 50–60 minutes until tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes.

2. Remove the garlic cloves. Pop the cloves out of their skins and into a small mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice, remaining olive oil, cumin and a good pinch of salt. Mash together with a fork to create a dressing. Pour the dressing over the cooked vegetables and gently toss together. Scatter with the parsley and serve warm.

Tomato & Red Onion Salad :

This is the basic side salad of Morocco, served in restaurants, cafes and homes all over the country to accompany a main meal. The main ingredients, plump tomatoes and sweet red onions, are found growing in abundance all over the country, so it’s a natural set for a quick salad. The juices are perfect for cutting through rich tagines and grilled meat, and are delicious mopped up with fresh bread.

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeds squeezed out and flesh finely chopped

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, mashed using a pestle and mortar or the flat of a knife blade

A pinch of ground cumin

Juice of ½ lemon

2–3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt

Put everything into a serving dish. Toss together and serve immediately.

Atlas Mountain Salad :

Whilst passing through the Atlas Mountains to get to the desert, I stopped off for lunch in a small café in the rather unusually named Taddart 2, a tiny dot of a village on the mountain pass. I ordered lamb cutlets and tea. The food arrived with this vibrant salad; a crunchy mix of onion, cucumber, pepper and pomegranate seeds, doused in a zesty dressing. It was divine and cut through the richness of the lamb perfectly. It’s easy to make and looks so vibrant. I love to serve this with grilled fish, lamb or a rich tagine, and loads of bread to mop up the juices.

1 red onion, finely chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

2 tomatoes, peeled, seeds squeezed out and flesh finely chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, deseeded and finely chopped

1 red pepper, deseeded and finely chopped

125g pomegranate seeds

3 tablespoons olive oil

A small handful of mint leaves

Sea salt

1. Put the onion into a small mixing bowl. Squeeze over the lemon juice and add a pinch of salt – this will take some of the bite out of the onions. Mix well and leave for 5–10 minutes while you prepare all the other ingredients.

2. Tip the tomatoes, cucumber, pepper and pomegranate seeds into a serving dish. Add the onions and the juice, olive oil and a small pinch of salt. Mix well. Garnish with the mint leaves and serve immediately.