We taught our last Moroccan cooking class yesterday at Relish Mama. Of course, this class will  be back bigger & better than ever in 2015 and in actual fact, I have added an all new menu so there are two choices now on the website. As many of you now know, the food and flavours of Morocco are by far my favourite.

In Morocco, little salads are eaten every day at the beginning of a meal, with just a few or as many as nine or 10 different dishes served. They are enjoyed with bread and remain on the table throughout the meal.  Moroccan salads are either leafy or made with cooked or fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs. They are often dressed with lemon, orange or vinegar and a little olive oil. Moroccan salads differ in that they are often quite sweet. This simple yet beautiful salad below always gets rave reviews. I often serve it with my tagines and pitta. The clean and sweet flavours of this salad pair beautifully with the exotic punch of the tagine.

Green leaf  & orange Salad

Serves 4-6

2 oranges
1 fennel
A gentle splash of extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon caster sugar
½ tablespoon of orange blossom water
Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
100g walnuts, chopped
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
Peel the orange, using a sharp knife and ensure you also remove the bitter white pith and you are just left with the flesh. Reserve any juices.

Shave the fennel using a mandolin or slice it very fine using a sharp knife.

To make the dressing, mix the olive oil, lemon juice, sugar, orange blossom water and reserved orange juice in a bowl. Season with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper and blend well.

Taste : the dressing needs to taste sweet so adjust the sugar if you need to. Place the fennel, orange segments and lettuce in a large bowl and pour over the dressing and toss. Sprinkle with the chopped walnuts and a light dusting with cinnamon.

As you may see, I have added nasturtium leaves and flowers from the garden.