A few years ago I took my first trip to Marrakech. It was in April which was still sunny but cool enough that I wasn’t baked in the heat of the Medina!
We stayed at the most amazing hotel – Riad l’Orangeraie. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful. They gave us great tips on restaurants and places to shop, recommended a good city tour and kept us in an endless supply of mint tea!
The Riad is located inside the old Medina but as soon as you step through the doors the hustle and noise of the markets are left behind. You can stroll through the beautiful courtyards, relax on the rooftop terrace and even take a dip in the pool. In the evenings the movie Casablanca is projected onto the walls!
My favorite part of the Riad was their resident pet turtle, Valentino. I’m not ashamed to admit that I spent a good part of an afternoon hanging with Valentino in the courtyard and feeding him lettuce.
Apart from wandering through the alleys of the Medina and discovering great treasures and acquiring beautiful pottery, a visit to the Jardin Majorelle is a must!
The Jardin Majorelle is a botanical garden and artist’s landscape garden. It also boasts an archaeological museum and the Islamic Art Museum of Marrakech.
I can’t wait to go back to Marrakech. The food was wonderful and the people were friendly and warm! I also came away with some great Moroccan recipes, my favorite of which was Matbucha which I make often.
Matbucha is a tomato salad made of cooked tomatoes and roasted bell peppers usually served as part of a mezze.
Matbucha
2 green bell peppers, 2 large cans diced tomatoes, 1 clove of garlic – minced, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp chilli flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/3 cup olive oil, 1 tbsp paprika
- Roast the bell peppers by laying them on a baking sheet with foil. Roast in a preheated oven (200 degrees celcius) for 20 minutes. Using tongs, flip the peppers and roast for another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and skin the peppers.
- Chop the roasted, skinned peppers. In a large saucepan combine the diced tomatoes, roasted peppers, garlic, sugar, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low and continue to simmer. Stir every 10 minutes. It should not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the olive oil and paprika.
- Cook for 65-75 minutes. When the liquid has evaporated add the oil and paprika mixture.
- Cook for a further 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to keep the matbucha from burning.
- For extra heat you can add jalapeno peppers along with the roasted bell peppers.
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