Most Moroccan tomato sauces are zesty, but in Chicken Tagine with Tomatoes and Honey the sauce is sweetly flavored with saffron, cinnamon and honey. It may sound like an unusual combination, but it's surprisingly savory and satisfying.

Although the majority of tagines are eaten with Moroccan bread for scooping everything up, this particular dish could work well as an entree served with a fork, either alone or on a bed of rice.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

If you're used to frying your calamari, you'll be pleasantly surprised how quick, easy and delicious it is to grill it instead. In this Moroccan Grilled Calamari Recipe, the squid is cut into thin strips and marinated in lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and pepper. A quick few minutes over hot coals is all that's needed to cook the calamari to an appealing tender state. Serve it alongside other grilled seafood and fish, or make it your main course and offer a salad and dip-like Split Pea Bessara on the side.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Next time you plan to fire up your backyard grill, consider adding Grilled Salted Shrimp to your menu. Incredibly easy to make, the shrimp are simply crusted with coarse salt before they're placed over the coals. Once cooked, which only takes a few minutes, serve them in the shell to be peeled and eaten as a finger food. Feel free to add a dipping sauce if you like, but when we enjoyed them recently in the Mediterranean town of M'diq, the salt on the shell was truly the only condiment needed.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Both fruits in the photos are known as mzah in Morocco. The top image shows loquats, a spring fruit which is available in Morocco now. Although I can find nicer images, I used this photo because it realistically shows blemishes due to the fruit's tendency to bruise easily. I'm not sure if loquats purchased in American or European supermarkets are sold with such imperfections, but here in Morocco it appears that loquats are not handled with more care than other fruit.

The other image shows medlar fruit, which is a bit unusual on several counts. First, it reaches peak season in winter months. Second, it's interesting to note that medlars are considered to be "ripe" only after bletting, or spoiling a bit. This changes their appearance to being drier with a somewhat wrinkled skin. Not only is the bletted fruit edible, but the leaves and bark of the stems are used in traditional medicine.

You can read more on the fruits in my Glossary Listing for Mzah.

_{Top Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

_{Bottom Photo © Solopist, Wikimedia Commons}