_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

The thought of frying fish used to intimidate me, and for years I gratefully allowed my mother-in-law to prepare delicious fried fish feasts for us at her home. It wasn't until she actually helped me put together an equally impressive spread of food in my own kitchen that I learned how easy frying fish actually is.

Many Moroccan women work over a single liquid propane gas flame to prepare not only the fish, but the numerous side dishes that often accompany fish. Check out Moroccan Fried Fish Dinner for a list of recipes which might be presented at a normal fried fish meal. Don't be afraid to include the fried veggie sides of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and patate frit when you plan an authentic Moroccan fried fish dinner for your family. A little indulgence is OK once in awhile!

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

If you're wondering what feggous is, you're not alone. I'd never encountered it outside of Moroccan cuisine. This exotic-looking vegetable is available in Morocco during summer months. Although its appearance is a bit like a long, skinny zucchini, it tastes like a cucumber and is technically a melon. Amazing!

Outside of Morocco, you might find feggous sold as Aremenian cucumber, snake cucumber, snake melon, yard-long cucumber, fakkous or uri. It's crunchy, mild and doesn't need to be seeded or peeled. Although they can grow quite long, the smaller ones – under 15 inches – are usually best.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

Moroccans eat feggous sliced, add it to chopped salads, or give it center stage in Feggous Salad with Orange Flower Water. I like Feggous Salad so much that I've made it three times in the last week alone. It's particularly refreshing on a hot summer day, and makes a perfect starter or follow-up to a main meal.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

Tagine Makfoul is a classic Moroccan dish featuring savory stewed meat topped with caramelized onions and tomatoes. Sweet and spicy, I made it for a family meal the other day when I wanted something fairly quick and easy to make. Using a pressure cooker sped up the process, but you can also make the Tagine Makfoul Recipe in a conventional pot or traditional tagine.

Moroccan Wheat Bread and Semolina Bread are both especially good with sweet and spicy tagines. Oranges with Cinnamon and Orange Flower Water makes a light and refreshing dessert.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

I first had these crunchy anise and sesame cookies when we bought them from a street vendor in Casablanca. The kids and I polished off a sizable quantity in one sitting – proving that although not-too-sweet, they're quite tasty!

Later I learned that the cookies are called Kaak d'Essaouira, named after the coastal city of Essaouira. The egg-free and vegan dough is easy to make, then portions of it are rolled into ropes and folded into a wreath-shape. How to Make Kaak d'Essaouira shows how.

If you're not a perfectionist, get the young bakers in your house to help out.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

A few weeks ago a reader wrote to inquire about a spicy msemen he sampled in Rabat. I was unfamiliar with what he described – unstuffed msemen with a reddish hue from perhaps harissa or chili oil – but I was intrigued because I already love spicy Onion Stuffed Msemen.

I eventually learned from several different sources in Rabat that indeed msemen might be prepared the way the reader described. All immediately ruled out harissa, but apparently spices might be added directly to the msemen dough or the oil, or chili oil can be used for the frying.

I experimented a bit in the kitchen and found the chili oil version received my family's chorus of approval. I made my own chili oil using a hot infusion with crushed Moroccan chili pepper flakes – very easy and the oil had enough fire after just an hour. Follow How to Make Chili Oil and use it to make those delicious Spicy Msemen Cooked with Chili Oil.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

If you like sweet and spicy combos, or are fond of fruit tagines, you'll love the Moroccan specialty dish, Mrouzia. It's traditionally served in the days following Eid Al Adha when even families of modest means are likely to have meat on hand, but Mrouzia can be prepared any time of the year.

The Mrouzia Recipe is easy to follow, and explains how to stew the meat with onions and lots of exotic spices, including the spice blend Ras El Hanout. Later, golden raisins, almonds, honey and cinnamon are added and the sauce is reduced until thick and syrupy.

I don't care for the softer texture of almonds when they're cooked in sauce, so I fry the almonds and serve them on top as a garnish. Whatever your own preference, the dish is absolutely delicious. Try making it with lamb, beef or even goat meat.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

I'm not sure how a holiday like Eat Your Vegetables Day originated, but somewhere someone has dubbed June 17th with this wacky title.

Although I doubt many people will really make an extra effort to eat vegetables today, I thought it worth pointing out that Moroccans need no encouragement at all to eat their veggies. Even picky Moroccan kids dig right into healthy vegetable-intensive dishes without balking. Part of it may be cultural – we naturally acquire a taste for the foods we're raised with – but in the case of Moroccan cuisine I think great seasoning plays a large role. Some dishes are almost impossible not to like!

Below are some Moroccan recipes that just might win over even stubborn veggie-haters in your family.

• Lamb Tagine with Peas and Zucchini
• Couscous with Seven Vegetables
• Chicken Tagine with Potatoes and Carrots
• Zaalouk - Cooked Eggplant and Tomato Salad
• Taktouka - Cooked Roasted Pepper and Tomato Salad

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

Zucchini – also known as courgette – is another great vegetable to use in a light, summer tagine. Cinnamon, ginger, saffron and olive oil give exotic, fragrant flavor in this easy recipe for Tagine of Lamb and Zucchini. Beef or goat meat can be substituted for the lamb.

Although I prefer the taste and texture of zucchini best when cooked in a traditional clay or ceramic tagine, I often use a pressure cooker when I'm in hurry. Instructions for both of these methods, as well as cooking in a conventional pot, are included in the recipe.

As with many Moroccan main dishes, the meat in Tagine of Lamb and Zucchini is secondary to the vegetables, and one fills up by scooping everything up with delicious crusty bread. Try making either Moroccan Semolina Bread or Moroccan Wheat Bread.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

I learned recently that About.com's Guide to French Language, Laura K. Lawless, spent a few years in Morocco. One of the observations she makes in her Moroccan Culture Series struck a chord with me: "The cooking alone takes tremendous amounts of time - I would say much more than in the typical Western household, and even more during holidays, including the entire month of Ramadan."

Yes – she's spot on! Moroccan culture is very food-oriented, and I average four to six hours a day in the kitchen, but that's probably less than women who bake the family's bread daily and consistently prepare a second evening meal. (Lunch is the main meal, but many Moroccans also cook a late supper.)

I find that Moroccan cooking isn't the time snatcher – it's the prep work of shelling peas and beans, cleaning fresh fish or recently slaughtered poultry, picking through locally harvested dried beans, washing organic eggs one-by-one, scrubbing dirt-encrusted or muddy potatoes – and the list goes on. Kitchen clean-up comes into play as well, as the vast majority of Moroccan kitchens aren't equipped with a dishwasher.

How about you – how much time do you spend in the kitchen? Take the poll below and see how you compare to other readers.

_{Photo © Christine Benlafquih}

You might be inclined to serve cauliflower as a side dish, but this Moroccan tagine gives cauliflower a more prominent role by pairing it with meat. Tagine of Lamb and Cauliflower is easy to make and sports a mildly spicy and tangy sauce with preserved lemons. Feel free to use beef in place of the lamb. In some regions of Morocco, goat meat might be used as well.

Although the photo shows the dish served in a tagine, I made it in a pressure cooker. A Dutch oven or large pot will work just as well.

To keep the meal light for summer, try serving it with either Tomato and Roasted Pepper Salad or Carrot and Orange Salad.