This savory Tagine of Onions and Raisins was our family lunch the other day. As the name suggests, it features beef (or lamb) stewed in a cinnamon-infused sauce with sliced onions and golden raisins. It's quite easy to make, and a great choice when in the mood for a sweet and spicy tagine.

I served the tagine with Deep Fried Spicy Potatoes and Tomato and Roasted Pepper Salad. If you're short on time, though, don't fret about sides since many tagines work well as a complete meal. Simply serve lots of Moroccan bread to scoop everything up.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Onions are called bisla in Moroccan Arabic. This is fairly close to the Standard Arabic of basal.

Onions are used extensively in Moroccan cooking. Most tagines call for at least one onion, and many Moroccan dishes call for more, such as Quince Tagine K'dra and Chicken Bastilla.

When making Roasted Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Olives, I slice the onions as thinly as shown in the photo. In other recipes, though, the onions might be chopped, thickly sliced, or grated.

The glossary listing for bisla links to even more recipes which call for onions.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Eggplants, or aubergines, are called a number of different things in Morocco. Early on, these Arabic words sounded so similar to my untrained ear that I thought they were a single word which I couldn't remember correctly. In print, though, it's easy to see the differences.

Danjal seems to be the most popular word in darija for eggplant, followed by badanjal, which my in-laws favor.

Some Moroccan also use danjan, or even the Standard Arabic of badanjan.

Moroccan Fried Eggplant was the first Moroccan eggplant recipe my mother-in-law taught me. My whole family likes them, and I usually serve them as part of a Moroccan Fried Fish Dinner.

Other Moroccan Eggplant Recipes on the site include:

• Zaalouk
• Moroccan Eggplant Puree
• Sweet and Spicy Moroccan Eggplant

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Quinces are called safarjal in Arabic, and they make a sweet, sublime addition to a spicy Moroccan stew. I find fruit tagines among the easiest to make, and aside from the fact that quinces are a bit challenging to core, this Tagine of Meat and Quinces Recipe is no different.

The meat gets cooked in one pot while the quinces are cooked separately. The quinces are then simmered a second time in a rich butter, honey and cinnamon syrup before getting arranged around the meat.

Cookbook author Paula Wolfert's Okra and Quince Tagine Recipe calls for glazing the quinces in the syrup to give them added color. Although quinces already take on an appealing pinkish color as they cook, I think the glazing is a brilliant touch, and I'll likely try that myself the next time I make Quince Tagine.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Atay is the Moroccan Arabic word for tea. In Morocco, green tea is usually steeped in a berrad (Moroccan teapot) with lots of mint (na'na') and then sweetened with generous amounts of sugar.

The resulting drink is Morocco's famous mint tea, or atay bi na'na. The Moroccan Mint Tea Recipe tells how to make it, and you can see more Moroccan tea recipes in the glossary listing for atay.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Following my post earlier today on bayd (eggs), I thought it timely to highlight this Moroccan Hard-Boiled Egg Sandwich, or Khobz bil Bayd Mslooq. It's a street food sold by vendors who might be walking around with a basket full of eggs, olive oil and bread, ready to make a satisfying sandwich on the spot. Salt and cumin are added for seasoning.

Hard-boiled egg sandwiches are quick and easy to make at home as a snack or lunch, and especially delicious served with Moroccan Mint Tea.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

When I moved to Morocco nine years ago, I was taken aback by the number of household and kitchen tasks that weren't part of everyday life back in the States. Washing eggs was just one of them.

Now I know a dirty egg shouldn't be a benchmark for freshness, but I confess that it's become one. In Morocco, eggs are called bayd (pronounced "by-id"), and they often go directly from the hen house to open cartons, which get stacked and tied together for delivery. No refrigeration, and no tidying up to make things look more pristine than they are naturally. I've become so accustomed to Morocco's brown eggs (along with poop, straw and feathers that sometimes accompany them), that when I travel back to the States, white eggs in Styrofoam cartons look peculiar and somewhat fake to me.

The paler eggs shown in the photo are bayd bildi, which are organic eggs or eggs from free-range chickens. Moroccans consider them superior to the more common brown bayd, since bayd bildi tend to be better-tasting and more colorful when cooked.

But chicken eggs aren't the only eggs available in Morocco. You can also find pigeon eggs, quail eggs, duck eggs and ostrich eggs. The glossary listing for bayd gives their names, as well as the Moroccan Arabic terms to describe scrambled eggs, fried eggs and hard-boiled eggs.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Moroccan Vegetable Puree Soup is one of the recipes I listed in yesterday's glossary entry of khadra. It's a perfect soup for fall, and one I find family-friendly and elegant enough for company.

My mother-in-law taught me to make Vegetable Puree Soup with vegetables we have on hand after making couscous, but you can adapt the list of ingredients to help use up just about any veggies you have in the fridge. I find that a few potatoes add body, while carrots and pumpkin give delicious flavor and appealing color.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Khadra is the Moroccan Arabic word for vegetables. You might also see it spelled xdra or khdra.

Those familiar with Moroccan cuisine already know that vegetables play a very big role in many dishes, particularly in tagines (stews), couscous and cooked salads such as Taktouka. For many families, meat takes a back seat at meals and everyone fills up primarily on the veggies and Moroccan bread.

The glossary listing for khadra gives more ideas of Moroccan recipes which call for lots of vegetables.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih

Qôq is the Moroccan Arabic word for artichokes. You might also see it spelled qooq.

Although you can use frozen or canned artichoke bottoms in tagine recipes, most Moroccan cooks buy fresh artichokes and go through the trouble of peeling the leaves and cleaning the bottoms themselves. As messy and time-consuming as it can be, I do think it's preferable in terms of taste and savings. How to Clean Artichoke Bottoms and Hearts shows how.

Try qôq in Tagine with Peas and Artichokes and Tagine with Fava Beans and Artichokes.

Photo © Christine Benlafquih