For three decades, Alexandra Maillis-Lynch has delivered fantastic eating through such mediums as Events by Alexandra catering, Festival RumBahamas, “Under the Caribbean Moon” and “A Place at Our Table” – the once-a-month dinner club. And she is continuing to speak the language of love through food with her “Variety is the Spice of Life Series” as she reinvents what she does best in the COVID-19 era. The “Spice of Life Series” is the same concept as the “A Place At Our Table” series, except in delivery form.
Maillis-Lynch is into week 15 of her new series, bringing her amazing interpretation on foods of the world to people’s doorstep to make up for the fact that she currently can’t bring people together. And she says she’s enjoying herself immensely.
“I’m having a super load of fun doing them,” Maillis-Lynch says of her newest series.
For weeks I’ve been wanting to experience this new series, and got the opportunity last week, as Maillis-Lynch explored the flavors of Moroccan cuisine from Casablanca to Marrakesh – cuisine that ranks high among the world’s best cuisines of spices and ingredients that come together to blend into complex layers that reveal sweetness, spiciness, richness and earthiness. Bland, this food is not. And in true Maillis-Lynch style, she puts her own delicious spin on things.
It gives Maillis-Lynch satisfaction to show love for people by feeding them food that satisfies and makes them happy. As such, the parcels she’s been preparing during this time when we’re staying close to home rather than traveling the world, are exciting and unique.
One of the best things, in today’s world of meal kits, was that the offerings for two people arrive cooked – all I had to do was reheat, plate and serve.
The parcel of goodies arrives in a nondescript brown box, to which a synopsis is attached that gives insight into Maillis-Lynch herself and how she was introduced to the cuisine of the week. It also gives the receiver information on what they’re eating, how they should eat it and fascinating history about the offerings.
Suffice it to say, I was super excited to explore the foods from Casablanca to Marrakesh, while in the comfort of my home.
The delicious goodies I unearthed from my parcel decorated to reflect the Moroccan theme included lamb and chicken tagine with seven vegetables, chicken b’stilla, seafood briouats, kefta with dried fruit and fresh herbs, a Moroccan salad platter, couscous and almond cigars.
Tagine, a slow-cooked stew usually made with chicken or lamb, plus a variety of vegetables, dried fruits, nuts and spices for loads of flavor and texture, is probably the most iconic Moroccan dish. Maillis-Lynch’s lamb and chicken tagine with seven vegetables reflected the Berber influence, hearty with vegetables – carrots, pumpkins, turnips, courgettes (zucchini), aubergines (eggplant), onions and garlic with lamb and chicken – which she simmered for hours until the lamb is tender and the flavors of cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, parsley and coriander blended with the lamb, chicken, tomatoes, vegetables and chickpeas. The tagine was infused with flavor, tender, delicious and heartwarming paired with couscous to soak up the wonderful juices.
And of course, couscous is the most famous and distinguishing ingredient of Moroccan food. It is often referred to as the national dish of Morocco.
Couscous shows up in everything from salads to main dishes. And it is not a whole grain (unlike quinoa and rice), but similar to pasta. It’s one of those dishes Maillis-Lynch says she has so much fun making because it feels like play and not work. Traditional couscous requires three steamings – it’s salted and coated with olive oil; broth or hot water is then carefully added, coating the balls. Resting, soaking and steaming all follow, and in between each stage, a separation of each ball is required by continuously running your hands through the couscous.
I saved some of the couscous to enjoy with the kefta, seasoned ground meat that is one of Morocco’s most popular street foods, so much so that it’s like an institution in the country’s landscape.
In Maillis-Lynch’s interpretation, she combined ground lamb and beef with spices, parsley, coriander, onions, salt and pepper – and prepared it in the classic style, unbound – meaning no breadcrumbs or eggs were added to bind. She relied on the fat content of the meat to create a kind of “meat paste” before she lightly browned them and dropped them in a sauce with tomatoes, chopped dates, a hint of fig and lots of parsley and coriander. It was herby and aromatic and perfect again with the couscous sopping up the juices, and served with a side of fig, apricot and pistachios.
Maillis-Lynch’s Moroccan salad platter was gorgeous to the eye and just as pleasing to the mouth. In Morocco, five different salads are typically prepared and arranged in an alternating pattern.
Her platter consisted of Moroccan carrot salad with citrus-cinnamon dressing and she opted for traditional with boiled carrots, garlic, olive oil, lemon, orange, vinegar, ground ginger and a hint of cayenne; courgette and tomato salad which marries the courgette with cooked tomatoes, dried mint and garlic; aubergine salad; tomato and onion salad with fresh herbs, lemon and olive oil; sweet potato salad, in which cooked sweet potatoes were combined with fried onions, olives, spices, lemon and green olives; and beet salad with boiled beets combined with lemon, olive oil, green onions, parsley, cilantro and spice. It was a salad spread that could be enjoyed all on its own.
Briouat, which can be a sweet or savory pastry and can be folded into cylinders or triangles, and which are usually served as a finger food or an appetizer, but can also be an entrée – filled with chicken, lamb, cheese, fish or seafood – made two appearances in the parcel.
Maillis-Lynch offered a sweet and a savory offering.
For the savory, she opted for a seafood stuffing with prawns, fish and mussels, sauteed in a piquant tomato sauce with onions, garlic, parsley, coriander, ground ginger, fennel seeds, anise, dried chilis, saffron and fresh tomatoes to make a base for the seafood. She substituted phyllo pastry for the warqa (Brik pastry) and fried. It was amazing on its own and fantastic with chermoula, a bright and flavorful condiment that came in the basket that Maillis-Lynch made her own with a hint of mint.
Her sweet briouat offering came in the form of almond cigars – pastry filled with a paste of ground almonds, cinnamon, sugar and orange blossom water which were fried to a crisp, then dipped in warm honey-orange blossom water syrup and topped with toasted pistachios. This was a perfect ending to a perfect meal for two.
The “elephant” in the basket came in the form of the chicken b’stilla, which is served as a starter at festive special occasions. Traditional recipes call for alternating layers of sugared and spiced almonds, pigeon and spiced scrambled eggs and folding them into warqa pastry. Chicken has become a popular substitute in modern times. The shredded chicken is mixed with beaten eggs and spices, topped with almonds, wrapped with a flaky pastry and finished with a dusting of confectioner’s sugar and cinnamon to give the pie a touch of sweetness.
Maillis-Lynch went with the chicken and hardboiled eggs, and substituted phyllo dough.
When I saw the beautifully presented pastry, I assumed Maillis-Lynch had offered two sweets, so when I cut into it at the end of the meal, I was shocked to find shredded chicken and a hardboiled egg, enrobed in such a beautiful puff pastry with sliced almonds and powdered sugar on top. I was hesitant to give it a try, considering Maillis-Lynch in her write-up had spoken about being freaked out about the dish when she first read it. It’s the penultimate example of sweet-savory.
I gave it a bite, albeit a small one, and set it aside. I later spoke to Maillis-Lynch about the lovely Moroccan parcel she put together, with one exception – the chicken b’stilla. We traded notes on the dish, which Maillis-Lynch has come to appreciate. She said it was the initial shock value of the dish, and convinced me to give it a second try, and to be honest, she was so right. The flavors had mellowed and melded, and I found myself eating an entire one.
Each week, Maillis-Lynch also adds extra “gifts” into her parcels, as an added surprise to her customers. The “gifts” vary week to week, according to the cuisine.
Her Moroccan parcel surprise extras included bread (khobz) which no Moroccan meal is served without, as a thanks to breaking bread with her; harissa, Morocco’s iconic version of hot sauce, which has a spiciness that I can appreciate; lemon yogurt, which Maillis-Lynch made her own with a hint of lemon; and bessara, a typical Berber dish which is very simply puree of fava beans or broad beans with garlic, cumin, paprika and olive oil.
This week, Maillis-Lynch’s parcel features “The Fare of Bonnie Scotland”. It’s a parcel that will feature Scottish smoked salmon, fish pot pie with leeks, traditional Scotch mutton pie, Scotch eggs and Scottish sausage rolls, the schoolroom salad, cheddar cheese, mushroom flan with an oatcake crust, tipsy laird trifle and Scottish snow cake.
Maillis-Lynch’s “Variety is the Spice of Life Series” is the perfect avenue for people to explore world cuisines at this time without leaving the safety and comfort of their home.
Through her weekly parcels, Maillis-Lynch hopes to satisfy people’s hunger for adventure at this time, with your escape delivered curbside complete with a taste travel guide to broaden your horizons. Each week’s culinary itinerary explores a different path, unmasking flavors and intimately connecting the diner to far-flung cultures.
Over the past 14 weeks, she has presented the cuisines of Jamaica, Spanish tapas, Hawaii and the Polynesian Islands, Africa, Thailand, the Mediterranean (Civitavecchia, Rome, Italy; Kotor, Montenegro; Split, Croatia; Dubrovnik, Croatia; Valletta, Malta; Naples, Italy; and Trieste, Italy), Bahamian food, America (the melting pot); and Greek mezedes.
Orders can be placed via email to alexandra@eventsbyalexandracom or Whatsapp to (242) 557-3557.
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