Mission Possible: August's dinner party

Oh my goodness, it's been a long time... Between starting a new job, diving into wedding planning, and trying to maintain a social life, it's been a busy two months! I have a lot to share, so expect some catch-up posts in the near future ;)

But for now, let's talk Mission Possible. I can't believe we're into the tenth month of this cooking/blogging experiment-- almost an entire year! It's flown by so quickly and has been such a fun culinary adventure.

The day KC and I got engaged happened to be the night of our August dinner party, so it felt especially momentous. It was also our Moroccan-themed menu, which I was nervous about replicating. For my birthday last year, KC had taken me to Marrakesh, a fabulous Moroccan restaurant in Portland. So fabulous, in fact, that patrons are often lined up outside the door. We were served a five-course meal of Traditional Lentil Soup, Salads Marrakesh, B'stilla Royale, an entree of our choice, a honey-laden pastry, and sweet mint tea. Moroccan food is a revelation, with its combination of sweet and savory flavors, punctuated by bright, fragrant spices. Everything we ate there was incredible, but it was the B'stilla Royale that was life-changing.

So what is B'stilla Royale? Well, it's a bit difficult to describe. Think of it as a giant, flaky pastry made with filo dough and filled with meat (usually chicken), raisins, onions, and a vegetable mixture. And it's all topped off with a dusting of powdered sugar. Sounds crazy, doesn't it. More like crazy delicious, my friends. I think it was my favorite part of the meal.

At any rate, I knew that my own Moroccan dinner wouldn't be complete without this equally intimidating and delectable dish. That and a lovely, golden rice pilaf would make excellent side dishes, but the main dish had to be decidedly exotic. I found a spiced lamb kabob recipe that involved broiling the meat on skewers (which I never do) and figured that was about as exotic as it could get.

The B'stilla Royale was the most high-maintenance part of the meal, so I began with that first. Fortunately, the recipe was pretty straight forward and easy to follow.

Preparing the chicken, carrot, onion, and raisin mixture




The finished product! That beautiful, golden topping made all of the filo shredding and layering well worth it!

Next up were the lamb kabobs, which, I won't lie, were disgusting to work with. I hate having to touch raw meat, let alone threading slimy-grated-onion-coated globs of it onto metal skewers, but I digress. They also turned out wonderfully and were paired with a yogurt-mint sauce (which just makes me think of Cal from Titanic: "We'll both have the lamb. Rare, with very little mint sauce. You like lamb, don't you sweet pea?" Sorry, that's just how my brain works!)


These recipes are Cal-approved! Photo courtesy of: http://intensities.wordpress.com


The gooey masses go into the oven


...and come out absolutely mouth-watering!


Jules samples a spicy mango martini I made with pepper-infused vodka

Lastly, came the simple rice pilaf dish, which was elegant and savory in its own right. Finally, it was time to eat!




Our dinner guests were Julianna, Cheryl, and Terry


SUCH a satisfying meal

I highly recommend Moroccan food to anyone who has an adventurous palate. If you've eaten Middle Eastern or Indian food, the ingredients and spices used are comparable; but trust me, it's unlike anything you've ever had. Marrakesh is a safe (and highly entertaining) bet for your first excursion into this incredibly unique cuisine!

Stay tuned for September's and October's Mission Possible reviews, as well as Halloween photos, wedding planning goodness, and other hodgepodge musings ;)