A couple of Brits cook Moorish

When the London restaurant Moro opened in 1997, I remember reading that to research Muslim Mediterranean cuisine, the chef-couple - Samuel and Samantha Clark - spent months traveling around Spain and Morocco in an old camper van. They simply drove around and went to markets and cooked with people they met along the way.

I loved the idea of such a direct experience of the cuisine. So when I happened to see Moro: The Cookbook in Seattle a few years ago, I grabbed a copy. Published in Britain in 2001 by Ebury Press, the book can be hard to find. According to Amazon, the original hardback is out of print, but you can find it used there and on various other online booksellers for $50 and up. Or you can buy a paperback version published in 2003 (which is what I have) for less than $20. And if all else fails, try Amazon.co.uk, the British Amazon site, which will ship to the U.S.

Writing in the introduction, the Clarks explained that "the idea was to learn about as many flavours and techniques as possible and to try to discover details that really make food taste of where it comes from and not seem cooked by an Anglo-Saxon." Hear, hear.

I cooked from Moro the book on the weekends, bought copies as presents for friends, and found that it and their next two books had become cult cookbooks among passionate home cooks in England and, less often, in the United States.

For me, the appeal is the sensuality and unpretentiousness of the food. Everything is direct and faithful to the cuisine - call it Moorish or Muslim Mediterranean. Their second book, Casa Moro, came out in 2004, and I have that, too (a hardcover import, this book is easily available online). It is more about home cooking, specifically the kinds of things the couple like to cook at their country house in the Alpujarras, the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Andalusia, Spain. Some of it is outdoor cooking, but we're not talking firing up the Weber on the balcony. They'll hike to a riverbank to cook a rabbit paella over wood and gather the rosemary from the hillsides to season it. The photos of the paella cooking, their two kids frolicking in the river or helping add ingredients to the rice, are a dream. Or what about the recipe for revueltos (soft scrambled eggs) with wild garlic and wild asparagus?

Their most recent book is Moro East, which from the title sounds as if it would be Middle Eastern or Turkish food. Instead, this book is a tribute to the seven years the couple enjoyed an allotment, or community garden, in London's East End. It's an informal journal of the seasons in that garden with their own recipes and those collected from neighbors there. It is an import, too, although again it is easily available online.

Leafing through the book, I come across a recipe for an ancient cold soup of grated cucumbers, yogurt and mint called cacik, "perfect for a hot summer's day." They're not precious about it: "Our cucumbers were particularly ugly this year, due to drought and neglect. When used in this soup, however, they tasted divine and all their physical imperfections were forgiven." That's followed by a recipe from their allotment neighbor Hassan for celery and white bean soup with tomato and caraway. And on through feta, endive and orange salad to bulgur with celery and pomegranates to a sardine tagine from Fatima, the wife of their Moroccan-born chef.

At the allotment, people not only garden but seem to cook right there, or at least grill over charcoal. When I'm thinking about cooking Sunday dinner, I'll leaf through the books to come up with much of the menu. The recipes are almost foolproof - very few complicated techniques, but shopping for the best, and tastiest, ingredients is essential.

By no means have I cooked my way through all three books. But I do carry a list of recipes on my iPhone that I would like to try, just to jiggle my memory when I'm at the market. I'm saving the heartier soups and braised dishes for fall and winter.

When I had the chance to be in London recently, the first time in years, the first reservation I made, weeks ahead of time, was at Moro. With two friends and high anticipation, I wasn't disappointed.

We dug into gorgeous crimson roasted peppers, fleshy and deeply sweet, strewn with capers and accompanied by raw salt cod. Grilled spring onions with bright-orange romesco sauce draped across the ends. Wood-roasted mackerel, crisp and browned at the edges, served with a glistening warm beet, onion and potato salad in yogurt perfumed with dill. Then fat strips of caramelized pork belly and some truly great charcoal-grilled venison.

We moved outside for dessert, the fantastic yogurt cake like a bite of cloud strewn with roughly chopped pistachios and served with a dollop of thick labne (yogurt cheese) followed by small cups of espresso. I could have eaten here the next night and the next. And in a way I can, by riffling through their cookbooks and making dishes collected there in the inimitable Sam and Sam spirit, each with a touch of the wild and the authentic.

Makes 4 servings

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Scant 1 cup basmati rice

Sea salt

5 1/2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cinnamon stick

5 whole green cardamom pods, cracked

3 whole black peppercorns

2 tablespoons roughly chopped pistachio nuts (optional)

2 tablespoons barberries (optional)

1 good pinch of saffron threads infused in 1/4 cup boiling water

3/4 cup Greek yogurt

1 clove garlic, crushed

Caramelized crispy onions (see note)

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1. Wash the basmati rice, then soak it for 3 hours in 2 cups of water salted with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

2. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Add the cinnamon, cardamom pods, and black peppercorns and gently fry the spices until their aromas start to be released, about 4 minutes.

3. Drain the rice well, add it to the pan, and stir to coat for a minute. Increase the heat to medium-high. If you are using pistachios, barberries or both, stir them in now. Pour enough water over the rice to cover it roughly by 1/2 inch and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4. Cut a round of parchment paper that will fit over the surface of the water and place it in the pan. Place a lid on the pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Decrease the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for 5 minutes, then lift the lid and paper off the pan and drizzle the saffron water evenly over the rice. Replace the paper and lid and continue to cook 4 to 5 minutes more until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed.

5. While the rice is cooking, whisk together the yogurt with the crushed garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.

6. Serve the rice with the caramelized onions sprinkled over the top and the seasoned yogurt on the side.

Note: To make caramelized crispy onions, peel and halve an onion, and slice each half thinly. Slowly fry the onion in about 1 cup oil in a large saucepan or frying pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion turns a rich mahogany color. Strain on paper towels. The oil, now infused with the onion flavor, can be saved for other uses.

Per serving: 514 calories, 7 grams protein, 44 grams carbohydrates, 34 grams fat, 50 milligrams cholesterol, 526 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber.

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Makes 4 servingsEndTextStartText

2 medium or 3 small preserved lemons

2 garlic cloves

Salt

1/2 lemon, juiced (keep the squeezed lemon half to put inside the chicken)

3 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon cumin seeds, roughly ground

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 (3 1/2-to-4-pound) organic or free-range chicken

Freshly ground black pepper

Scant 1/2 cup waterEndTextStartText

1. Rinse the preserved lemons well under cold water. Remove the inside pulp and discard.

2. Using a mortar and pestle, or in a small bowl with a sturdy spoon, grind the garlic cloves to a paste with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place the garlic paste, preserved lemons, lemon juice, cilantro, cumin, paprika, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a food processor or large mortar and puree until smooth.

3. Smear the marinade all over the chicken and season lightly with pepper. (You will not need salt, as the preserved lemons are very salty.) Stuff the squeezed lemon half into the body cavity. Transfer the chicken to a dish and leave it to marinate in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, or overnight if you prefer.

4. When you are ready to roast the chicken, heat the oven to 350 degrees.

5. Oil a roasting pan with the remaining tablespoon oil. Place the chicken in the pan and roast until done, about 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes or so with the juices in the pan. After about 1 hour, pierce the leg with a skewer or sharp knife; the chicken is ready if the juices run clear. Or place a thermometer into the thigh, avoiding the bone; the chicken is done when the temperature reaches 165 degrees. Transfer the chicken to a board to rest for 10 minutes, loosely covered with foil.

6. To make gravy, pour off most of the oil from the pan and place the pan on the stove over medium heat. Add the water and bring to a gentle simmer. Drain any juices from the chicken into the pan and scrape the pan for any caramelized bits to season the gravy. Taste the gravy and add a little water if desired to thin. Total time: 1 hour and 40 minutes, plus marinating time for the chicken.

Per serving: 487 calories, 45 grams protein, 2 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams fat, 178 milligrams cholesterol, 318 milligrams sodium, no dietary fiber.

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Makes 4 servings

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1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Superfine sugar, if desired

2 large oranges, or 3 blood oranges

3 heads of Belgian endive, any damaged outer  leaves removed, whole leaves or sliced crosswise into 3/4-inch pieces

1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley leaves (from 1 small bunch)

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, coarsely chopped if large

1/2 very small red onion, sliced as thinly as possible

1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese Scant 2 cups walnut halves

1/3 cup drained oil-cured black olives EndTextStartText

1. Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the olive oil with the red wine vinegar until they have more or less emulsified, seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Add a pinch of sugar if needed to soften the acidity. This makes about 1/4 cup dressing. Set aside.

2. With a small sharp knife, preferably serrated, cut the rind and all the pith off the oranges, keeping them whole. Slice the oranges crosswise into 1/4-inch slices and place them in a large salad or mixing bowl. Gently toss in the endive, parsley, oregano, and onion.

3. Pour the dressing over the salad and gently toss to coat. Crumble the feta over the salad, then sprinkle on the walnuts and olives. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 659 calories, 16 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 54 grams fat, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 482 milligrams sodium, 19 grams dietary fiber.

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