To celebrate Earth Hour and the launch of the Sustainable Restaurant Associations One Planet Plate campaign on Saturday 24th March, our Head Chef Yassine Khalil has combined traditional Moroccan cooking with fresh springtime ingredients to create a dish which celebrates local produce and plant-based cooking.
Follow the recipe to create our traditional mhamsa (Moroccan pasta) with seasonal asparagus, nourishing spinach and tangy tomatoes.
INGREDIENTS **(Serves 4)
**500g Mhamsa (small Moroccan pasta, risotto rice will also work)
2tbsp Olive oil
200g White Onions
1 Litre Water
100g Hard Cheese in the style of Parmesan
200g Butter
15cl Whipped Cream
1/2 a bunch Chopped parsley
1 bunch Spinach
200g Asparagus 200g
Salt and Pepper to taste
METHOD
- Blanch the spinach for 2 minutes and put to one side. Slice the onions and place the olive oil and onions in a pan on a medium heat for 2 minutes or until softened. Add the asparagus and cook for a further 3 minutes.
- Add the Mhamsa (pasta) to the onions and cover it with hot water. Cook and stir well until nearly all of the stock has been absorbed, then slowly add the remaining water. Repeat the process until the Mhamsa is cooked (about 20 minutes).
- To finish add 40g of butter, half of the cream, half the parmesan and stir well until the Mhamsa is well coated. Add the rest of the butter, whipped cream and carefully stir in the spinach and asparagus.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
PRESENTATION
Place on a plate and add the remaining parmesan and chopped parsley on top. Enjoy!