Cooking With Argan Oil
Some ways of using argan oil in your favorite home-cooked dishes:
Season your favorite salad with argan oil instead of the oil you usually use.
After cooking in water, season peas and green or yellow beans with argan oil, salt and black pepper.
When preparing traditional or instant couscous, use argan oil instead of the oil you usually use.
Use the oil in the dishes you prepare: in fish, or even in desserts.
The oil, with its nutty taste and special aroma will upgrade the dish.
Argan oil
Written and edited by Adi Tal ©
It works wonders with its special taste and its powerful yet delicate aroma that helps your salads reach previously unknown heights and adds its presence to every dip or dressing. It gladdens the vegetables in the salads we serve, cheers up meat, chicken or fish dishes, and adds a prestigious touch to fruity deserts.
Do you want it too? Organize yourselves argan oil in the kitchen. My recommendation – before you begin work, taste a spoonful of oil, shut your eyes and let your imagination run wild with the taste and the aroma that will lead you to the dishes that you will create in a moment. No less – find the argan oil a place of honor on the shelf or table where it will be within reach and in this way you will manage to give your creativity especially tasty flavors and aromas.
Before the Shavuot holiday here are a number of ideas using argan oil from starters to dessert.
Oren Farm Salad
A refreshing salad for our hot summer days in the Jordan Valley. Suitable for every meal and, most important – it uses all of the Oren farm’s agricultural produce in a festive, colorful, aromatic and tasty dish. To make it, use the following ingredients:
For the salad
Torn, washed and dried iceberg lettuce leaves
A handful of Flame Seedless grapes
6 Oren Farm figs
Kashkaval goat’s cheese
Fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp. dried mint
For the dressing
1 tbsp. argan oil
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 crushed garlic clove
1 tbsp. ouzo/arak
Lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Salt/pepper to taste
Preparation:
Place the lettuce leaves in a serving dish, scatter the grapes on top of the lettuce, add the dried mint and mix lightly.
In a small jar, mix all the dressing ingredients except for the argan oil, season the salad and mix lightly.
Cut the figs into quarters and place them on the salad. Place a cube of cheese next to each fig and decorate with fresh mint.
Top the salad with a tablespoon of argan oil.
Oven-baked Fish Fillet In Argan Sauce
An easy-to-prepare, tasty, attractive dish!
You’ll need 4 fish fillets for this – sea bream/ tilapia/bass
In a separate bowl, mix:
4 sliced garlic cloves
A handful of chopped cilantro
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Salt and pepper according to taste
Spread on the fish and season, and bake for 10–15 minutes depending on the size and thickness of the fish pieces in an oven preheated to 160°C.
Meanwhile, make the sauce – put into the blender:
1/4 cup argan oil
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. lemon juice
A little salt
Blend until you have a fairly thin spread with the consistency of mayonnaise. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
When the fish are ready, remove them from the oven and wait 2–3 minutes before adding the sauce. Decorate with chopped cilantro and a slice of lemon – bon appetit!
BAKED FIGS WITH ARGAN OIL
An easy, very tasty dessert!!!
Mix the following ingredients
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup brown sugar
100 g butter
Combine all the ingredients until you have a crumbly dough and scatter the crumbs over a baking tray.
Place the halved figs on top of the dough and add a number of fresh thyme leaves.
Sprinkle 2 tbsps. of sugar and a touch of balsamic vinegar on top.
Bake at 160°C until brown.
Immediately after removing from the oven, sprinkle one or two spoonfuls of argan oil on each fig for a golden color and a wonderful aroma.
Bon appetit!!
Happy holidays!!
BELOW ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER RECIPES USING ARGAN OIL:
TOMATO SALAD, HOT PEPPERS AND ARGAN OIL
Cherry tomatoes cut into halves
Finely chopped red onion
Finely chopped hot green pepper
3 chopped garlic cloves
Olive oil
Lemon juice
2 tbsps. argan oil
Salt and pepper
Preparation:
Mix all the ingredients and season. Leave the salad in the fridge for about half an hour so the tastes will come together.
FESTIVE RICE WITH ALMONDS AND DRIED FRUIT
Rice that is rich, looks good and is really suitable for a festive meal. The combination of three kinds of oil gives the rice a special taste. Argan oil is characteristic of Moroccan cuisine, and it can be purchased in supermarkets and specialist stores.
Ingredients (for 6–8 portions):
2 cups Basmati rice, washed well in tap water several times
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons Canola oil
1 tbsp. argan (or other) oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
10 prunes without the pits
10 dried apricots cut into strips
50 g raisins
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon hot paprika
4 cups of water
25 g butter, or butter-flavored margarine, cut into cubes
50 g capers or blanched almonds, toasted
Preparation:
- Put the washed rice in a wide bowl and cover with boiling water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and leave for half an hour. Drain the rice and dry with a towel.
- Heat the oil in a wide pan and lightly fry the dry rice.
- Add the prunes, apricots, raisins, two types of paprika and the rest of the salt, and stir. And water, the butter or margarine, stir, and bring to the boil.
- Lower the heat, cover and cook for about 10 minutes until all the liquids evaporate.
Transfer the cooked rice to a serving dish and sprinkle the capers or toasted almonds on top. Serve hot.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER WITH ARGAN OIL
Ingredients:
Cauliflower cooked in water
1–2 eggs
2–3 tbsps. onion-flavored soup powder
1–2 tbsps. argan oil
Black pepper / garlic powder
Preparation:
Lightly oil (preferably with an oil spray) a baking tray suitable for serving, for use in the oven and for use in a microwave oven.
Break up the cauliflower into single florets and place on the baking tray with the heads of the florets facing upwards.
Put the tray in the microwave on full power for about 10 minutes, depending on the size of the cauliflower.
Prepare the mixture of argan oil + egg + onion soup powder + black pepper/garlic – according to taste (mix well).
After cooking the cauliflower in the microwave until soft, brush the mixture onto all parts of the cauliflower.
Pour the remaining mixture over the cauliflower florets.
Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes until brown.
Comment:
Use quantities according to the size of the cauliflower.
CHICKEN LIVERS SEASONED WITH ARGAN OIL
Ingredients:
250 g fresh, cleaned chicken livers
1 thinly-sliced large onion
3 thinly-sliced garlic cloves
Salt
Crushed black pepper
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. argan oil
Preparation:
Fry the onions in olive oil in a good-quality Teflon frying pan
Add garlic
Add the chicken livers and fry well on both sides
Season with salt and crushed black pepper according to taste
After preparation, remove from heat and add argan oil
Serve on top of mashed potatoes.
Many recipes using argan oil have been written and published, for a number of examples:
Radish salad in argan oil (in Hebrew) – click here
Recipe for chicken in smoked paprika and argan oil (in Hebrew) – click here
Green salad with pomegranates and persimmons (in Hebrew) – click here
