African Recipes

When Nancy Sephton lived in South Africa in the '50s, lamb curry was as ubiquitous there as hamburgers and hot dogs are in the United States. On a return visit a number of years later, she came across the curry made with beef, which has become a favorite with her family.

Moroccan-Style Lamb and Chickpeas is a great go-to choice for fast and flavorful weeknight cooking. Serve over a simple Couscous-Arugula Salad.

Preserving lemons typically takes 4 to 6 weeks to acquire the right consistency and flavor. However, this quick method bypasses the lengthy preservation time and is a great substitute for the real thing. Use the rind to accent a variety of dishes, from seafood to vegetable stir-fries.

Look for Ethiopian Berbere spice—a mixture of dried chiles, cloves, ginger, coriander, and allspice—at gourmet markets and specialty stores, or order it from americanspice.com. This stew recipe is not one to be missed.

This Spicy Moroccan Chickpeas recipe will not disappoint. One online reviewer says, "Excellent! Made this for a dinner party and served with hummus and pita."

This hearty chickpea stew features classic Moroccan spices like cumin, chili powder, and turmeric.  Serve over hot cooked rice and top with yogurt and cilantro.

Inspired by spices of North Africa, this hearty meatless chili recipe proves that flavorful food can also be fast.

This vibrant lamb dish features an incredibly vibrant North African-inspired marinade, also known as chermoula. Though simple to whip up, the combination of fresh herbs and bold spices in the marinade help to bring out the richness of the lamb and really make this grilled dish (which became a fast staff favorite in the test kitchen) shine. When purchasing the lamb leg, ask your butcher to go ahead and cut it into your desired portions. And If you have trouble finding lamb, feel free to swap it for beef or pork in this recipe—you’re still going to have a delicious dinner, no doubt. Serve this meaty entree with roasted potatoes and/or grilled veggies.

In this chicken and butternut squash soup, sugary butternut squash and meaty chicken thighs remind us how well sweet and savory flavors play together in Moroccan cuisine.

The coast of the southern Mediterranean yields a rich bounty of fish that's prepared in numerous ways. One constant in Morocco, however, is the use of chermoula, a combination marinade and spice rub. It typically contains an acid-based marinade (we used lemon juice) and a spice rub made from black pepper, cumin, coriander, and paprika.

Pigeon peas, popular throughout the West Indies, are small, oval beans with a nutty flavor that make a tasty side dish. Look for them in Caribbean markets, or substitute kidney beans or black-eyed peas. We've used canned pigeon peas because they're more readily available than dried.

Moroccan meat skewers, or kefta, are made with beef and formed into sausage shapes. Our variation uses pork rolled into little meatballs.