Combine 8 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in heavy large saucepan over high heat. Add lentils; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well; rinse with cold water and drain again. Place in large bowl. Whisk 1 cup olive oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons cumin, 2 tablespoons chili powder, garlic, and 1 teaspoon salt in large measuring cup. Pour 1 cup dressing over warm lentils and toss...

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large wide pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cover and cook until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add paprika, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, and ginger; stir 1 minute. Add tomatoes, 1 cup water, and 3 tablespoons lemon juice; bring to boil. Arrange all chicken in single layer in pot; spoon some sauce over. Bring to boil...

Arrange chicken in 1 layer on a tray, then sprinkle with salt and let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. While chicken stands, pulse tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until finely chopped. Stir water into tomato paste in a small bowl until smooth. Pat chicken dry...

Blend all ingredients except lamb chops in a blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Pat chops dry and transfer to a plate, then rub chops all over with 2 tablespoons charmoula and marinate, covered, at room temperature 30 minutes. While chops marinate, prepare grill for cooking. If using a charcoal grill, open vents on bottom of grill, then light charcoal...

Preheat broiler. Arrange peppers on a broiler pan and broil peppers about 2 inches from heat, turning occasionally with tongs, until skins are blackened, 20 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap, then let stand 20 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers, discarding stems and seeds, and quarter each lengthwise...

Make filling: Cook onion in oil along with salt, cumin, ginger, turmeric, pepper, and coriander in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chicken, broth, water, and cinnamon stick and simmer, covered, turning chicken over once, until meat is very tender, about 45 minutes total. Transfer chicken with tongs to a bowl, reserving cooking liquid...

Whisk together ras-el-hanout, salt, pepper, ginger, saffron, and 1 cup water in a 5-quart heavy pot. Stir in lamb, remaining 2 cups water, onion, garlic, cinnamon sticks, and butter and simmer, covered, until lamb is just tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in raisins, almonds, honey, and ground cinnamon and simmer, covered, until meat is very tender, about 30 minutes more...

Cook onion in oil with spices in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened and begins to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Coarsely chop tomatoes and add to onion mixture with reserved juices, broth, honey, 1 tablespoon parsley, and 1 tablespoon cilantro, then bring to a boil. Transfer soup to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water...

Soak peas for fritters: Put peas in water to cover by 2 inches and soak 8 hours. Drain in a colander. Make relish: Pur ©e bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, chile, and salt in 2 batches in a food processor. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then stir in pur ©e (use caution as it will splatter). Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes...

Preheat oven to 325 F. If using peanuts, blend in a food processor until they form a butter, 2 to 3 minutes. Put fresh or jarred peanut butter in a bowl and gradually whisk in 1 1/2 cups water. Pat chicken dry and season with salt...

Peel and core the quince, and grate coarsely or slice into the finest slivers. Pile in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and set aside for 1-2 hours. Rinse under cold running water, drain well, and dry thoroughly with a clean tea towel. Mix with the remaining ingredients, cover and chill until required...

Cut the meat into strips about 2 cm x 3 cm (3/4-inch x 1 1/4-inches). Roast the coriander seeds in a dry frying pan to bring out the flavour. Crush lightly with a pestle and mortar and mix with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle a little into a glass dish, top with a layer of meat strips, and season once more. Continue this way until meat and seasoning are used up. Refrigerate for a day, mixing every couple of hours so that the meat flavours evenly...

Pull the lobsters apart to separate tails from bodies. Wash well. Cut off fanned tail shells; set aside. Pull out the alimentary canal. Slice tails through lengthwise (first snip through the under-shell with scissors). Bring the fish stock to the boil in a large saucepan, add lobster bodies and tail fans and boil for 6 minutes (no longer or you will overcook the legs). Remove from the pot...

PERI-PERI SAUCEMix the ingredients together in a bottle and shake well. You can make the sauce ahead and store it in the fridge; the flavour improves with age, reaching its peak at two weeks. Slit prawns down their backs and devein. Leave heads on, or remove them if you prefer. Depending on the size of your frying pan, cook them in one or two batches. Heat the butter gently and add the garlic and lemon juice. Don't let the garlic burn...

In a heavy kettle (at least 5 quarts) simmer chicken in broth and water 17 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is just cooked through, and transfer chicken with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Add to kettle tomatoes, saffron, onions, chick-peas, rice, and lentils and simmer, covered, 30 minutes, or until lentils are tender. Shred chicken, discarding skin and bones, and stir into soup with salt and pepper to taste...

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, add to skillet and brown, about 7 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to plate. Pour off all but thin film of fat from skillet. Add onions, reduce heat to medium and saut until very tender and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add squash and stir 2 minutes. Add cinnamon, cumin and saffron and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds...

In a steamer set over boiling water steam the carrots, covered, for 8 minutes, or until they are just tender. In a skillet cook the garlic in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 1 minute, or until it is fragrant, add the cumin, the cinnamon, the sugar, the cayenne, and the carrots, and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute, or until the carrots are well-coated with the mixture...

Place currants in small bowl. Add Sherry and let soak 2 hours. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter 8-inch square baking pan. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over low heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add flour and curry powder and stir 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Mix in currants with Sherry and apple. Season to taste with salt...

Bring broth and 1 garlic clove to boil in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to large bowl and fluff with fork. Cool. Add garbanzo beans, bell pepper, currants, green onion, cilantro and 2 tablespoons oregano to couscous in bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss well. Stir olive oil, vinegar, remaining garlic clove and remaining 1 tablespoon oregano in small bowl...

CRUSTSet the oven at 200 C (400 F). Lightly grease a 24-cm (10-inch) shallow enamel plate or quiche tin. Roll out the pastry and line the baking plate or tin. Press in a piece of oiled foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake the crust for about 5 minutes more until crisp and golden. Allow to cool. FILLINGMeasure three-quarters of the milk into a saucepan, add the cinnamon and heat to just below boiling point...

Combine the rice, raisins, cloves, salt, turmeric, ginger and water in a medium saucepan. Cover and simmer gently until the rice is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed. Add the butter, fluff up with a fork and discard the ginger. Tip into a warm bowl and serve hot...

Combine the apricots, raisins and vinegar in a 5-litre (5-quart) saucepan. Soak overnight to plump the fruit. Alternatively, if time is tight, simply cover, bring to the boil and set aside for about 2 hours. Add the remaining ingredients, and cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally at first, then constantly towards the end of the cooking time, until the chutney has reduced to about one-third, and is beautifully thick...

Set the oven at 160 C (325 F). Butter a large casserole. Heat butter and oil in a saucepan and fry the onion and garlic until translucent. Stir in the curry powder and turmeric, and cook briefly until fragrant. Remove the pot from the heat. Mix in the minced meat. Mix together the crumbs, milk, lemon rind and juice, egg, salt, pepper, apricots, apple, sultanas (golden raisins) and almonds and mix in. Pile into the casserole and level the top...

Preheat broiler. Pierce eggplants all over with fork. Place eggplants in baking pan. Broil eggplants until skins blacken and flesh feels very soft to touch, turning occasionally, about 25 minutes. Cool eggplants; stem and peel. Transfer eggplants to colander and let drain 30 minutes, turning occasionally and pressing with spoon to extract liquid. Transfer eggplants to bowl; mash...

Cook onions in medium pot of boiling water 2 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water and peel. Heat vegetable oil in heavy large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in batches, season lamb with salt and pepper, add to Dutch oven and brown, about 4 minutes per batch. Using slotted spoon, transfer lamb to bowl after each batch is browned. Return all lamb and any juices to Dutch oven...