Moro: The Cookbook

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Post-pandemic, it was difficult to get things fully up and running again; restaurants are about momentum. “But then we’d have customers coming up to the pass and literally crying, they were so happy we were open again,” says Sam. “That’s what all the hard work is for.” But what about their relationship? If running a celebrated restaurant for 25 years is a huge achievement – restaurants in London change more often than the weather – it is surely a miracle that they’ve done so without winding up in the divorce courts (they met when they were both working at the Eagle, just down the road from Moro, in Clerkenwell). “Well, I got told off the other day, didn’t I?” says Sam. Samuel takes up the story. “She was late, and I had a new chef to settle in, and I was doing a hot section myself, and we had a lot of people booked.” This was super simple, but we loved it. Swiss chard is blanched in boiling water, drained and tossed with salt and pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. In my case, we skipped the pepper, and I cooked the greens in salty water which eliminated the need to add salt after cooking. The instructions call for blanching the leaves and then the stems sequentially, but I put the chopped stems in first and added the leaves when the stems were almost done. I cook greens several times a week, nearly always sauteed in olive oil with garlic. This was a good reminder to get out my boiling pot more often. The chard had a perfect, tender texture and the simple dressing of lemon juice and good quality olive oil was light, springy, and delicious. I used young red chard and the jewel-like colors of the cooked greens and stems were extremely attractive. My only regret is losing the cooking water when I drained the pot. It would have made a splendid soup base. Gently pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and lightly sprinkle the top with flaky sea salt. This recipe is from our second cookbook, Casa Moro. The flavour of the carrots is very important, so for that reason we would recommend you buy English organic vegetables. At Moro we serve them with triangles of crisp pitta bread.

Everyone loves toast. But there is toast and… toast. In Moro Easy, a new cookbook by Sam and Sam Clark, there are no fewer than 10 recipes for things on toast. Some are straightforward, almost austere: I can’t imagine the person who wouldn’t be able to rustle up a few slices of their tomato and jamon toast (the secret lies with a grater and just the right amount of garlic). Others are luxuriant: imagine a crisp oval of sourdough topped with a thin tortilla and aioli – a breakfast treat they first ate in Barcelona’s Boqueria market – or with crab warmed in butter and Oloroso sherry and lightly seasoned with fresh chilli and thyme. What I made:Labneh, Carrots, Caraway and Pistachios and Roasted Aubergines with Tomatoes and Tahini. Most of the recipes are simple, but the resulting flavours are wonderfully complex. Perfectly capturing the region of origin -- Spain and the Muslim Mediterranean -- The Moro Cookbook will entice cooks everywhere to discover more about this rich, exotic cuisine. For the dressing: whisk the garlic, vinegar and olive oil together, then season with salt and pepper. Pour over the salt cod and gently toss together. Refrigerate for about an hour. Serve with the remaining parsley and the olives sprinkled on top. Esqueixada is a refreshing and delicious Catalan salad made from raw salt cod. As the word esqueixar, meaning "to tear", suggests, the salt cod is literally shredded by hand. In Catalunya, market stalls specialising in salt cod sell esqueixada strips to make this dish. The simplicity of this salad does rely on good ingredients: sweet tomatoes and peppers in season, mild onion, fruity olive oil and good vinegar as well as a little time for all the flavours to infuse. This recipe is from Moro: The Cookbook.

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In the end, they measure themselves only by their own standards, in the restaurant as well as when it comes to writing: “Within the first two years of Moro opening, we were approached to sell the brand. We just said: no, no, no, we’re here to stay. We’re the cooks, and we like doing that, and it’s what we’re here for – and we’ve stayed true to it. We’re still in the kitchen now. We’re in it for the long haul.” Once the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, stir in the egg yolks. Using a metal spoon, stir in one heaped spoonful of the whisked egg whites. Once this spoonful is fully incorporated, gently fold in the remaining egg whites.

Now the Moro’s award winning chefs, the married team of Sam and Sam (Samantha) Clark, share their restaurant’s most delicious and successful recipes in Moro: The Cookbook.fillet of salt cod 300g dried weight, washed and soaked in the fridge for 48 hours, changing the water 4 times (see below) I thought this was a wonderful creation! It's crispy but moist, and the flavors of membrillo, almonds, sherry, and citrus all stood out. I didn't serve it with anything, but creme fraiche is suggested, which would be nice. Once the crust is pre-baked, it is coated with a blend of membrillo and lemon juice, that has been heated and liquified. My friend Sara Fanelli baked this gluten-free cake for us. We love it, especially with a little sea salt sprinkled on top. The crust method was new for me. The dough contains flour, confectioner's sugar, butter, and an egg yolk. It gets very hard when chilled, and is then grated into a tart pan and is pressed around to make the shell. It was a little difficult to get the pressing even in the fluted edges, otherwise pretty easy.

What happened? Was there an explosive row? Apparently not. “I just worked twice as hard,” says Sam. For the team, some of whom have been at Moro for a long time, this kind of thing usually passes – according to Samuel – as light entertainment: “There can be a slightly comical hissing at one another.” In the end, though, they tend not to let things simmer. Marital stew, it seems, is one dish best removed from the heat as soon as possible. Fish tagine with potatoes, peas and coriander (pictured above)My tart took 40 minutes to bake, and I had to make a foil collar as the crust was getting pretty brown. Moro Easy is the new cookbook from Sam &Sam Clark, with a focus on home-cookingpaired with their signature use of flavours andingredients from North Africa and SouthernSpain. Moro Easy contains simple, no-fussrecipes which will have wide appeal for thehome cook. Place a large (30cm) heavy ovenproof casserole pan with a tight-fitting lid over a medium heat, and add the oil and butter. When the butter begins to foam, add the leeks and bay leaves and a good pinch of salt, and fry for 10 minutes or until the leeks are soft and sweet, stirring occasionally. The Clarks’ first book – Moro, the Cookbook – came out in 2001, four years after their influential restaurant, its menu inspired by their travels in north Africa and the eastern Mediterranean, opened in 1997; instantly hailed as a classic by Nigella Lawson and Claudia Roden, it remains much loved (though they’ve since published several more). Is it hard to write in its shadow? “It’s good having a bit of distance between the books,” says Sam. “But, though we’re proud of the first one, we’ve never quite been able to understand its success. The other books have recipes that are just as good. It kind of became part of the culture for a while, didn’t it?” Drain the salt cod and remove any skin or bones. Shred the cod between your fingers into soft, fibrous flakes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add the peppers, tomatoes, half the parsley and the onion.