In the city of Marrakesh there was a boy named Chaim, He always meant well, but somehow found himself in many adventures. He was not the most learned of his brothers and sisters and people sometimes took advantage of him.
All week Chaim and his family looked forward to Shabbat. The best foods were prepared, and the family gathered around the table to talk Torah and sing zimerot together.
It was Friday morning when Chaim’s mother sent him to buy a fish for the Shabbat meal. The fishmonger showed Chaim different types of fish he had for sale and told him the specialties of the fish. Chaim picked out a nice whitefish for his mother to prepare for Shabbat dinner.
The fishmonger tells Chaim a recipe for cooking the fish he picked out. The fish was to be cooked with sweet peppers, tomatoes and spices, Chaim could not remember the recipe, even though the fishmonger told him the recipe twice. As soon as Chaim walked away from the fish stall in the market, he forgot the recipe. Finally, the fishmonger writes the recipe on Chaim’s hand.
As he left the market a cat began to follow him, so he walked faster. Suddenly he tripped and the fish flew out of his hands and the cat snatched the fish and disappeared with it.
Chaim was angry, but then smiled. He thought to himself, I know how to get even with the cat, and with that he licked the recipe off the back of his hand, so at least the cat would not know how to prepare the fish.
When Chaim got home, he told his mother what had happened. She sighed and just said “Gam zu l’tova (this too is for the best) and went on preparing for Shabbat.
Moroccan Shabbat Fish
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips |
1/2 to1 teaspoon cayenne pepper |
|
3 tomatoes, sliced |
salt and pepper to taste |
|
6 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets or other white fish |
¼ cup olive oil |
|
2 tablespoons paprika |
1 cup water |
|
1 tablespoon chicken/consommé bouillon |
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley |
Directions
Step 1
Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
Step 2
Layer the sliced red peppers and sliced tomatoes in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets on top of the vegetables.
Step 3
Combine the paprika, chicken bouillon, cayenne, salt, pepper, olive oil, and water and mix well. Pour the seasoning mixture over the fish. Sprinkle with parsley.
Step 4
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.
May all your tales end with Shalom (peace)
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Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. (Joel 1:3)
