Recipes: Moroccan food with Sam and Sam Clark of Moro

In a new two-part series, Sam and Sam Clark of Moro restaurant share their favourite dishes with Xanthe Clay

Most days, the Moroccan-tiled kitchen in Sam and Sam Clark's north London house is flooded with light. But today the Spanish dishes and North African antiques are bathed in gloom, as it's raining stair rods.

	Mezze: 'it's one of the most pleasing ways to eat'

Not that it bothers Samuel, who, with his wife Samantha, is joint owner and chef at London's acclaimed Moro restaurant. He looks gleeful as he surveys his garden. "The seedlings will be happy. I adore this time of year and the ongoing excitement of everything about to burst into life."

Dressed in tweeds, with a flat cap, waistcoat and gently courteous manner, he could pass for an Edwardian country landowner. In fact, his farming ambitions stretch no farther than the East End allotment he tends with Samantha and their children Luke (seven) and Eve (five).

The couple's first allotment was immortalised in their book Moro East, a charming collection of reminiscences and recipes inspired by the multicultural community that worked the ground there. It's something of a memorial piece, since sadly, that allotment was closed last September to be concreted over as part of the new Olympic development.

The couple have started work on a new allotment, but it's a poor substitute. "There's no shade and no drainage, so it's a bog. Everyone is joking about watercress beds, but people are rightly upset that they have been turfed out of their Garden of Eden."

None the less Samuel, who admits to being the family head gardener, has herbs and salad leaves as well as broad beans and potatoes there already.

Samantha comes in out of the rain, back from dropping the children at school, and they busy themselves putting together a spread of mezze dishes that are popular at Moro. "It's one of the most pleasing ways to eat, mixing up flavours on a plate and sharing food with friends," smiles the calm, shy Samantha as she layers couscous into a specialist steamer called a coussier.

How, with two small children and a successful restaurant, do they find time to work an allotment?

"I do a lot of running in and running out again," says Samantha, drizzling olive oil from an enamel Moroccan teapot (a neat storage idea, since the opaque pot keeps the oil dark and fresh, as well as pouring beautifully).

Samuel agrees: "We might spend just half an hour shoving some seeds in the ground and then, two weeks later, there will be some wonderful things growing." Allotment gardening fits in perfectly with the Moro ethic of seasonality above all, although Samuel concedes, "our seasons start in the Mediterranean".

So fruit and vegetables in their prime from France, Italy and Spain are fine, hothouse produce forced unnaturally early isn't. Their advice to home cooks is equally simple: "If you cook what's in season, you're already half way to great food."

xanthe.clay@telegraph.co.uk

TOMATO, RED ONION AND CUMIN SALAD

A simple but perfect salad. Soaking the onions in milk reduces their astringency and the ice crisps them up.

Serves 4

Put the onion and ice cubes in a bowl and cover with the milk. Let them stand for 10-30 minutes.

Put the cumin seeds in a dry frying pan and cook over a medium heat until they darken. Crush lightly in a pestle and mortar. Set aside.

Crush the peppercorns coarsely.

Slice the tomatoes and spread them out on a serving plate. Sprinkle with the spices and salt, hardly crushing the salt at all. Allow to stand for 10 minutes.

Drain the onion and pat dry. Arrange the onion slices evenly over the tomatoes, followed by the parsley.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

BEETROOT AND BROAD BEAN SALAD

Raw beetroot take ages to cook so the Clarks use a pressure cooker, which is fast as well as environmentally friendly. Or you could use a microwave. Put the washed, trimmed beetroot in a bowl with 2 tbsp water, cover and microwave on high for 7-10 minutes.

Serves 4

Boil the beetroot in plenty of salted water until tender - 1-2 hours (or cook in the microwave, as above). Drain and peel under running water while still warm.

While the beetroot is cooking, cook the broad beans in boiling, unsalted water until just tender. Drain and tip into a bowl of iced water until cold. Drain again and peel any beans which are larger than a thumbnail.

Mix the oil and vinegar to make a salad dressing and season with salt and pepper.

Slice the beetroot into ¼in/5mm wedges and tumble into a large bowl. Pour the dressing over it and toss together.

Now add the broad beans, spring onions and half the tarragon and toss again.

Tip into a serving dish and scatter the rest of the tarragon on top. Serve straight away.

ASPARAGUS ESCABECHE

Escabeche usually means fish or meat cooked and preserved in vinegar. This fragrant dish has some of the same flavours and can be eaten warm or at room temperature, as a tapas dish or a starter. It's also a good accompaniment to prawns or chicken.

When you cook a green vegetable with acid (juice or vinegar) it does lose its bright colour, but don't be alarmed because the fresh herbs sprinkled on at the end brighten up the plate.

Serves 4

Trim the asparagus if it has any hard stalky ends. Heat the olive oil in a large non-corrosive pan over a medium-high heat and cook the asparagus for about 3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Add the garlic and cook until it starts to colour.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients, except the mint or parsley, and add salt and pepper to taste. Put a lid on the pan and cook for 5 minutes, gently stirring halfway through. The Clarks like to eat asparagus a little bit soft, so it does not have a bite. If you like it crunchier, test it earlier.

Serve at room temperature or hot, scattered with fresh herbs.