Made from green Beldi olives grown in Morocco and using only two other ingredients—sea salt and extra virgin olive oil, Mina, a family-owned business, crafts a thick spread that’s great to use as a dip, tossed with pasta, or, condiment-style, spread on sandwiches.
Also available are sauces like harissa (a sauce made from roasted red peppers, garlic, olive oil, and spices such as cumin, coriander, and caraway) and shakshuka. Harira Mor, a chickpea and lentil soup and Warda, a white bean soup are among their Heat-and-Eat line of foods and the teas such Organic Moroccan Rose White Tea and Organic Moroccan Nana Mint Herbal Tea are exotic and fragrant.
We also like their single-origin olive oil and use it to make dishes like the following:
Moroccan Beet Salad
- 4 medium beets, boiled and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced or mashed through a garlic press
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons Mina extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
In a pot, boil beets on medium-low heat for 45 minutes or until fork-tender. Place pot under running cold water until beets are cool enough to be handled. Peel and cut into 1-inch cubes.
Add beets and all other ingredients into a bowl and gently mix. Serve and enjoy.
Pesto Pasta
- 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti
- 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ cup toasted pine nuts or walnuts
- ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
- ½ cup Mina extra virgin olive oil
- Salt, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package instructions until al dente.
Meanwhile, pulse basil, garlic, pine nuts, and Parmesan in a food processor or blender, drizzling in olive oil and stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides, until smooth.
Transfer pesto into a large pan over low heat. Using tongs, transfer pasta to the pan and toss until well coated with pesto. Salt to taste, and serve with Parmesan and fresh basil.
Recipes and photos courtesy of Mina
