Amlou, a Moroccan nutella, of sorts
originally published February 2017
Morocco was an incredible, beautiful dream-like blur, and yet my memories of those 48 hours are still so vivid. Agadir is an interesting place, juxtaposed by a luxury beachfront with high-end stores and hotel, and a very rough and tumble feel to the streets once you venture from the boardwalk. On my only full day there, I went for a hike in the High Atlas Mountains, with a local guide. Never have I experienced something so magical. In the middle of the mountains was a little rest stop, the gentleman who was the host was a cousin of our guide.
We refreshed with a meal, humble looking on sight, but so perfectly cooked. A vegetable tagine that I still dream about making, some amlou, and warm, fluffy pita that I watched him bake in a clay oven. Many people refer to amlou as a Moroccan nutella. I suppose that makes sense since it's a finely ground blend of nuts, oil, and sweetener, but really they are very different.
Amlou starts with a base of deeply roasted, fine ground almonds. You want to use skin-on almonds, and I always opt for roasting my own rather than buying roasted almonds—I like being able to control the roasting process. It's important to take the almonds further than you might think, without burning them, of course. This intensely roasted flavor is tamed by the honey you add to make the amlou. I prefer a creamy, churned honey, but I'd say use what you have in the house, or simply like best.
The key ingredient here is argan oil, something not readily available in grocery stores, so apologies for that. It is quite easy to order online. Be sure to buy an argan oil that is for cooking purposes, as this is also a big trend in toiletries (hair oil, shampoo, soaps, etc.). And choose a pure oil, not a blend. I suppose if you must, as I know someone will ask me this question, you could use a substitute oil to make amlou, but for me that would be like saying it's okay to use anything but olive oil to make a classic, basil pesto. In this case, I really do recommend sticking with tradition since it also imparts a crucial flavor in the amlou.
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