If you can’t get hold off pigeon you can substitute with chicken. There are also dessert versions. Here’s a simple Pastilla recipe for the most popular version of this traditional Moroccan dish, for the perfect pastilla.

Ingredients

•             2 tbsp vegetable oil

•             6 onions, chopped

•             5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, grated

•             1 tsp ground cloves

•             1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

•             1 tsp ground cinnamon

•             175ml/6fl oz chicken stock

•             salt and freshly ground black pepper

•             3 oven-ready pigeons

•             8 free-range eggs, beaten

•             50g/1¾oz unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing

•             handful chopped fresh parsley

•             handful chopped fresh coriander

•             few saffron strands

•             1 tsp sugar

•             250g/9oz flaked almonds, toasted, roughly crushed

•             3 sheets filo pastry

•             icing sugar, to serve

Preparation – 10 steps to perfect pastilla!

1.            Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan and fry the onions for 6-8 minutes, or until softened.

2.            Stir in the ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and stock and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the pigeons to the pan.

3.            Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for one hour, skimming off any impurities and adding more water if the mixture becomes dry.

4.            Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.

5.            Remove the pigeons from the pan and set aside to cool. Then remove the meat from the pigeons and shred roughly. Set aside.

6.            Meanwhile, continue to cook the onion mixture until thickened.

7.            Add the beaten eggs, butter, herbs, saffron, sugar and almonds to the pan and cook over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring regularly, or until the mixture resembles scrambled eggs. Remove from the heat.

8.            Meanwhile, butter a large ovenproof dish and line with the filo pastry letting the extra pastry hang over the edge.

9.            Spoon the scrambled egg mixture into the dish and top with the reserved pigeon meat. Fold the overhanging pastry on top and brush with more melted butter.

10.          Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is crisp and golden-brown on top.

11.          To serve, turn the Pastilla out onto a plate and dust with icing sugar.

As squabs can sometimes be hard to come by there are several variations on the Pastilla theme, most commonly shredded chicken and, occasionally, fish or offal. The filling also contains onions, hard boiled eggs and almonds spiced with cinnamon.

Pastilla (pronounced ‘bastiyya’ or, in Berber, ‘bastela’), is generally served as an entrée at the beginning of a special meal. The filling is prepared a day ahead and is made by browning the meat pieces in oil.

The pieces are then transferred to a bowl with the remaining oil, onions, water, parsley, and various spices. This mixture is then thickened to form a custard-like sauce with beaten eggs and chilled overnight.

The Pastilla is then formed using layers of a type of filo pastry. The meat mixture is added to the centre of each sheet and formed into a sort of pasty; after cooking, the pastilla is sprinkled with icing sugar and, perhaps, more cinnamon and then served warm.

If you fancy having a go yourself you can find the recipe on our blog under ‘Simple Pastilla recipe – Traditional Moroccan Pastilla Made Easy’. Or, if you’re staying at BK, you can join one of our Marrakech cookery courses on site.

Caftan at the Palais des Congrès. Caftan brings together Moroccan and Eastern haute couture, an event at which experienced fashion designers and newcomers showcase their latest collections.

All proceeds go to the CSSF, an organisation sponsoring the education of young girls in rural Morocco through scholarships. To find out more see mansoureddahbi.com.

Marrakech Poker Open (24th – 27th May 2012). The Marrakech casinos take centre stage with this annual professional poker tournament, this year being the 26^th. The Marrakech Poker Open will be attracting some of the world’s best poker players, due in no small measure to the million dollar prize pot on offer!

Four nights for the price of three – Stay for four nights or more at Les Borjs de la Kasbah and only pay for three nights, saving 25%. Half board guests can dine for free on the forth night at our fine dining restaurant, Le Jasmin.

This offer is valid until 31st May 2012.

Seven nights for the price of five – even better value. Stay for seven nights before 31st May 2012 and you pay for only five nights, saving just short of 30% in total. Half board guests staying seven nights will dine for free on the last two nights of their stay.

This offer is valid until 31st May 2012.

In conjunction with the above offers we have another deal at the moment for residents to take advantage of, just to tempt you a little more:

20% off all Spa treatments – Residents at Les Borjs de la Kasbah are currently being offered a 20% discount off all spa treatments at our ‘l’Arganier Spa’. Hamman baths, massages, sauna and beauty treatments are all included in the offer. To qualify for the discount you must complete your stay with us before 31st May 2012.

To take advantage of our special offers book your stay at Les Borjs de la Kasbah online: www.lesborjsdelakasbah.com or call on: 00 212 524 38 11 01 or 06

Just a three hour flight from northern Europe, Marrakech is an ideal winter sun and short break destination. Here, African, Berber and Arab cultures come together in one exotic, bubbling melting pot.

Enclosed by the high rampart walls of its ancient medina, Marrakech has a rich historical heritage, major landmarks including beautiful ancient buildings and palaces, mosques and squares, well displayed by a number of fascinating museums.

The pulsating heart of traditional Marrakech, the Djemaa el Fna, comes to life at sunset when story tellers, musicians, snake charmers, fire-eaters and acrobats and, not least, scores of street food sellers, compete for the attention of hundreds of tourists and locals alike.

The souks are another unmissable Marrakech experience. Here, one can find just about every product imaginable – from spices and local delicacies (olives, dates and patisseries) to pottery, metal ornaments, jewellery, rugs and leather goods.

You may be offered a glass of mint tea, a traditional custom to accompany a little haggling for the goods on sale.

In sharp contrast to the frenetic activity of the Djemaa el Fna, a short walk away to the south of the medina, one reaches the fortified Kasbah, home to the Royal Palace and ornately decorated Tombeaux Saadiens, the resting place of an important royal dynasty.

Close by is the luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech, Les Borjs de la Kasbah.

Not least, Marrakech is also renowned for the limitless varieties of locally hand-crafted products and souvenirs on sale in its vast network of souks.

Here is a short list of important facts you should know about Marrakech.

1. Widely referred to as the ‘Red City’, Marrakech lies in Morocco’s south western region, within sight of the High Atlas.

2. As with most North African cities, Marrakech has two distinct parts: the old city, or medina, and the modern city which, here, comprises the commercial quarter, Guéliz, and leafy residential district of boulevards known as l’Hivernage.

3. Marrakech, as every other city, remains an Islamic and largely male-dominated society but it is also one of the most liberal and cosmopolitan cities in the Middle East.

4. Marrakech is closer than you might have imagined – just two to three hours flying time from most European countries. Marrakech-Menara airport is less than four miles southwest of the city, a transfer of barely 10 minutes.

5. Taxis are cheap – 15 to 30 dirhams will take you to the city centre from most hotel locations.

6. The famous Djemma El Fna, the ancient square at the heart of the city, is the focal point of Marrakech and has been for centuries. By day and, especially, by night it attracts locals and tourists alike to be entertained by dancers, musicians and snake charmers, among others, and by purveyors of a huge variety of inexpensive street food.

7. The city’s souk district, adjoining the square and extending over a wide area, its different sections linked by a confusing network of narrow lanes, is a haven for shoppers and bargain hunters. Here, you can find almost anything from traditional pottery to decorative metalwork, shoes and leather goods, fabrics, spices and much much more. The majority of the souk traders are multi lingual and, sometimes disconcertingly, they will often identify your nationality before you open your mouth!

8. Must-see attractions in Marrakech include the Majorelle Gardens, the Dar si Said museum, the El Bahia and El Badi palaces, the Medersa Ben Youssef (koranic school) and the Koutoubia mosque, the main landmark of the city with its lofty minaret.

9. Marrakech is rapidly becoming one of the leading golfing destinations. There are currently six courses, a couple of them offering 36 holes, and others are on the drawing board, all designed by some of the biggest names in golf course design.

10. Weather in Morocco is generally warm and sunny throughout the year and very hot from June to September when temperatures well above 30 are the norm. Even in winter protective headgear is advisable, as is plenty of sun block.

From a report issued in February 2012, Les Borjs (BK) appeared in a listing of the best 25 hotels in Africa and was also rated 4^th best in Morocco.

Said co-owner Mike Bruce-Mitford: “Although we are proud of our ‘hotel de charme’, created from a series of old buildings between 2004 and 2007, it is very rewarding to know that our efforts are appreciated by so many of our visitors. However, the Travellers’ Choice award is essentially a further tribute to our wonderful staff, most of whom have been with us since the hotel opened fully in 2007.”

This 2012 award from Trip Advisor broadly confirms the results of previous surveys in which les Borjs de la Kasbah appeared among the top 10 hotels in Africa and top 5 in Morocco and reflects similar findings in recent years by the online booking site, Expedia, as well as feedback contained in many hundreds of the hotel’s own customer questionnaires.

Initially planned for Monza, the event will now be held in Morocco’s ‘pink city’, Marrakech, between 9^th and 11^th March 2012.

Motor sport enthusiasts will be aware that the Marrakech Grand Prix circuit is the only FIA World Championship track in Africa.

Its location, a short distance from the red city’s legendary rampart walls and with the snow-capped Atlas Mountains as a backdrop, promises to make this into one of the most attractive circuits (taking in the Mohammed VI and Ourika avenues) in the world.

The Formula 3000 race will be making its first appearance on the continent of Africa while the World Touring Car Championship will be taking place for the third time on the Marrakech circuit.

Those staying at our boutique hotel, Les Borjs de la Kasbah, for the duration of the Marrakech Grand Prix will be offered complimentary transfers to and from the course each day.

The aim, of course, is to wash away dust and grime but, as importantly, to achieve a state of pure relaxation, especially when followed by a soothing massage. A hammam session consists of several stages.

1)     The steam bath itself, often in several rooms, each warmer than the one before. After a while absorbing the full beneficial effect of the steam comes a hot water wash down, followed, eventually, by an envigorating dousing of cold water poured from a wooden bucket!

2)     After the bathing comes the gommage when the body is subjected to a vigorous scrub down with black beldi soap made from olives and eucalyptus leaves which is left on the body for around 15 minutes.

3)     Although not usually part of the hammam experience itself, the bathing is ideally followed by a relaxing massage using fragrant argan oil derived from the nuts of the eponymous tree from the Essaouira region.

The Arganier Spa at Les Borjs de la Kasbah

Public hammams, of which there are still a great many in Marrakech and other cities, are still used widely by the population, especially in ancient médinas where so many of the old houses lack modern indoor plumbing.

These ancient structures, many of which still rely on wood fired ovens to heat the water, are not only bath houses but places of relaxation and venues for men and women to socialize (in segregated sessions).

The Arganier Spa at Les Borjs de la Kasbah boasts a marble clad, domed hammam with separate sauna, two treatment rooms and a rest area. The experienced therapists provide a number of massage and beauty treatments for both men and women.

Our suggestion would be to go for the best of both worlds, i.e. the last word in modern comforts but with plenty of authentic local character added. Les Borjs de la Kasbah is one such, a 5 star luxury boutique hotel in Marrakech, well placed within comfortable walking distance of the centre yet far enough away from its hurly burly to be remarkably peaceful by comparison.

Having found your place to stay you’ll need some suggestions for things to see and do so here’s a short beginner’s guide to visiting Marrakech.

Visit the ancient medina and admire the 13th century walls that surround it. The souk, one of the largest in Morocco, is a tourist’s dream, such is the variety of artefacts and souvenirs you’ll find there. Take an official guide to show you round, with visits to a couple of palaces and museums included.

Mix with the crowd at Djemaa el Fna – this is the renowned main square that lies at heart of the old city. Teeming with life and street entertainers of various kinds, it resounds to the cries of fruit sellers (day) and food vendors (night), the clatter of horse drawn carriages and the exotic sounds of Berber music, snake charmers’ pipes and, above all, an inferno of drumming. From bargain shopping to snake charming, there’s never a dull moment!

A spiritual experience: the Medersa Ben Youssef is a former koranic school better known today as one of the finest examples (along with the dynastic Tombeaux Saadiens in the Kasbah) of Islamic architecture in Morocco. One can visit the student cells and admire the fine examples of painted cedarwood ceilings, hand-carved stucco, mosaic floors and other decorative features.

Admire Morocco’s cultural heritage: Marrakech is one of the best places to find locally-produced ceramics, paintings, mosaic tiling, jewellery and fabrics. Its museums, such as the Maison Tiskiwin and the Marrakech Museum, house a wealth of artifacts from Moroccan culture dating back over a thousand years including traditional clothing, illustrated manuscripts, musical instruments and ceramics, as well as modern works of art.

See Marrakech by bus: one of the best ways to see the city and get your bearings is to take a city tour in an open topped, London style, double decker bus. This takes you through the modern commercial area, Guéliz, where many of the best restaurants are located, the smart Hivernage residential area and many of the most impressive palm tree and hotel lined avenues.