For ➍500 g couscous
1 kg lamb (preferably with bones)*
2 big onions
1 tomato
½ ts saffron
a handful of coriander
olive oil
1.5 l vegetable broth
200 g turnips
200 g young carrots
100 g peas
1 zucchini
¼ cauliflower
100 g cooked chickpeas
a dash of butter
a few mint leaves
Heat the oil and brown the meat. Add the ringed onions. Cover.
Peel the tomato, cut into chunks and, as soon as the onions are glazed, add to the mixture.
Add some of the broth, add the coriander and saffron. Bring to a boil and cook the meat*. (For 500 g, this will take 10-15 m for the meat to heat, and another 10 m to cook).
Meanwhile, chop the vegetables in large chunks and add to the mixture, firm vegetables first.
Steam the couscous on top of the meat and vegetables. When ready, remove the couscous and mix some butter through it.
Serve the couscous on a large plate. Put the meat in the middle, and decorate with some of the vegetables, some sauce and a few leaves of mint of fresh coriander. Serve the vegetables and sauce separately.
'Couscous' got its name from the Berber 'k'seksu'. It became the dish we know today in North Africa, with some regional differences in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. The latter was adopted by French colonialists and introduced in France as staple food. This recipe can claim to be authentically Moroccan, and refers to the magic power of the number 7. It can be made with 7 other vegetables that taste well together. Couscous can be served with other Moroccan food like Moroccan chicken and Moroccan spiced fish, or even with wokked tilapia. Read more couscous recipes. Read a tip on cooking dried chickpeas.
