Couscous Salad with Grilled Tomatoes - Recipe

Ottolenghi meets Morocco

To continue with my Moroccan theme, I have a delicious couscous salad to share.

Few months ago, the channel More4 showed Ottolenhi's Mediterranean Feast. I loved this program, as Chef Yotam Ottolenghi travels in Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and Israel and discovers some of their lesser-known cuisines. My favorite episode is when he travels to Morocco and gives his personal touch to the traditional dishes of the region. 

The one recipe that I always go back to is his Couscous with grilled cherry tomatoes and fresh herbs. It is an easy and versatile salad that goes well with a piece of grilled lamb, skewer kebab or just on its own with some nice fresh yoghurt dip.

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

6 tbsp olive oil

2 large onions, sliced

1 tsp honey      (I skipped this)

1/2 tsp Ras el Hanout spice mix

60 g sultanas or raisins

600 g cherry tomatoes

500 g couscous

25 g unsalted butter

1 tsp cumin seeds, toasted and lightly crushed      ( I used ground cumin)

1 garlic clove, crushes       (I skipped, and used ground garlic powder)

80 g toasted almonds, roughly chopped

25 g rocket, roughly chopped     (I skipped)

20 g coriander, roughly chopped     (I skipped)

20 g parsley, roughly chopped

20 g mint, roughly torn

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

2 tbsp argan oil

Method:

1- Preheat the oven to 150C.

2- Start by caramelizing the onions. In a saute pan on medium heat, add 2 tbsp olive oil, the onions, honey, ras el hanout, salt and pepper. Cook for 15-30 minutes, until onions are soft, dark and sweet. Remove from the heat, stir in the raisins and set aside.

3- Place a ridged griddle pan on high heat. Mix the tomatoes with 2 tbsp oil and cook in the hot pan for 4 minutes, until the skin is slightly charred. Set aside.

4- Line the base and sides of a roasting tin with baking paper, put in the couscous with 1/2 tsp salt. Pour over 800 ml of boiling water and 2 tbsp oil. Stir and leave to soak for 10 minutes, covered. Dot the soaked couscous with the butter and cover with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Once done, fluff the couscous with a fork.

I skipped this step as I used instant couscous. To 2 cups of couscous I added 2 + 1/4 boiling water in large bowl. Before covering it, I added the ras el hanout and 1/2 tsp ground cumin as well as 1 tbsp butter. Covered it with foil and let it soak up the liquid. Fluffed it with a fork in the end.

5- Once the couscous has cooled slightly, transfer to a large bowl. Add the onions mix and stir. Add the cumin seeds, garlic, almonds, rocket and most of the herbs.

In the program he chops some of the herbs in a bowl and mix it with the almonds and lemon juice as well as some olive oil. I followed that step and the mixed in the herbs with the couscous.

6- Finally add the lemon juice and salt & pepper and mix gently. Scatter the tomatoes over the couscous and finish with additional herbs and drizzle of argan oil. 

  

Enjoy!

Moroccan Beef Tagine & Cookbook Challenge - Recipe

Last weekend, my husband and I embarked on a short trip to Morocco, exploring the vibrant city of Tangier in the north. Let me talk about the incredible food we experienced. From the tantalizing couscous to the aromatic tagines and the bustling street food scene, every bite was a culinary delight. However, the highlight for me was the freshly squeezed orange juice—pure sunshine in a glass. I must confess, I indulged in at least two glasses a day throughout our four-day stay! 

Since I bought special spice mixes for tagines and the spice Ras el Hanout in Tangier, I was inspired to cook something truly Moroccan. Luckily, I have a fantastic cookbook at home by Lesley Mackley called "The Book of North African Cooking," an old gem published in 1998, I acquired from our local library. It's filled with tantalizing recipes that capture the essence of Moroccan cuisine. One of my favorite recipes in this cookbook is Moroccan Couscous. 

Moroccan couscous is a fantastic recipe that showcases how to make couscous from scratch and incorporates a hearty beef tagine. Traditionally, this dish calls for the use of seven vegetables, but since I didn't have all the ingredients on hand, I had to get a bit creative. I'll share the recipe here, along with the modifications I made while preparing this flavourful dish. As per the original recipe, it serves at least 6 people.

Let me introduce you to the star player:

Ras el Hanout is a North African spice blend that originates from Morocco. Its name translates to "head of the shop" or "top-shelf," indicating that it contains the best spices a seller has to offer. The exact composition of Ras el Hanout varies from region to region and even from spice shop to spice shop, but it typically includes a combination of warm and aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and turmeric. This versatile spice blend is often used to season meats, tagines, couscous, rice dishes, and more, adding depth of flavor and complexity to dishes.

Ingredients:
1 kg trimmed lamb cut into pieces (I used 300 g beef)
2 onions, chopped
55 g chickpeas, soaked overnight (I used 400 g canned butter beans)
1 tsp ground ginger
salt & pepper to taste
pinch saffron thread (I skipped this)
4 small turnips, cut into large pieces (I used 4 potatoes instead)
2 small carrots, chopped 
450 g regular couscous (I used instant couscous)
25 g butter, melted
a little rosewater ( I didn't have)
55 g raisins
4 medium courgettes, halved length ways
1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 tomatoes, quartered
2 tbsp each chopped fresh coriander and parsley (I used dried herbs)

Spices: 1 tsp tagine mix, 1 tbsp Ras el Hanout mix

Method:

1- Place the meat, with onions and chickpeas in a large stockpot. Stir in the ginger, saffron and 1 tsp pepper. Cover with water, bring to a boil and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Add turnips and carrots.

Since I didn't use all the specified ingredients, I adjusted the cooking method slightly. I boiled the meat separately, seared it, and then added the vegetables. 

2- Place the couscous in a large bowl. Dissolve 1 tsp salt in 150 ml water and sprinkle over the couscous. Stir with your fingers and break up any lumps. Place it over the stockpot with the simmering stew. Steam, covered, for 20 minutes. Then, turn the couscous onto a large earthenware dish and sprinkle with little salted water. Lightly rub in the melted smen or butter and rosewater and put the couscous back into the bowl and place it over the cooking stew. 

Since I used instant couscous, I followed the instructions on the package. For 3 people, I used 1 cup of couscous per person and added 2 cups of boiling water along with 1,5 cup of the simmering stock from the stew.

3- Add raisins, courgettes, squash  tomatoes, salt, coriander and parsley to the simmering stew then replace the couscous over the pot. Steam for a further 30 minutes, occasionally fluffing the couscous grains with a fork.

I added my vegetables earlier, but at this point,  I also included raisins, butter beans, and herbs.

4- To serve, pile the couscous onto a large earthenware serving dish. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat and vegetables to the center of the dish. Pour over some of the broth.

Traditionally, couscous is enjoyed from a large earthenware dish, with everyone using their hands. However, I opted to serve the couscous individually for each person on regular plates. To add a touch of freshness, I garnished it with basil since I didn't have any other fresh herbs available. 

Enjoy!

Moroccan Chicken & Chickpea Tagine -A flavorful Moroccan-inspired Dish Recipe

After reading the food article How to cook an authentic Moroccan tagine by Rebecca Davies in the "The Telegraph" I was so inspired to make something similar today. It was such a coincidence as I just saw a food program few days ago about Moroccan Food on the bbc channel. As chicken was bought yesterday, I had just about the right ingredients at home to make a chicken and chickpea tagine. This recipe is a mix of various recipes I found online, so this is by no means an authentic recipe, just my variation :)

The taste was absolutely amazing and I will definitely try more Moroccan food inspired recipes from now on. In the past I have been reluctant in cooking anything Morrocan, as I thought it look to complicated. But I have to say that after reading and watching the food network channel, especially watching Jenny Morris Cooks Marocco I have been greatly inspired to try more recipes with inspiration from this flavorful and colorful country. Jenny Morris is so warm, informative and engaging in her programs, I simple love watching her cook and share her recipes. 

Now, back to my Chicken & Chickpea Tagine recipe!

Ingredients:

A mix of chicken pieces (two drums, 5 wings, 1 breast)

1 cup butternut squash, diced

1/5 leek, chopped,

1 onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

1.2 yellow bell pepper

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed

1 can of chopped tomatoes

2-3 cups of chicken stock

2 tbsp of honey

1/5 cup of dried sultanas

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/5 cup of couscous

2tbsp oliv oil

Spice mix: 1/5 tsp of turmeric, ground ginger, ground garlic, all season salt, pepper mix, paprika, cumin and coriander. 1/4 tsp cinnamon  1 tbsp of parsley. 4-5 slices of preserved lemon. (Feel free to add more/less of these above mentioned spices, to taste).

Process:

1- Dice and slice all the vegetables and chicken breasts evenly to ensure consistent cooking.

2- Place the chicken in a pot and add enough water to cover it. Bring it to a boil and cook the chicken through (this usually takes just a few minutes). Once the chicken is cooked, drain the water. Add all the spices, except for the lemon, along with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Mix well so that the chicken pieces are well coated with the spices. At this point, the pot should smell heavenly!

3- Add all the vegetables, chickpeas, and chopped tomatoes to the pot. Pour in 2-3 cups of chicken stock and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. 

  

4- Stir in the sultanas, then reduce the heat to low-medium. Let the tagine simmer for 30-45 minutes, allowing the liquid to reduce by half and all the flavors to meld together.

5- Before the tagine finished simmering, I scooped out half a cup of the broth and added it to 500 ml of boiled water. This flavorful liquid was then used to prepare the couscous, adding even more depth to the dish. Simply pour the hot liquid over the couscous, along with a little olive oil, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes until it's fluffy.

 

Enjoy!