Couscous! (the food so nice they named it twice)

Couscous

(the food so nice they named it twice)

this will feed quite a few people. please send me to Morocco so I can tell if this is even remotely authentic. Either way it’s delicious.

You will need a 5 quart dutch oven to cook and a large deep platter to serve.

Adjust meat, vegetables and spices according to what’s in season, what you have and what you like.

For this I used/recommend:

Olive oil as needed

Butter as needed

4-6 thick bone in rib or loin lamb chops

2-4 boneless chicken breasts

4 cups chicken stock

1 onion sliced

4-6 cloves of garlic sliced

2 red jalapeño seeded and sliced

1 Hungarian wax pepper seeded and sliced

1 small green pepper sliced

a few carrots sliced

a small piece of ginger grated

1 stalk celery sliced

an ounce or two of orange juice

1 small butternut squash, peeled seeded and sliced

a potato, peeled and sliced

a few tomatoes, sliced

1 apple, peeled cored and sliced

1 summer squash sliced

1 zucchini sliced

3 small asian eggplants sliced

1 t cumin

1/2 t turmeric

1/4-1/2 t thyme

1/4 t coriander

1/2 t paprika

1/4 t cinnamon

dash allspice

pinch of saffron

salt and pepper

1-2 T honey

1/4-1/2 cup raisins

1 cup canned chickpeas

3 cups couscous

parsley, scallions, mint and sesame seeds for garnish

season meat with salt and pepper. heat oil on medium high heat, add a tablespoon of butter, when foam subsides sear lamb for 2 minutes a side and remove to a plate. Sear chicken for 3 minutes a side and remove to a plate. Sweat onion, garlic, peppers, carrot, celery and a good pinch of salt for a few minutes, add half the spices and cook another minute, deglaze with orange juice. Add the rest of the spices, potato, tomatoes, eggplant, squashes, and let fry for a minute, add stock and honey, bring to a simmer, cook 10 minutes. Add meat back to pot with chickpeas and raisins and simmer on low, covered, until meat is cooked, about 20 minutes or up to 30 it you like your lamb well done.

Remove meat to a plate to rest, turn off heat and cover vegetables. Ladle off 3 cups of broth to another small pot with a tight fitting lid and add about a tablespoon butter, bring to a rapid boil, stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes.

Dump couscous into a mound on your platter, fluff and spread out in a pile with a well in the middle (like a volcano) Pour vegetables into the well, slice chicken breasts and pile on top, arrange lamb around that. Garnish with scallions, parsley, mint and sesame seeds.

- Adam