Title: CHRISTMAS EVE COUSCOUS
Categories: Main dish, Christmas, Vegetarian
Yield: 6 servings
-------------------------------VEGETABLE STEW-------------------------------
2 oz Oil
1 lb Onions, sliced
1 lb Carrots, sliced
1 1/2 lb Acorn squash
-- peeled, seeded & diced
1 ts Ground ginger
1/2 ts Powdered cinnamon
1/2 ts Turmeric
1/4 ts Ground white pepper, or more
1 1/2 pt Water or vegetable stock
1 lb Courgettes
-- trimmed and sliced
1 lb Frozen broad beans
Salt
1 ea Squeeze lemon juice
1 ds Sugar
Chopped fresh coriander
-------------------------------FOR THE GRAIN-------------------------------
1 lb Couscous
1 ts Salt
2 oz Butter
-------------------------------FOR THE EXTRAS-------------------------------
1 tb Harissa sauce
15 oz Canned chick peas, drained
1 tb Olive oil
1 ts Cumin seeds
6 oz Raisins
4 oz Pine nuts
8 oz Soy yogurt
A dusting of paprika
First make the stew. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the
onions and fry for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, squash and
spices. Cook for a further 10 minutes, with a lid on, stirring from
time to time until all are buttery and spicy. Add the water or stock
and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are just
becoming tender. Add the courgettes and broad beans, and cook for a
further 5 minutes or so. Season with salt, lemon juice, and a little
sugar if necessary. (This is best made in advance and reheated, as
the flavours improve -- it is particularly good after freezing.)
Now make the grain. This is an unusual way to cook couscous, but I
find it gives the best results. Put the couscous into a baking tin
and add 1 pint of water; immediately drain this off and return the
couscous to the tin. Leave it for 20 minutes, separating the grains
with your fingers after 10 minutes, or more times if you're passing.
Put the couscous into a sieve or steamer lined with a blue J-cloth.
Set over a pan of simmering water (it doesn't have to be the stew)
for 20 minutes. Tip the couscous back into the baking tin and pour
over 5 fl oz cold water with the salt dissolved in it. Sift the
grains with your fingers and leave for 15 minutes, then put back into
the lined steamer and heat as above for a further 20 minutes. Sift
with your fingers into a serving bowl and stir in the butter. Set
aside while you put together the extras.
To assemble and serve, take a ladleful of liquid from the stew and
add it to the harissa to make a thick paste. Put this into a small
bowl. Drain the chick peas. In a small pan, heat the oil and add the
cumin seeds, stirring for a moment or two, then add the chick peas
and stir until heated through. Put into a second small bowl. Cover
the raising with boiling water, leave for 10 minutes or longer to
plump, then drain and put into a third small bowl. Put the pine nuts
into a fourth bowl -- they can be lightly toasted if you like.
Finally, put the yogurt into a fifth bowl and dust the top with some
paprika. To serve, ladle the stew over the couscous and garnish with
chopped fresh coriander.
