Growing up we always had meat and three vege. Most of it generally inedible unless you liked boiled food beyond recognition. I now generally try and jazz up dinner with foods other then the norm of potatoes done in some way or other. When Im in a hurry though there is nothing quite so easy as couscous. Buy the instant couscous at the supermarket. Usually by the pasta and rice.
I won't give you a tretis on the origins of couscous. All I know is its great to have with moroccan tagines and other forms of juicy liquidy stews or casseroles. Couscous puffs up like rice when it cooks so it can feed a lot of people and is the simplest thing to cook too.
If cooking on its own you need to boil water the amount will equate to the amount of couscous you want to serve. So if this is going to be a side dish 1 cup of boiling water to 1 cup of couscous will feed 2 -3 people easy. You can boil the water in a pot and once boiling pour in the couscous or you can put the couscous in a bowl and pour the boiling water from the kettle over. Either way stir the couscous for a few seconds then put a tight lid over the pot or I put plastic wrap or a plate over the bowl ensuring the steam is trapped and cooks the couscous. Leave it alone for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes the water should be absorbed and you should be able to fluff it up like rice with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. All done and dusted you can serve with a tasty stew or tagine.
BUT there are so many things you can do to couscous. The standard way above is quite boring and I like more taste in my couscous. So here are a few ideas:
- Replace the water with boiled chicken stock.
- Replace half the water with orange juice or replace it all with orange juice if you like the taste.
- Add toasted nuts - any of pine nuts or chopped cashews, pistachios, hazelnuts, pecans to the cooked couscous.
- Also you can add dried fruits - chopped apricots, figs, prunes, dates,raisins or saltanas. I usually add to the boiled liquid with the couscous so that the fruit can warm and rehydrate a bit.
- Add drained and rinsed chickpeas.
- Add cooked veges to the cooked couscous. For example sliced or diced eggplant, courgettes or some strips of roasted capsicum - you can buy in the jar or roast in the oven until blacked then cool and skin before slicing.
- Add some spice - 1 teaspoon of turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon for example or a teaspoon of paprika, ground ginger and half a teaspoon of turmeric or a pinch of saffron. Id cook a chopped onion with a couple of cloves of garlic over a medium heat in a pan. Add the spice combinations (except the saffron if using) and stir for 30 seconds just to release the spice. Add chicken stock and let it boil, (add the pinch of saffron and stir for 2 minutes), then add the couscous and set aside to to steam. Fluff with a fork and its done.
- Add herbs once the couscous is cooked - 3 tablespoons of chopped parsley and mint for example or toss through a couple of handfuls of rocket.
- Crumble in some feta cheese or goats cheese.
- Add some strips of preserved lemons.
- Once made a yummy topping is a combo of plain greek yoghurt with a drizzle of runny honey.
A favorite main dish incorporates a number of the elements above - yoghurt marinated chicken strips and couscous
- marinate chicken strips for half an hour in a mix of plain yoghurt, a teaspoon each of ground cumin and cinnamon and 2 cloves of garlic minced. bbq or fry till cooked
- cook the couscous with the turmeric and cinnamon and onions etc as Ive set out above. Add rinsed chickpeas to the boiling stock at the same time as the couscous.
- combine the cooked chicken and roasted capsicum strips in a bowl.
- Toss in the cooked couscous mixture and toss in a handful of chopped parsley, mix and season
- I put in a platter then put a dollop of yoghurt on top and drizzle with honey ..yummmm
So as you can see so many ideas and you can mix and match. Give it a go you will be surprised.
Enjoy
Me xx
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