The large Lebanese or 'pearl' couscous had always intrigued and feeling brave I decided to go for it after spotting a bag at the local deli. Traditionally couscous is best steamed over a sweetly spiced meat and vegetable stew in a two-part pot called, appropriately, a couscoussier. Also called moghrabieh, Lebanese couscous is better boiled like pasta or added directly to soups and stews.
I wanted to keep the parts separate so boiled the couscous in salted water for 15 minutes and then left it to soak in the cooking water for a further 15 minutes or until it was tender to bite. The couscous was drained, rinsed and left to cool before reheating with butter to serve.
The spicy Moroccan stew was a joy to cook. No frying off, thereby saving time and giving a fresher and more fragrant result. The ingredients are added in two stages, depending on the cooking time. Turnips, carrots, onions and lamb go in early with the eggplant, zucchini, green pepper, raisins and fresh herbs added half an hour before serving. Don’t be put off by the seeming lack of flavour when you taste the stew half way through cooking. It really comes alive with the addition of the raisins and fresh coriander in particular. A salt adjustment helps too. Even if you are, like me, no huge fan of the fruit/meat combo, don’t be tempted to omit the raisins. They add something quite special without dominating. The sweetness works beautifully with the hot and aromatic spices.
The ‘lamb’ I bought needed nearly 3 hours very slow cooking but real spring lamb will cook in much less time. As a variation you can use a combination of lamb, beef and chicken to make up the same weight. The stew is not thickened; rather it is served as meat and vegetables with couscous and the broth poured over the top.
Moroccan lamb with pearl couscous
1 kg lamb leg meat cut into large chunks
2 onions, roughly chopped
2 turnips, trimmed and cut into large pieces
2 carrots, cut into pieces
1 x 400g tin diced Italian tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp saffron threads
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 tsp salt
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into cubes
2 zucchinis, cut into large pieces
1 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
half green pepper, cut into wide strips
80g raisins
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 bunch coriander, chopped
Place the meat, onions, turnips, carrots, tomato, olive oil, ginger, saffron, paprika and salt in a large casserole dish. Cover with water and cook at 150C for 1 ½ -2 hours or until the meat is nearly tender. Add the eggplant, zucchini, chickpeas, green pepper, raisins, parsley and coriander to the stew. Cook for another ½ hour. Check for salt. Sprinkle with extra chopped parsley and coriander and serve with pearl couscous.