Moroccan Couscous Dish

Ingredients

• 1 kg lamb shanks with bone — cut into pieces suitable for cooking
• Water and aromatics for boiling the meat
• 2 carrots
• 2 white turnips
• Small squash (pumpkin)
• Small white cabbage
• 2 bell peppers (mixed colors)
• 1 can chickpeas (or cooked chickpeas)
• 1 onion
• 1 stalk leek, chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 4 ripe tomatoes
• Small can or 2 tablespoons tomato paste or tomato purée — optional
• Salt
• Couscous spice mix
• Turmeric
• 1 cup raisins
• 2 cinnamon sticks or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 kg package of fine or medium couscous
• 1/2 cup butter
• Note:
• You can add any vegetables you like such as zucchini, green beans, cauliflower, or eggplant.
• Method One:
• In a wide bowl, empty the couscous package and add 1 cup hot water and a pinch of salt. Rub the grains between your palms so they swell, then transfer them to steam-cook them above a pot of boiling water (use a perforated pot or an aluminum steamer) and cook over the rising steam.
• Method Two:
• Instead of steaming, put the grains into a wide, heavy-bottomed pot and leave them over very low heat, stirring constantly with a fork until all the grains are cooked.
• In both methods you’ll notice the couscous is cooked after about 15 minutes. Add 1/2 cup butter cut into pieces, stir so the butter is fully incorporated with the couscous, then turn off the heat.
• Optional final step — put the raisins in a small pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and the cinnamon sticks (or 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon) and sauté until the raisins swell.

Method

1. Stage one: begin by boiling the meat with the seasonings.
2. Meanwhile, wash all the vegetables well, peel the carrots and white turnip and cut them into wide, long, equal-sized pieces.
3. Cut the cabbage and bell peppers in the same way.
4. Cut the pumpkin into wide, equal slices without removing the skin to keep their shape intact.
5. In a large pot, start cooking the vegetables with a little plain water or some of the meat boiling water, adding the vegetables in sequence according to their firmness: start with the carrots and turnip, and after ten minutes add the bell peppers, cabbage and finally the pumpkin, this way you preserve the vegetables' nice shape.
6. Add a pinch of turmeric and a pinch of salt to the vegetables while boiling them.
7. Using the tip of a knife, check that the vegetable pieces are tender, then turn off the heat when they are cooked without overcooking.
8. Stage two: in another pot, add olive oil with the onion cut into wedges, coarsely chopped leek, chopped celery and chopped fresh coriander.
9. After the aromatics soften, add coarsely chopped tomato cubes with a pinch of salt and sauté for 5 minutes.
10. Add the cooked chickpeas and couscous spices and stir, then add tomato purée only if fresh red tomatoes are not available; if the tomatoes are red you can omit the purée.
11. Let the sauce simmer on low heat to thicken well.
12. Then add the well-boiled meat to the sauce with a little of the meat boiling water.
13. Let them simmer gently for ten minutes then turn off the heat.
14. Stage three: there are several methods to prepare couscous; we will mention two.
15. In a wide bowl empty the couscous box, add one cup of hot water and a pinch of salt, then rub the grains with the palms of your hands so the grains expand, then transfer the grains to steam-cook them by placing them in a perforated container (like an aluminum steamer) above a pot of boiling water and cook them on the rising steam.
16. Replace the steaming step by transferring the grains to a wide, heavy-bottomed pot and leave them over very low heat, stirring continuously with a fork until all the grains are cooked.
17. In both cases you will notice the grains are cooked after about 15 minutes; add half a cup of butter cut into pieces and stir again so the butter combines well with the couscous grains, then turn off the heat.
18. In the final optional stage, place raisins in a small pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and cinnamon sticks or a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and sauté until the raisins puff.
19. Add sugar and stir until it dissolves, then add a tablespoon of water and leave the raisin mixture for a few minutes to caramelize the raisins, then turn off the heat.
20. Serve the couscous by placing the couscous grains in the center of the serving platter in a dome shape, put a piece of meat on top of the dome and arrange the vegetable pieces of all kinds around the dome, then spoon the chickpea sauce and broth around the edges of the platter.
21. Serve the Moroccan couscous with the caramelized raisins on top and harissa for those who like it spicy, and a squeeze of lemon is optional according to taste.