Couscous with Harvest Vegetables

Ingredients

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1 tablespoon olive oil $

4 links (about 1 pound) lamb sausage, such as merguez, cut into 1-inch slices

1 large yellow onion, sliced $

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided $

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon $

1 teaspoon paprika

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 small pumpkin (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded, and diced into 1- to 2-inch cubes*

4 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into thirds $

2 turnips, cut into 2-inch pieces $

1 cup golden raisins

5 cups chicken stock or chicken or vegetable broth $

1 zucchini (about 1/2 pound), halved lengthwise and cut into fourths

1 (15.5-ounce) can chickpeas $

1 (10-ounce) package couscous

Garnish: fresh cilantro or mint leaves $

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add sausage, and cook about 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; sauté 5 minutes. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and next 7 ingredients; stir well. Add stock, and bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork. Stir in zucchini and chickpeas; simmer about 10 minutes more or until zucchini is tender but not falling apart.

2. Cook couscous according to package directions with remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. Fluff with a fork; keep warm until ready to serve.

3. Pile warm couscous on a large platter. Remove sausage and vegetables from pot with slotted spoon, and place around couscous. Garnish, if desired. Pour broth into a serving bowl. Invite guests to serve themselves individual portions of couscous, vegetables, and broth.

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Moroccan Lamb Tagine

Ingredients

Preparation

4 pounds fat-trimmed boned lamb shoulder or other cut suitable for stewing, rinsed and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks

2 onions (8 oz. each), peeled and thinly sliced $

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 tablespoon each paprika and ground cumin

1 teaspoon each ground turmeric, ground cinnamon, and minced fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

2 1/2 cups fat-skimmed chicken broth $

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes $

2 tablespoons tomato paste $

Salt and fresh-ground pepper

FLUFFY COUSCOUS

1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives

1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro $

PRESERVED LEMONS (GARNISH)

HARISSA (GARNISH)

1. Brown lamb. Discard all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan.

2. Add onions and garlic to pan; stir often over medium heat until onions begin to get limp, 3 to 5 minutes. Add paprika, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, and cardamom; stir until very fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, tomatoes (including juices), and tomato paste. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until lamb is tender when pierced, about 1 hour. Skim off and discard any fat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. On dinner plates or a large rimmed platter, mound couscous and form a well in the center. With a slotted spoon, transfer lamb and vegetables to well. Measure pan juices; if less than 3 cups, add water to make that amount, return to pan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to taste. Pour juices into a bowl and pass to add to taste. Scatter olives and cilantro over lamb; garnish as desired (see notes).

No-mess browning

1. Place meat in a heavy-bottomed 5- to 6-quart pan. Add 1/2 cup water; cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer briskly over medium heat until meat is gray on the outside and has rendered juices and fat, 15 to 20 minutes.

2. Uncover pan, increase heat to high, and stir often until most of the liquid has evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir often until meat juices have caramelized and darkened and meat has browned in the rendered fat, about 5 minutes longer. If drippings and the brown film on pan begin to scorch, reduce heat to medium.

Nutritional analysis per serving of tagine.

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Chicken Tagine with Onions, Honey, and Mint

Ingredients

Preparation

3 tablespoons fresh chopped mint

1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon $

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sea salt $

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 (4-pound) chicken, cut into 8 pieces $

2 tablespoons olive oil $

2 tablespoons butter $

6 garlic cloves, smashed

4 fresh mint sprigs

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1 1/2 cups chicken broth $

1 red onion, thinly sliced $

3/4 cup orange juice $

1/4 cup honey $

1 lemon, quartered $

Garnishes: fresh chopped mint, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted

Preparation

1. Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken, turning to coat.

2. Heat oil and butter in a tagine or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook 4 to 5 minutes per side or until golden brown. (Cook in batches, if necessary.) Transfer to a plate.

3. Add garlic to pan, and sauté about 1 minute. Add mint, thyme, broth, chicken, and any juices that drained onto plate. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 30 to 35 minutes or until chicken is tender.

4. Bring onion and next 3 ingredients to a simmer in a separate saucepan over low heat; cook 8 to 10 minutes or until lemon becomes soft and liquid thickens. Discard herb sprigs; pour glaze over chicken, and garnish, if desired.

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Preserved Lemons

Ingredient

6 lemons, scrubbed and dried $

Kosher salt $

Fresh lemon juice $

Preparation

1. Cut lemons lengthwise almost into quarters (leave attached at stem end). Pack as much kosher salt as you can (up to 2 tbsp.) into the cut center of 1 lemon and fit into a sterilized, bone-dry, widemouthed 1-qt. jar, cut side up. Repeat with remaining lemons and more salt (pack them in jar tightly).

2. Close jar and let sit overnight, then fill to brim with fresh lemon juice. Close jar and keep in a dark spot at room temperature 1 week, shaking once a day to redistribute salt and adding enough lemon juice to keep filled to brim. Let sit 3 more weeks before using.

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Mixed Olives with Harissa and Preserved Lemons

Ingredients

1 to 2 tablespoons Homemade Harissa Paste or store-bought harissa

1 pound assorted olives, such as oil-cured black olives, large green Spanish olives, and kalamata olives, drained

3 preserved lemons (soaked in a salt-lemon juice mixture), cut into wedge
s

Preparation

Combine harissa and olives. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. Stir in lemon wedges, and serve at room temperature.

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Briouats Moroccan Briouats

Ingredients

• 4sheets filo pastry
• 80 gbutter, melted
• 2 tspsesame seeds 

Almond filling

• 250 gblanched almonds
• 110 g(½ cup) caster sugar
• 30 gbutter, melted
• 20 mlorange flower water
• ¼ tspground cinnamon

Honey syrup

• 350 g(250 ml /1 cup) good quality honey
• 2 tsporange flower water, or to taste

Instructions

Cooling time 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Line a large oven tray with non-stick baking paper.

To make the almond filling, process the almonds and sugar in a food processor until very finely ground and starting to form a paste. Add the butter, orange flower water and cinnamon and process until well combined. Transfer the mixture to a clean bench top and knead with your hands until the mixture comes together. 

Lay the filo sheets in a stack on a cutting board and cut widthways into 8 x 28 cm strips (you will get 5 strips from each sheet). Cover with a dry tea towel and then a damp tea towel.

Take a tablespoon of the almond filling and roll into a small ball. Take a strip of filo, with a shortest end closest to you, and brush with melted butter. Place the ball of almond filling at the end closest to you and fold the bottom right corner up and over to the left side so the edge of the pastry remains straight and a triangle starts to form. Then fold the bottom left corner up and over to the right side in the same way. Continue folding alternating corners until the strip of pastry is finished and a small triangle forms. Place on the lined tray, brush with a little more melted butter and sprinkle with some sesame seeds. Repeat with the remaining filo, almond filling, butter and sesame seeds to make 20 briouats in total.

Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until crisp and golden.

Meanwhile, to make the honey syrup, combine the honey and orange flower water in a small saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very hot (but not simmering) and slightly foamy on top. Set aside and keep warm.

When the briouats are baked, transfer them to a shallow heatproof dish and arrange in a single layer. Immediately pour over the hot honey syrup and allow to soak, turning occasionally for 20 minutes or until cooled to room temperature. Transfer the briouats to a wire rack sitting over a tray and stand for another 10 minutes, allowing any excess honey to drip off. Serve at room temperature.

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Tomato Salad with Avocado and Preserved Lemons

Ingredients

4 cups diced plum tomato (about 2 pounds) $

1 tablespoon minced Quick Preserved Lemons

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice $

1/2 teaspoon salt $

1 diced peeled avocado $

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Combine first 5 ingredients. Sprinkle with parsley.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes Quick Preserved Lemons.

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ZALLUCA

Ingredients

• 2large eggplants, sliced into 1 cm rounds
• olive oil, to shallow-fry
• 2 tspground cumin
• 2 tspsweet paprika
• 2lemons, juiced
• 2 tbspharissa (see carrots in harissa recipe note)
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• ¼ cupflat-leaf parsley, chopped
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  Instructions

  Standing time 2 hours
  Place eggplant slices in a colander. Sprinkle with 2 tsp salt, toss to coat, then set aside for 2 hours to drain. Pat slices dry with paper towel.

  Heat 1 cm olive oil in a shallow frying pan over medium heat. Working in batches, cook eggplant for 4 minutes on each side or until light golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

  Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl. Arrange eggplant slices over the base of a shallow serving dish and spoon sauce over the top. Serve warm.
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Moroccan fish

Ingredients

• 1 bunchcoriander, chopped, plus coriander leaves, to serve
• 1 bunchbaby (Dutch) carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise
• 2red capsicums, seeded, membrane removed, sliced
• 1dried long red chilli, crushed
• 6garlic cloves, 3 sliced and 3 crushed
• 1 kgskinless firm white fish fillets, cut into 6 cm pieces
• 1 tbspground turmeric
• 2 tbspsweet paprika
• 125 ml(½ cup) olive oil

Instructions

Place chopped coriander, carrots, capsicum, chilli and sliced garlic in a large saucepan. Arrange fish pieces on top.

ix turmeric, paprika, crushed garlic, oil and 250 ml water in a bowl and season with salt. Pour over fish.

Place saucepan over medium heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Remove lid and cook for a further 5 minutes. Scatter with coriander leaves, to serve.

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