Black Kale Gratin with Couscous Recipe

Black Kale
Originally uploaded by STML

This is a couscous recipe from STML which makes good use of black kale, a sometimes less welcome inclusion in organic vegetable boxes

Boil the kale for 6 minutes in salted water, drain well and slather with butter. Mix in a greased dish with crushed garlic and two beaten eggs. Grate over cheese and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Bake in Gas Mark 6 oven until egg just set and cheese bubbling.

Authentic Moroccan couscous recipe

This authentic Moroccan couscous recipe is presented in the form of a video with all the ingredients and processes listed and explained. I like the music too.

Couscous is probably the most famous Moroccan dish however it varies from area to area. This is the simplest way to make it.

Ingredients list for chicken couscous recipe

One whole chicken

Smen or ghee

Onions

Coriander cilantro

Spices and water

How to make the chicken couscous recipe

Mix salt pepper turmeric ginger mace nutmeg cinnamon cardamon pods


To make smen get unsalted butter, warm it to room temperature, wash it with cold water to drain off excess milk, add one teaspoon of salt to every cup of butter, store in clean glass containers and let set in a dark cool place, not the fridge, for at last 2 months or more.

Chop the onion and cilantro

Mix the spices together with the coriander and pour over the chicken to marinade for three hours or overnight.

You need a steamer or cousocousier, or use a sieve over a saucepan with a lid on top of the sieve. You might need to put a cloth over the holes if they are too big for the couscous grain.

Mix water with 2 tbs of salt and pour over the raw couscous. Let it soak in for half an hour then fluff it up with your hands.

Slice two onions, add cinnamon, sugar and orange blossom water. Add raisons and cook until tender, around 25 minutes.

Fluff up the cooled couscous using smen and hands, then steam it again, 2 or 3 times until done.

To serve, place the couscous on a dish, make a hole in the middle and place the chicken and onions in the middle.

Cauliflower Couscous Recipe

Have I told you about my new Cauliflower couscous recipe yet? It's dead simple but makes a lot of sense. Instead of needing to use some of the precious sauce from the stew to make up the couscous you use the water from quick steaming the cauliflower instead. So the entire cauliflower couscous recipe goes like this:

Chop up half a cauliflower into small florets about 1-2 cms, wash and set aside.

Bring to the boil just enough water to cover the cauliflower.

Meanwhile place a large knob of butter in a glass caserole dish, and add a half cup of hot water, black pepper, salt and maybe harrissa. Stir until the butter has melted then add three cups of instant couscous.

Add the cauliflower to the pan, boil for about 2-3 minutes then add the entire contents solid and liquid to the couscous. Cover and leave for three minutes, then stir and allow steam to escape.

Serve with a delicious tagine or couscous stew.

There, one Cauliflower couscous recipe done.

Tunisian Couscous and Loubia

Tunisian Couscous and Loubia
Originally uploaded by beedieu

Bee's Tunisian Couscous and Loubia.

Loubia is the dish made with white beans slow cooked in tomato and spices.

Couscous Recipe

Couscous recipes with Meat

When you think of Couscous recipes with meat the first that comes to mind is lamb or mutton. That's because of the muslim arab / berber origins of the dish. Merguez sausages are supposed to be made out of lamb meat too. Chicken is at least as popular though and if you do eat pork then why not try a couscous recipe with pork? Beef couscous is probably the least well known, and I've no idea exactly why that should be. A good piece of stewing beef cut into large chunks and slowly simmered in a rich gravy would make an excellent topping for any vegetable couscous dish.

Basic Couscous Recipe

The most basic couscous recipe of all requires nothing but a packet of couscous and hot water.

Add hot water to cover the dried couscous grains with an extra half inch, and then wait for it to absorb and soften. A lid helps.

But I would always add a least a knob of butter, some black pepper and a squirt of harrissa.

Better is to use some of the liquid that comes with making a complete couscous dish, ie the vegetable or meat stew.

Richard Gotainer - couscous Saupiquet

I think this is an old couscous recipe advert with a memorable song.

couscous with peas, mint and cilantro

couscous with peas, mint and cilantro
Originally uploaded by sassyradish

There's something about the texture of ordinary frozen garden peas which brings out the best in a couscous recipe.
This one also enhances the flavour with mint and cilantro or coriander leaves as we call them.