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.

Close up of the Seafood Couscous

Cous Cous di Pesce a San Vito Lo Capo #0
Originally uploaded by yab994

A close up picture of the Seafood Couscous in Italy. There isn't an accompanying coucous recipe but we ca see that the Italian seafood couscous is based on simplicity with plain but tasty couscous grains cooked in seafood sauce, and a few items of luxurious seafood served on top. Langoustine and whelks perhaps.

Seafood Couscous Cous Cous di Pesce

Wholemeal Couscous Recipe with King Prawns Mussels and Saffron

Wholemeal Couscous Recipe with King Prawns Mussels and Saffron

Steam the mussels open, as usual in a large pan with a frying mixture of garlic and olive oil, add a touch of Harissa.
Pour off a cup of the liquid obtained and keep it aside.
In a small pan heat a cup of full pre-cooked couscous, turn off the cooker, add the cup of broth of mussels, still boiling or heated, and a sachet of saffron, stir until completely absorbed, fluff with a fork, decorate with parsley crushed and used in dishes.
In the same pan, add oil and other nice prawns well rinsed, heat a couple of minutes, season with salt and a touch of Harissa.
Lay down on dishes filled with cous cous some mussels and some shrimp, serving the remainder in a bowl.

pic by Geomangio

Vegetable Tian and Couscous Grain

picture and recipe by by La tartine gourmande

I'm not sure about all the reds in the photo but this is a very interesting and authentic couscous recipe from the south of France.

What is a Tian?

This dish is takes us to the South of France. The original meaning of the word Tain is actually the receptacle in which the dish used to be cooked. Un plat en terre de provence (a Terra Cotta dish  from Provence) used to prepare and cook vegetables. Today, whenever we speak about un tian, we think about the food rather than the dish. So a tian is layered vegetables cooked in the oven.

You can go and see the whole couscous recipe on La Tartine Gourmande