Maftoul With Chicken Middle Eastern Israeli Cous Cous Recipes

GARLIC CHICKEN WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the garlic chicken: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Put the garlic bulbs straight on the oven rack and roast them until they are soft when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let cool. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees F.
• While garlic is roasting, prep the chicken. Into a food processor or a bowl, add the lemon zest and juice and set aside. When the garlic bulbs are cool, slice the tops off and squeeze out the roasted garlic into the bowl or food processor along with the thyme, cumin, crushed red pepper and salt to taste. Add a little olive oil and puree or mash into a loose paste. Massage the mixture all over the chicken pieces and let sit for at least 1 hour.
• For the couscous: Bring a pot of well salted water to a boil over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook it until it's about two-thirds of the way cooked, 5 to 6 minutes. Drain and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and brown it on all sides.
• Remove it to a plate, drain the fat and add the celery and onions. Season with salt and crushed red pepper. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up all the crud on the bottom of the pan, and cook for 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes. Add in the saffron, zucchini, cooked couscous and chicken stock. Stir to combine, and then taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
• Transfer the mix to an ovenproof dish. Nestle the chicken, skin-side up, in the couscous and cover with foil. Add some more chicken stock to keep everything nice and moist. Sprinkle with pine nuts and cover with foil. Place the baking dish on a sheet pan.
• Roast the chicken for 20 minutes, and then remove the foil and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven and top with scallions before serving.

MIDDLE EASTERN COUSCOUS WITH DRIED FRUIT

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the raisins, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the couscous to the saucepan, along with the 2 cups of boiling water and the salt. Stir once with a fork, cover tightly, and remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir with a fork before serving to fluff the couscous and combine the other ingredients. (This recipe can be made up to a day ahead and reheated over very low heat or in a microwave oven.)

MAFTOUL WITH CHICKEN - MIDDLE EASTERN (ISRAELI COUS COUS)

Steps:

• Fry the spices and onion in a little olive oil. Add the chicken and seal well.
• Bring 1/2 liter of water to the boil. Place maftoul in large bowl and pour over enough to cover the maftoul. After 10 seconds, drain off water and mix in 1/2 tsp salt before placing maftoul in the steamer.
• Pour tomatoes over chicken and add salt & pepper to taste. Cover with water (water should come about 2" over the ingredients). At this point you can add a chicken stock cube if you wish. Cover and cook for 45 mins on medium heat.
• If you have a large couscousier or double steamer you can cook the sauce in the bottom and maftoul in the top which is preferable as the maftoul absorbs the flavours --.
• Remove the chicken from the sauce and place on a baking sheet in the oven (180 degrees c) for 10 minutes to brown off and dry out.
• Whilst chicken is in the oven, add the chickpeas to the sauce and cook gently for 10 minutes.
• Check seasoning. Take 8 bowls, divide the maftoul between them. Pour over some sauce then top with the chicken pieces.

MIDDLE EASTERN CHICKEN WITH MOGHRABIEH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Using spray oil or the olive oil, coat a heavy based casserole dish or pot and place on cook top.
• When the oil is hot, add the chick drumsticks and cook for about 5 mins so that the chicken is turning a golden brown.
• Add the onion, and continue cooking unitl the onion is translucent - about 5 minutes If either onion or chicken starts to burn, reduce the heat.
• Add the fennel seeds, cumin and corriander and cook another minute.
• Add the chicken stock and increase the heta if needed, so that the stock reaches boiling point, then turn down and simmer gently for 30 minutes.
• While the chicken is cooking, add the Moghrabieh to a pot of boiling water and cook for about 15 minutes or until the Moghrabieh is cooked but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
• After 30 minutes, add the tomato to the chicken and cook a further 15 minutes. If needed increase the cooking time if the chicken is not yet 'falling off the bone'.
• Remove the chicken from the pot and remove chicken from the bone.
• If the mixture is too watery at this stage, turn up the heat so that the remaining liquid reduces and thickens.
• Return the chicken to the sauce once the right consistency has been achieved.
• To serve, add the Moghrabieh to bowls and top with the chicken mixture.