Northafricancouscouspaella Recipes

NORTH AFRICAN PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, roasted red pepper, and garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, salmon fillet, and merguez sausage; cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Pour 2 1/2 cups broth and white wine into the pot. Season stew with cumin, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and stir in shrimp; simmer until opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add mussels; cover and let stand until mussels open, about 5 minutes.
• Bring remaining 3 1/2 cups broth to a boil in a separate pot. Stir in couscous. Remove from heat and let stand until couscous absorbs broth, about 5 minutes.
• Serve couscous in shallow bowls; ladle stew on top.

TRADITIONAL NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS (THE REAL WAY!)

Steps:

• Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic & place it in a large heavy bottomed pan with the meat or chicken, ras el hanout & a little olive oil. Fry gently to seal the meat/chicken. I use my pressure cooker pr large cast iron casserole for this.
• Chop the carrot, parsnip and courgette into 6ths. Cut the potato into 1/4's and roughly chop the swede. Chop khourchef or celery into roughly same size as carrot. (Peel the carrots, potato, parsnip and swede).
• Add the vegetables to the meat along with 1L of water and turn up heat so they begin simmering. If using the chilli add it now, along with salt and pepper. If cooking in a regular pan then cook for 40 minutes like this. If using the pressure cooker as I do then 20 minutes will be enough.
• Add the tomatoes, chick peas and dried mint and 1/2L more water or enough to create a 'stew' consistency.
• Return to heat and cook in pan for further 30 minutes and if using pressure cooker then cook on med to high for a further 25 minutes.
• Take a 500g pack of medium couscous and pour into a gas'a if you have one. If not find the biggest bowl you have. Pick out any 'bits' and sprinkle water - about 50mls and a tsp of salt over the couscous and using your hand rub 1/2 tsp of oil through the couscous to stop it sticking. Fill a couscousier or steamer half full with the couscous (as it swells).
• When you 1st notice steam coming from the couscous, count 10 minutes. After that remove from the steamer, place in gas'a and use your hands to 'open' the couscous (rub it together between hands to remove clumps). This is very hot and you need to keep wetting you hand with cold water and sprinkling a little on the couscous.
• Return to steamer when thoroughly opened. Repeat process of steaming and opening twice more.
• Finally remove from steamer and place back in gas'a. Open for final time and rub a tbsp of ghee or smen into the couscous along with 2tsp of butter or margarine. Add salt to taste.
• Serve the couscous in the gas'a with sauce on top as traditional style or in tagine etc. Usually we place the meat/chicken in place - 1 for each guest and decorate the couscous with the veg before ladling some of the sauce over the top.
• If you used the chilli, put it on a plate and let people help themselves to it!

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat oil in saucepan. Add the peppers, scallions, garlic, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Saute over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the stock or water. Add the shrimp or tofu and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp is pink. Stir in the peas and cook for another minute.
• Mix in the couscous and butter or margarine. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Uncover the pan, and using a fork, fluff up the couscous and break up any lumps.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a platter, topped with toasted almonds, parsley and lemon wedges.

A SOUTHERN NORTH AFRICAN SANDWICH

Steps:

• For the Kesra: In a small bowl of 1/4 cup warm water, stir in the yeast and sugar. Stir lightly until yeast begins to dissolve. Allow mixture to stand until it begins to bubble, about 10 minutes.
• In a standing mixer bowl, put flour and 1/3 cup of cornmeal. Make a well in the center and add yeast mixture, salt, and melted butter. Knead the bread and gradually add remaining warm water until dough is smooth and elastic.
• Sprinkle baking sheet with olive oil and then dust with cornmeal. Separate the dough into 2 balls of equal size and sprinkle sesame seeds evenly over the loaves and flatten into round circles. Cover the doughs with a clean towel and let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prick the top of each dough with a fork all over. Bake for 10 minutes.
• Lower heat to 375 degrees and bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until crusty and golden brown.
• For the Vegetables: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut the eggplant into 1/4-inch round slices and sprinkle with salt, let sit in colander for 10 minutes until bitter juices are extracted.
• Rinse the slices, and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the eggplant slices until they are tender and a little crisp.
• Mix flour and cornmeal and season with spices, to your taste. Coat each tomato slice with mixture and heat butter in heavy skillet (preferably cast iron). Add the tomatoes and cook until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
• For the Harissa: Process all the ingredients in a food processor. Season, to taste, and reserve in a small bowl.
• To assemble sandwich, spread 2 slices of Kesra with Harissa spread. Place a layer of eggplant, then tomatoes on bottom slice. Curly lettuce is optional. Top with other slice of bread.

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS WITH TEMPEH

Steps:

• Mix 1/3 cup water, soy sauce, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, garlic, lemon juice, and liquid smoke together in a bowl until marinade is smooth; add tempeh and turn to coat evenly. Marinate tempeh, turning frequently, for 20 minutes.
• Combine vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder, and salt in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid; bring to a boil. Add couscous, cover saucepan, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add tempeh and marinade. Cook tempeh until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes more. Remove tempeh from skillet.
• Pour remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the same skillet; cook and stir onion until fragrant and brown, about 4 minutes. Add chickpeas and water; cook and stir using a wooden spoon to break up brown bits of food on the skillet, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Fold couscous into the onion mixture; add tempeh. Sprinkle mint over couscous; cook and stir until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

COUS COUS ALLA PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Place the plum tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Add the couscous and mix thoroughly.
• Since there is no cooking involved, it is essential that there's an excessive amount of liquid in the bowl. The liquids will act as a 'cooking agent' for the couscous. The couscous will absorb all the liquids, puff up and become very flavorful.
• Add the red onion, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, and the basil to the bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for all the flavors to amalgamate.