Pearl Couscous With Chicken And Peas Recipes

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH CHICKEN AND PEAS

Steps:

• Recipe courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis

COUSCOUS WITH CHICKEN AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• In a large deep frying pan or Dutch oven, heat the oil over moderately high heat.
• Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper. Put the chicken in the pan and brown well, about 8 minutes in all.
• Remove. Pour off all but 1 tbsp of the fat. Reduce heat to moderately low.
• Add the onion and turnip and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and 2 1/4 tsp of the salt. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
• Stir in 4 cups of the water and the carrots.
• Add in the chicken and bring to a simmer.
• Cover and cook, stirring the mixture two or three times, until the chicken and vegetables are almost done, about 20 minutes.
• Stir in the chickpeas and parsley and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are done, about 5 minutes longer.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring the remaining 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the remaining 1/4 tsp salt and couscous.
• Cover. Remove the pot from the heat and let the couscous stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Serve the stew with its broth over the couscous.

SKILLET CHICKEN AND PEARL COUSCOUS WITH MOROCCAN SPICES

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken thighs, lime juice, olive oil, garlic and cumin. Season well with salt and pepper and stir together until the chicken is well coated in the marinade; set aside at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes.
• In a deep, 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven with a lid, heat the grapeseed or canola oil over medium-high. When it shimmers, lift the chicken out of the marinade, allowing any excess liquid to drip back into the bowl, then add the chicken to the skillet, skin-side down. Working in batches, if necessary, to avoid crowding the pan, cook until the chicken is well browned on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium, add the leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the harissa paste, turmeric and cinnamon, and cook until lightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Season well with salt.
• Add the couscous to the pan and stir until well coated in the spiced leek oil. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer until the couscous is al dente and the chicken is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. If you're lucky, some of the couscous may slightly stick to the bottom of the pan, creating well-seasoned crispy bites.
• Remove from the heat and remove the lid. Scatter with the herbs, if using, and the lime zest, then serve from the pan.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH CREAMY FETA AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-inch baking dish, cake pan or gratin dish, toss together tomatoes, scallions, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and oregano sprigs. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• While tomatoes roast, heat the stock until it boils, then stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt, adding more to taste. (You want a well-seasoned broth here to flavor the couscous.) Stir in cilantro, lemon zest and cumin.
• Remove tomatoes from oven and fold in couscous, chickpeas and hot stock mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and fold in about 3/4ths of the feta (save the rest for garnish) and Parmesan. Bake uncovered until feta starts to melt, another 5 minutes.
• To serve, pull out and discard herb sprigs if you like, and spoon couscous into bowls. Top with remaining feta, lots more herbs, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.