Harissa with Couscous
Description
This traditional Harissa with Couscous is a celebration of North African flavors, designed to be cooked in a traditional couscoussier. The dish features a rich, aromatic stew of lamb, chicken, chickpeas, and seasonal vegetables like pumpkin, zucchini, and turnips, all infused with saffron, cinnamon, and homemade spicy harissa. The steamed couscous absorbs the savory broth, resulting in a light yet hearty meal. It’s perfect for a festive family dinner or a slow weekend cooking project. The combination of tender meats, sweet roasted vegetables, and the heat of the chilies creates a complex, comforting dish that pairs beautifully with the fluffy grains. Serve it family-style for a memorable communal dining experience.Ingredients
Directions
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Prepare the couscous: Spread 2 pounds of couscous on a tray. Sprinkle with enough water to moisten. Rake through with your fingers until all are moistened. Let sit for about 15 minutes, then rake through again. Continue sprinkling with water and rubbing the pellets between your palms until all are saturated and have doubled in size.
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Cook the chickpeas: Drain 1 cup of chickpeas that have soaked in water overnight. Simmer them in fresh water for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until tender. Drain and set aside.
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Prepare the meat and vegetables: Cut up a chicken and a lamb shoulder into large pieces. Chop an onion. Peel 4 carrots and 2 turnips and cut them into large chunks. Rinse a bunch of coriander leaves.
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Prepare the stew base: Fill the bottom section of a couscoussier about halfway with cold water. Drop in the prepared meat, vegetables, coriander leaves, and cooked chickpeas.
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Season the stew: Add a pinch each of ground saffron and cinnamon, and stir in 2 teaspoons of harissa sauce. Bring the water slowly to a boil; remove any scum from its surface and cook the stew at a bare simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
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First steam: Heap the prepared couscous lightly in the top section of the couscoussier. Set the top section on the lower one and cover the couscoussier with its lid.
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Steam the couscous: Raise the heat so the liquid boils and produces steam to cook the couscous. After about 30 minutes, the pellets will lump together.
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Separate the couscous: Lift off the top section, leaving the stew to cook in the bottom. Tip out the couscous onto a tray. Sprinkle cold water over the couscous. Gently rake through pellets with your fingers to break up any lumps. Set aside.
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Prepare the pumpkin: Peel and slice 1 pound of pumpkin into chunks. Put the pumpkin chunks into a small pan and cover them with liquid ladled from the stew. Set pan aside and simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.
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Prepare the final vegetables: Broil 2 red bell peppers until the skins blister. Let cool, covered by a damp cloth, then peel and seed them. Immerse 4 small tomatoes in boiling water; peel, halve, and seed them. Cut 5 small zucchini into large pieces.
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Add final vegetables to stew: Add the prepared peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini to the stew in the bottom of the couscoussier.
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Second steam: Return the couscous to the top section of the couscoussier. Replace the top section on the lower one. Cook for 15 minutes, or until the peppers and zucchini are tender and the couscous is soft and fluffy.
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Serve: To serve, pile the couscous on a serving platter. Arrange the meat and vegetables on top and around the couscous. Ladle broth over. Serve with the rest of the broth and additional harissa sauce on the side.
Note
Harissa Sauce: Soak a few dried hot chilies in cold water for an hour. Split the chilies and remove the stems and seeds. Pound in a mortar with 2 or 3 tablespoons of caraway seeds, a garlic clove, and some coarse salt until it forms a paste. Mix in enough olive oil to make the paste fluid. Refrigerate.
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a splash of water to refresh the couscous.
Variations: You can add other seasonal vegetables like eggplant or sweet potatoes to the stew.
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