Feast
Page 29
SERVES 6 TO 8
2½ cups (500 g) fine or medium couscous (not instant)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup (150 g) blanched almonds
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3 tablespoons (30 g) powdered sugar, plus more for dusting and serving
Ground cinnamon, for garnish and serving
1. Prepare the couscous as in step 1 of Couscous with Seven Vegetables, steaming it twice over plain water.
2. Preheat the oven to 450°F (220°C).
3. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and toast in the hot oven for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool, then coarsely grind two-thirds of the almonds in a food processor. You will use the remaining whole almonds for garnish.
4. When the couscous is ready to serve, add the softened butter and powdered sugar to the hot couscous and mix well. Tip half of the couscous into a medium-size, shallow serving bowl and spread the ground almonds evenly over it. Sprinkle with a little more powdered sugar and cover with the remaining couscous. With the back of a wooden spoon, form the couscous into the shape of a pyramid. Sprinkle a little ground cinnamon into 4 thin lines fanning out from the top all the way down to the bottom. Line the whole almonds in between the lines of cinnamon. Serve hot, with more powdered sugar and cinnamon for those who like it.
Sweet-Savory Couscous with Chicken
KSEKSÛ TFAYA
MOROCCO
This couscous is a lot more festive than the regular seven-vegetables version. It is usually made with chicken, but you can easily make it with beef or lamb (see Note). Tfaya is the name of the sweet-savory onion sauce spread over the meat that is served with the couscous. The dish is usually prepared for weddings, which in Morocco last for three days. One of the days is called henna day, when female family members and friends of both the bride and groom gather to have their hands and feet decorated with henna; and of course, they also feast while together. This dish is served on that occasion.
SERVES 4 TO 6
FOR THE COUSCOUS
2½ cups (500 g) fine or medium couscous (not instant)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE CHICKEN AND BROTH
1 whole chicken (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg)
½ cup (100 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water with ½ teaspoon baking soda
2 medium onions (10½ ounces/300 g total), finely chopped
A few sprigs cilantro and flat-leaf parsley tied together
1 cinnamon stick
Good pinch of saffron threads
4 whole cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
FOR THE TFAYA
5 large onions (2¼ pounds/1 kg total), halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
2 tablespoons smen, ghee, or unsalted butter
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar
Good pinch of saffron threads
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1⅓ cups (200 g) golden raisins, soaked for a couple of hours in cold water and drained
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
FOR THE GARNISH
⅔ cup (100 g) blanched almonds, toasted in a hot oven for 7 to 8 minutes until golden brown
1. To start the couscous: Prepare the couscous as in step 1 of Couscous with Seven Vegetables. Put the couscous in the top half of a couscoussière. (If you don’t have one, line with cheesecloth a metal colander that will fit over the pot you will use to cook the chicken in; the pot should be deep enough that the colander won’t touch the chicken.)
2. To start the chicken and broth: Put the chicken in the bottom half of the couscoussière (or in the large pot). Rinse and drain the chickpeas and add to the chicken together with the onions, herbs, and spices. Add 3 cups (750 ml) water and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the oil and cover. Let bubble gently for 30 minutes. Remove the cover, then place the top part of the couscoussière (or the colander) with the couscous in it on top of the pot, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken over in the broth.
3. Meanwhile, to make the tfaya: Combine the sliced onions, ½ cup (125 ml) water, the smen, sugar, and spices in a large skillet. Place over low heat and cook, stirring regularly, for about 30 minutes. Add the drained golden raisins and cook, stirring very regularly, for about 30 minutes longer, or until the onion has softened and become caramelized and there is no sauce to speak of in the pan. Add the orange blossom water and take off the heat. Keep warm.
4. After the couscous has steamed for 20 minutes, tip the couscous into a large bowl and sprinkle with ⅔ cup (160 ml) water, stirring with a wooden spoon as you sprinkle. Once all the water is incorporated, and there are no lumps, add the 2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter. Mix well. Cover the bowl and let sit to allow the couscous to fluff up.
5. Add salt to taste to the chicken—by then the chickpeas should have cooked and the salt will no longer harden their skin. Return the couscous to the couscoussière (or colander) and set over the chicken to steam for another 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Tip the couscous onto a large serving platter. Smooth the edges while raising them to make a pyramid, then make a large dip in the center for the chicken—you can press a soup plate in the middle of the couscous to make the dip.
7. Take the chicken out of the broth and cut into four pieces. Arrange these in the dip in the middle of the couscous. Use a slotted spoon to scoop out the chickpeas and spread them over the chicken. Spoon a little broth all over the chicken, then spread the tfaya over the chicken. Garnish with the toasted almonds and serve immediately with more broth on the side.
NOTE: Use the same weight in lamb shanks or 2¼ pounds (1 kg) stewing beef or veal cut into medium chunks. Allow a little more time to cook the meat than it takes for chicken.
Moroccan Couscous with Monkfish
KSEKSÛ BEL HÛT
MOROCCO
You find this couscous in coastal areas, prepared with whatever fish is available in the market. I like to use monkfish as it can take prolonged cooking unlike most other fish, but you can also cook the sauce up to three-quarters of the way before adding a more delicate fish.
SERVES 4 TO 6
Two 28-ounce (800 g) cans whole peeled Italian tomatoes
⅓ cup (80 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
1¾ pounds (800 g) monkfish tail, boned (keep the bone) and cut into 6 or 8 pieces
Unbleached all-purpose flour, for dredging
3 medium onions (1 pound/450 g total), halved lengthwise and cut into thin wedges
3 cloves garlic, minced to a fine paste
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ bunch flat-leaf parsley (2 ounces/50 g), most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1½ teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
Sea salt
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
Pinch of saffron threads
FOR THE COUSCOUS
2½ cups (500 g) couscous
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE DRESSING
A handful of fresh basil leaves
Sea salt
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1. Drain the tomatoes (reserve the juice for another use, which can be stored in a glass jar or bowl in the refrigerator, covered, for a couple of days), discard the seeds, and coarsely chop.
2. Pour the olive oil in the bottom half of the couscoussière. (If you don’t have one, u
se a large pot that can hold a metal colander for steaming the couscous in.) Place over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot—dip a piece of bread in it, if the oil immediately bubbles around it, it is ready—dip the monkfish pieces in flour and fry for 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a plate.
3. Sauté the onions in the same oil until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a minute or so, then add the chopped tomatoes together with the fish bone, the thyme leaves, parsley, cumin, paprika, and pepper flakes. Add 3 cups (750 ml) water and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then add the butter and saffron. Reduce the heat to medium and let bubble gently, uncovered, while you prepare the couscous.
4. Prepare the couscous as in step 1 of Couscous with Seven Vegetables. Put the couscous in the top half of the couscoussière (or a colander lined with cheesecloth). Set over the tomato sauce, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. Take the couscous off the heat and tip the couscous into a large bowl. Sprinkle with ⅔ cup (160 ml) water, stirring with a wooden spoon as you sprinkle. Once all the water is incorporated, and there are no lumps, add the 2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter. Mix well. Cover and allow to fluff up.
5. Stir the sauce and continue cooking it, covered, for another 15 minutes, or until it becomes quite thick. Then reduce the heat to low and add the fish. Return the couscous to the couscoussière (or colander), set over the sauce, cover, and steam for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until both the fish and couscous are done.
6. Meanwhile, make the dressing: Pound the basil leaves with a little sea salt in a mortar (if you don’t have a mortar, chop the basil leaves very finely) and add the olive oil. Mix well.
7. Tip the couscous into a large shallow serving bowl. Add the dressing and mix well. Arrange the couscous into the shape of a pyramid and flatten the top.
8. Remove the fish steaks from the tomato sauce and arrange over the couscous. Spoon a little tomato sauce over the fish and serve hot with more sauce on the side. You can spike the additional sauce with more pepper flakes if you like.
Tunisian Fish Couscous
TUNISIA
Many years ago in Tunisia, I visited a cooking school not far from Sidi Bou Said, a charming town overlooking the sea where the houses are white and blue, the same brilliant azure blue as the sea. It was an enchanting place, as was the restaurant of the cooking school, which overlooked the sea. We were served a fish couscous that was one of the best I have ever had, spicier than the Moroccan Couscous with Monkfish, with a thinner broth that was more like a soup. The couscous I had in the cooking school restaurant was fairly plain apart from it being quite spicy, and it was made with only fish whereas the one below has an added fruit element in the form of quince, making it very seasonal. The slightly sweet/sour quince adds an interesting note to the spicy tomato broth.
SERVES 4 TO 6
FOR THE COUSCOUS
2½ cups (500 g) fine or medium couscous (not instant)
Sea salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter, melted
FOR THE FISH BROTH
Sea salt
2¼ pounds (1 kg) sea bream or sea bass fillets
½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste, diluted in 1 cup (250 ml) water
½ cup (100 g) dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in plenty of cold water with ½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon Tunisian B’harat
1½ teaspoons cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons smen or unsalted butter
⅓ cup (50 g) golden raisins
1 large quince (7 ounces/200 g), peeled and cut into thick wedges
Harissa, for serving
1. To start the couscous: Prepare the couscous as in step 1 of Couscous with Seven Vegetables.
2. To make the fish broth: Lightly salt the fish and set aside. Put the oil in the bottom half of a couscoussière. (If you don’t have one, use a large pot that can hold a lined metal colander for steaming the couscous in.) Place over medium heat. Add the diluted tomato paste. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and add to the pot together with the b’harat, cayenne, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let bubble gently, covered, for about 15 minutes. Add 4 cups (1 liter) water, increase the heat to medium, and bring back to a boil.
3. Put the couscous in the top of the couscoussière (or a colander lined with cheesecloth) and place over the bubbling broth. Let steam gently for 20 minutes. Tip the couscous into a large bowl and sprinkle with ⅔ cup (160 ml) water, stirring with a wooden spoon as you sprinkle. Once all the water is incorporated, and there are no lumps, add the 2 tablespoons (30 g) melted butter. Mix well. Cover and allow to fluff up.
4. Add the smen to the broth, along with the raisins, quince, and fish. Add salt to taste. Return the couscous to the top of the couscoussière (or colander), set over the broth, cover, and steam for another 20 minutes.
5. Transfer the couscous to a shallow serving bowl and shape it into a pyramid. Flatten the top, making a dip in the center. With a slotted spoon, remove the fish, quince, chickpeas, and golden raisins from the broth and place in the dip in the center of the couscous. Spoon a little of the broth over the fish and put more broth in a medium bowl. Serve hot with the broth on the side and harissa for those who like it.
Lebanese Couscous with Chicken
MOGHRABBIYEH ‘ALA D’JAJ
LEBANON
Often wrongly called Israeli couscous, moghrabbiyeh, which means “North African” in Arabic, is the Lebanese version of the North African m’hammsa, which is the larger grain couscous. In Lebanon, you can buy moghrabbiyeh dried or you can buy it freshly made, but in the United States only the dried variety is available. Unlike the many variations of North African couscous, which is served either sweet or with different meats or vegetables, moghrabbiyeh is always prepared in the same way and the only variation is that some people serve it with both chicken and lamb, while others make it with only chicken. And in Tripoli, in the north of Lebanon, moghrabbiyeh is made into a sandwich, but only with chickpeas and baby onions. This version uses both chicken and lamb, but you can also make it with one or the other. If using only one type of meat, just under 4½ pounds (2 kg) is needed. The flavor will not change, except if you use lamb only, it will be more meaty.
SERVES 4 TO 6
1 whole chicken (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg)
10½ ounces (300 g) lamb meat from the shanks, cut into medium pieces
2 cinnamon sticks
Sea salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more as needed
16 baby onions, peeled (about 1 pound 2 ounces/500 g total)
2½ cups (500 g) dried moghrabbiyeh
4 tablespoons (60 g) unsalted butter
⅓ cup (75 g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1. Put the chicken in a large pot. Add 5¼ cups (1.25 liters) water. Put the lamb in a medium pot and add 2½ cups (625 ml) water. Place each pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. As the water is about to boil, skim any froth from the surface, then add 1 cinnamon stick and 1 tablespoon salt to the chicken and 1 cinnamon stick, 1½ teaspoons salt, and the ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon to the lamb. Reduce the heat to medium under both pots and let bubble gently for 1 hour. Fifteen minutes before the chicken is done, add the baby onions. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until both chicken and onions are tender.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot of boiling water, cook the moghrabbiyeh over medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain. Melt the butter in a large pot over low heat. Add the cooked moghrabbiyeh and sauté in the butter until well coated.
3. Add the chickpeas and about ½ cup (125 ml) chicken broth to the moghrabbiyeh and sauté over medium heat, stirring all the time. Keep adding a little more broth and cooking the moghrabbiyeh as if it were a risotto until it is done to your liking and most of the broth is absorbed.
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4. Drain the chicken and onions, collecting the broth in a medium bowl. Drain the lamb, discarding the broth or reserving it for another use stored in a covered glass jar or bowl in the freezer. Add the onions and lamb to the moghrabbiyeh. Mix carefully. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding the pepper and more cinnamon and salt if necessary.
5. Transfer the chicken to a carving board and cut into 4 or 8 pieces. Keep warm.
6. Transfer the moghrabbiyeh to a large serving platter. Arrange the chicken pieces on top. Serve hot with more broth on the side.
Spicy Noodles with Shrimp
MIE ACEH
INDONESIA
I visited Banda Aceh, the capital of the province of Aceh in Indonesia, during Ramadan, which was great on the one hand and not so on the other. Great because every afternoon takjil (Ramadan snacks) vendors would line designated streets to sell a whole range of snacks and drinks that people bought to break their fasts. Breaking the fast in Indonesia is called buka puasa or “opening the fast”—and unlike other Muslim countries that favor breaking the fast with dates or soup such as harira (Moroccan Chickpea and Lamb Soup), Indonesians like sweet or savory snacks that they buy from vendors or caterers rather than making them at home. Almost all the markets I went to were heaving with people buying either takjil or ready-made dishes to take home to break their fasts. Also, the restaurants I went to were absolutely packed for both buka puasa as well as later into the night. There was one amazing café that had excellent coffee—Indonesia is a country of serious coffee drinkers—and a noodle vendor stationed outside taking orders for noodles that he then sent to the tables. You could order the noodles with shrimp or crab and it was where I had the following recipe with crab. The version I give here is made with shrimp as it is simpler to prepare at home.