Conference turris::cooks

    Steamed semolina.  Generally accompanied with veggies and or meat.
    You can make a big project out of cooking them together, etc.
    That is, not quite together, but in the same pot....  See any North
    African cookbook.
    

What do you serve with couscous? I'm looking for ideas for stews, etc
to go with couscous. Something that is vegetarian or has very little meat.

anything that you'd serve on a bed of rice would probably be good served over 
couscous ... i've done a couple of chicken dishes this way, with sauces
ranging from tarragon cream sauce to tomato-with-lots-of-basil sauce, and
it's always been delicious. i'd imagine that eggplant in tomato sauce could
be served over couscous, or similar veggie dishes.

    How about buying a Middle Eastern or North African cookbook: "A
    Taste of Morocco", "The Moroccan Cookbook", "The World of Arab
    Cookery", "The Middle East Cookbook", etc. for a jillion couscous
    recipes.
    

    
    
     rep. 7
    
      Look at 963.* and 249.* you'll find what you want.
    
    
    
    	-mike
    

    I buy cous cous all the time.  It is sold in most groceries store.
    The name brand is Near East.  They are a local company from Leominster
    and they make several brands of Middle eastern wheats, rices and
    starches.

COUSCOUS RECIPE



Spread 2 pounds of couscous on a tray and sprinkle with enough water
to moisten them.  Rake through the couscous with your fingers until
all are moistened.  Let sit for about 15 minutes, then rake through
them again.  Continue sprinkling with water and rubbing the pellets
between your palms until all are saturated and have doubled in size.

Drain 1 cup chick peas that have soaked in water overnight, and
simmer them in fresh water for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until they are
tender.  Drain and setr aside.  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.

Fill the bottom section of a couscoussier about halfway with cold
water and drop in the prepared meat, vegetables and coriander leaves.
Add a pinch each of ground saffron and cinnamon, and stir in a
teaspoon or two of harissa sauce.  [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.]

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.
Heap the couscous lightly in the top section of the couscoussier.  
Set the top section on the lower one and cover the couscoussier with 
its lid.

Raise the heat so the liquid boils and produces steam to cook the
couscous.  After about 30 minutes, the pellets will lump together.
To separate them, 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 pellet with your
fingers to break up any lumps.  Set aside.

Peel and slice 1 pound of pumpkin into chunks.  Cook them separately
as not to over cook them.  Put the pumpkin chunks into a small pan
and cover them with liquid ladled from the stew.  Set pan aside.

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.  Add these vegetables to the stew.

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.
Meanwhile, simmer the pumpkin gently for 10 to 15 minutes until tender.

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 harissa sauce.