I love cooking almost as much as I love eating, and even though the temperatures reached 90°F this afternoon, I decided to cook the following recipe, taken from Sheila Lukins's All Around The World Cookbook. I first tried this ten years ago (I know because I wrote "Summer '94" next to the recipe). It has remained a favorite. It's a vegetarian dish, but trust me, you won't miss the meat. If you do decide to throw some in there, lamb and chicken work great. Here is the recipe as printed. I usually adapt it to what I have on hand.
Seven Vegetable Couscous by Sheila Lukins (Serves 6 to 8)
6 medium leeks
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3 quarts defatted chicken or vegetable broth
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 large fresh cilantro sprigs, rinsed, roots and stems crushed
8 cloves garlic, lightly bruised and peeled
3 cinnamon sticks, each 3 inches long
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons good curry powder
1/4 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
1 teaspoon coarse salt
2 medium zucchini, ends trimmed
6 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and cut into 2-inch lengths
3 Idaho potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
8 ounces small white turnips, peeled and quartered
3 small yellow onions, peeled and halved
3 ripe large tomatoes, cored and quartered
1 16-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 cup pitted prunes, halved
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
8 cups cooked couscous (2 2/3 cups dried), hot. Prepare according to package directions.
(Okay, I'm already tired of typing, so here is where I start to abbreviate).
1. Clean the leeks by trimming the roots and cutting an X through the bulb. Let them soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of water with the vinegar added. Drain and rinse.
2. While the leeks are soaking, prepare the seasoned broth: this means putting all the ingredients from the broth through to the salt in a pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Place the leeks, carrots, potatoes, turnips and onions in the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for 30 minutes.
4. During the simmering, cut the zucchini into fairly large chunks. To make it look pretty you can use a peeler to remove some of its skin at intervals, you know, to make a stripy zuke.
5. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, chickpeas, prunes and raisins. Stir gently so as not to break up the vegetables. Simmer 30 minutes longer.
6. Just before serving, gently heat the vegetables and broth through. Stir in 3 tablespoons of the cilantro.
7. Spoon the cooked couscous into shallow bowls and top with vegetables and broth. Garnish with the remaining cilantro.
Alison's comments: I have subbed celery for the leeks, added red bell peppers, left out the turnips, forgotten the cilantro....basically, the only time I followed the recipe was the first time I made it. It turns out great every time. Oh, we like to add harissa to the broth once it's served in bowls. That way those who want a little heat can have some.
My daughter just suggested that I have a special place on my blog for recipes. Smart kid. I'd already thought of that, and I might cook up a Food section. No pun intended.
Bon appetit!
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