Couscous with Meat and Vegetables

I grew up enjoying a multitude of fantastic foods, courtesy of my father, a gourmet (et aussi un gourmand!) chef. One of my favorite dishes was a sweet, salty, spicy dish called “un couscous”. Meat, usually chicken, stewed in a spicy Tunisian hot chili sauce called harissa, and served over couscous grain liberally tossed with sweet raisins. The combination of flavors was addictive. When I moved to the States, I made certain that I brought with me a tube of harissa paste so that I could continue to enjoy that dish. Couscous originated in North Africa centuries ago and is now eaten worldwide. The grain “couscous” is made from semolina which is moistened and rolled by hand to make small pellets. “Un Couscous”, a singular couscous, is an entire dish which consists of the meat or vegetable stew served over the couscous grain. The recipe I grew up enjoying has its roots in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria and is considered one of the national dishes of France.

This dish can be prepared with any number of proteins and vegetables. My favorite includes chicken and merguez (spicy lamb sausage) with carrots, turnips, and chickpeas.

Ingredients
2 tblsp olive oil
1 lb fresh merguez sausage, pricked with a fork.
2 lb lamb pieces (with bone)
10 chicken legs
2 large red onions, coarsely chopped
1/3 c chopped parsley
1/3 c cilantro
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp saffron thread, crumbled
1 ½ qt chicken or vegetable stock
2 tblsp Harissa (or to taste)
3 tblsp Tomato paste
6 carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 3 inch strips
3 small turnips, cubed
Salt and pepper to taste
2 lb couscous
2 tblsp unsalted butter
1 c cooked chickpeas
1 c golden raisins, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes and drained


Directions
Saute merguez over medium heat, turning with tongs, until well browned and cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove the sausage, cut into 1-inch lengths and reserve. Add the chicken and lamb to the pot in batches, browning (10 minutes). Remove the lamb/chicken.

Stir in the onions, parsley, cilantro, ginger, saffron, and cook, stirring up the brown bits until the onions are soften and lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Return the lamb and the chicken (not the sausage) to the pot, add 5 cups of stock, harissa, and tomato paste, and cook, stirring occasionally for 1 hour, or until the lamb is tender.

Add carrots, turnips and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Add the reserved merguez and chickpeas to the pot, cook for 10 more minutes, then taste stew for seasoning.

Cook couscous per package instructions. Add butter and the raisins to the couscous and mix.
Arrange the couscous piled high on a large platter. Top with the solid contents of the stew pot, arranged decoratively. Drizzle with a little of liquid broth mixture and serve immediately. Pass the remaining broth mixture as a sauce.