Best Marian Burross Couscous Recipes

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saute pan, add the shallots and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper, raise the heat to high and bring the stock to a boil. Off the heat and add the couscous. Cover the pan and let it sit for 10 minutes.
• Add the pignoli nuts and currants to the couscous, stir and serve.
• Place the chickens, onions, carrots, celery, parsnips, parsley, thyme, dill, garlic, salt, and peppercorns in a 16 to 20-quart stockpot with 7 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Skim the surface as needed. Simmer uncovered for 4 hours. Strain the entire contents of the pot through a colander, discarding the chicken and vegetables, and chill. Discard the hardened fat, and then pack the broth in quart containers.

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Make the spice blend: Toast the cinnamon stick, both peppercorns, cumin, coriander, allspice, cloves and cardamom in a small dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, 2 minutes; let cool. Grind in a spice grinder or mini food processor with the ginger, turmeric, cayenne, nutmeg and 1 teaspoon salt. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks; use leftover spice blend as a rub for meat or fish.
• Make the couscous: Heat the butter, 1 1/2 teaspoons spice blend and the saffron, if desired, in a large skillet over medium-high heat until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Add the couscous and stir until toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in the warm broth, remove from the heat, cover and set aside until the couscous is plump, about 7 minutes. Add the lemon juice and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon spice blend.

COUSCOUS WITH APRICOTS

Steps:

• Cut up apricots coarsely and combine with water. Follow package directions for proper amount of water.
• Add lemon juice and butter, stir and cover. Bring water to boil.
• When water boils stir in couscous and continue stirring until water boils again.
• Remove pot from heat, cover and allow to sit 2 or 3 minutes, until water is completely absorbed and couscous is tender.

PERFECT COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine the water or broth, olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous and immediately remove from the heat. Cover and let sit 5 minutes.
• Fluff the couscous thoroughly with a fork (the more you fluff, the more separate and light the grains will be). Season with salt and pepper. If you are making the couscous ahead, spread while hot on a baking sheet lined with parchment to stop the cooking as it cools. Once cool, refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.

COUSCOUS WITH VEGETABLES AND SALSA

Steps:

• Wash squash; cut in eighths.
• Peel potatoes and cut into large chunks. Steam squash and potatoes in steamer for 10 to 15 minutes.
• Remove tough stems from whole broccoli; cut whole broccoli or florets into bite-size pieces and add to squash and potatoes, and cook until tender.
• Mince garlic; mince jalapeno.
• Heat oil in nonstick skillet, and quickly saute garlic and jalapeno with cumin, coriander, fennel, cinnamon and cloves.
• Stir in tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, sugar, soy sauce and pepper, and simmer while the rest of the meal is prepared.
• Bring water to boil and cook couscous according to package directions.
• When vegetables are tender, drain; remove skin from squash and cut into bite-size pieces.
• When couscous is cooked, arrange in shallow serving bowl; top with vegetables and spoon the tomato salsa over the top. Serve with bread.

MEDITERRANEAN COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring stock to boil in covered pot. Add couscous, remove from heat and allow to sit for five minutes, until liquid has been absorbed.
• Whisk oil, vinegar, mustard and garlic in a serving bowl. Add orange zest, jalapenos, olives and capers, and mix well. Stir in the red pepper, zucchini, onion and fennel, and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the couscous.
• If not serving immediately, refrigerate without the tomatoes. No more than 30 minutes before serving, cut up the tomatoes and stir in.

COUSCOUS WITH THICK TOMATO VEGETABLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Saute onions and garlic in hot oil in a nonstick skillet until onions soften and begin to brown.
• Add peppers, carrots and mushrooms and continue cooking over medium heat for 15 minutes.
• Add tomato puree, oregano, basil and water and cook over low heat for about 15 minutes longer, until flavors are well blended.
• Meanwhile, cook couscous, following directions on package. To serve, pour the sauce over the couscous.

TRADITIONAL NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS (THE REAL WAY!)

Steps:

• Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic & place it in a large heavy bottomed pan with the meat or chicken, ras el hanout & a little olive oil. Fry gently to seal the meat/chicken. I use my pressure cooker pr large cast iron casserole for this.
• Chop the carrot, parsnip and courgette into 6ths. Cut the potato into 1/4's and roughly chop the swede. Chop khourchef or celery into roughly same size as carrot. (Peel the carrots, potato, parsnip and swede).
• Add the vegetables to the meat along with 1L of water and turn up heat so they begin simmering. If using the chilli add it now, along with salt and pepper. If cooking in a regular pan then cook for 40 minutes like this. If using the pressure cooker as I do then 20 minutes will be enough.
• Add the tomatoes, chick peas and dried mint and 1/2L more water or enough to create a 'stew' consistency.
• Return to heat and cook in pan for further 30 minutes and if using pressure cooker then cook on med to high for a further 25 minutes.
• Take a 500g pack of medium couscous and pour into a gas'a if you have one. If not find the biggest bowl you have. Pick out any 'bits' and sprinkle water - about 50mls and a tsp of salt over the couscous and using your hand rub 1/2 tsp of oil through the couscous to stop it sticking. Fill a couscousier or steamer half full with the couscous (as it swells).
• When you 1st notice steam coming from the couscous, count 10 minutes. After that remove from the steamer, place in gas'a and use your hands to 'open' the couscous (rub it together between hands to remove clumps). This is very hot and you need to keep wetting you hand with cold water and sprinkling a little on the couscous.
• Return to steamer when thoroughly opened. Repeat process of steaming and opening twice more.
• Finally remove from steamer and place back in gas'a. Open for final time and rub a tbsp of ghee or smen into the couscous along with 2tsp of butter or margarine. Add salt to taste.
• Serve the couscous in the gas'a with sauce on top as traditional style or in tagine etc. Usually we place the meat/chicken in place - 1 for each guest and decorate the couscous with the veg before ladling some of the sauce over the top.
• If you used the chilli, put it on a plate and let people help themselves to it!

COUSCOUS, PORK AND APRICOTS

Steps:

• Chop whole onion; saute in very hot nonstick pan in olive oil over medium-high heat, until onions begin to brown.
• Meanwhile, wash, trim and dry mushrooms and add to onion when it begins to brown.
• Wash, dry and cut pork into small cubes; add to onion and mushrooms as they cook and brown on all sides.
• Following package directions on couscous, bring the appropriate amount of water to boil.
• Finely grate lemon and orange rinds; cut up apricots.
• Add couscous to boiling water with lemon and orange rinds; cover pot and allow couscous to sit until the water has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
• Add cumin and red pepper flakes to pork mixture and stir well. Stir in apricots, tomato paste and orange juice; reduce heat to low and continue cooking.
• Wash, dry and mince parsley.
• Stir cooked couscous into pork mixture; season with salt and sprinkle with parsley.

FRAGRANT CITRUS COUSCOUS WITH PORK

Steps:

• Preheat broiler, or prepare top-of-the-stove grill.
• Wash, dry, trim and slice the mushrooms; chop the whole onion.
• Heat oil in large nonstick pot, and saute mushrooms and onions in hot oil to soften.
• Cut tenderloin into 1/4-inch-thick pieces, and rub each side with 2 teaspoons of the cumin and a sprinkling of the cayenne. Broil or grill until brown on both sides, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, grate lemon and orange rind; chop apricots.
• Follow package directions for making couscous. Add water to onions and mushrooms; bring to boil. Stir in couscous, lemon and orange rind, apricots, remaining cumin and cayenne; cover, and turn off heat.
• Cut cooked pork into bite-size pieces, and stir into couscous.
• Wash, dry and chop parsley and mint; wash, trim and chop tomato. When cosucous is done, add parsley, mint and tomato. Season with salt and serve.