Couscous à-la Maroccaine

The classic North African dish uses couscous made of semolina. Semolina comes from 'hard' or durum wheat which, after milling, leaves small hard grains. Couscous is cooked by steaming over the sauce in a couscousiere, but you can get by with putting the couscous in a sieve, and sitting this above the cooking vegetables in a saucepan, with a lid on top2. Apparently the name is onomatop2oeic, from the rushing sound of the escaping steam. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup garbanzos/chickpeas, cooked (keep the water) 

• 1/2 cup white cabbage, finely sliced 

• 1 onion, chopped 

• 1 cup turnip, chopped (optional) 

• 1 carrot, sliced 

• 3 cloves 

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

• 1 teaspoon paprika 

• 2 zucchini/courgettes, sliced 

• 1 eggplant/aubergine, chopped 

• 4 tomatoes, cut into quarters 

• 1/2 cup sultanas or raisins 

• 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro/coriander leaves, chopped 

• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder 

• 1/4 cup tomato juice 

• 1/2 lb. couscous 

• 1 tablespoon margarine or oil 

• salt and pepper

About The Author

The above was excerpted with permission from "The World In Your Kitchen" (out of print) by Troth Wells, ©1993, published by The Crossing Press, P.O. Box 1048, Freedom CA 95019.