easy couscous recipe?

[cclr 6]

Hi, I told my husband I would try to make him couscous, all the recipes I have found seem to call for an ingredient I can't find at my local supermarket here in the US. Does anyone have a fairly easy recipe for couscous that has ingredients that can be found easily here in the US. I want to preferably make it with beef. All recipes and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks:)

[iawait 9]

Ingredients

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cup chopped shallots
3 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, recipe follows, or canned broth
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup pignoli nuts, toasted
1/4 cup currants

Directions

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.

Homemade Chicken Stock:

3 (5-pound) chickens

3 large onions, unpeeled and quartered

6 carrots, unpeeled and halved

4 celery stalks with leaves, cut in thirds

4 parsnips, unpeeled and cut in 1/2, optional

20 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley

15 sprigs fresh thyme

20 sprigs fresh dill

1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 crosswise

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

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.

Yield: 6 quarts

Recipe from foodnetwork

[r9dblanco 1]

Delicious

[Faycel and Renee 30]

Sounds Yummy !

[momof1 205]

What part of Algeria is he from? In Alger the eat couscouse with " sauce blanche" while thèy eat it with a red sauce elsewhere. I can translate some recipes from French if you tell me which style he likes. We often eat a savory mesfouf which is couscous with butter, fresh steamed peas and sometimes fava beans. I have a stash pf french language algerian and north african cookbooks. I also follow a few algerian cooking blogs.

[momof1 205]

What part of Algeria is he from? In Alger the eat couscouse with " sauce blanche" while thèy eat it with a red sauce elsewhere. I can translate some recipes from French if you tell me which style he likes. We often eat a savory mesfouf which is couscous with butter, fresh steamed peas and sometimes fava beans. I have a stash pf french language algerian and north african cookbooks. I also follow a few algerian cooking blogs.

We have bbq's almost every weekend in the summer with some of thr Algerian community here in the twin cities. If you,d like we can get in touch then. There are quite a few who are married to American women like us.

[Henia 11]

Algerian couscous is different then Moroccan or other styles. The recipe above, while nice isn't Algerian couscous. Algerian couscous is as Momof1 said white or red sauce. You have mesfouf which is just couscous with fruit or vegetable, eaten with buttermilk or you have couscous with a sauce (white or red) white meaning it's only black pepper and cinnamon. red sauce being pepper, tomato, paprika and cinnamon and sometimes ras el hanont. I'm happy to help with Algerian recipes if you need.

easy recipe for you ...

-500g-1lb lamb or beef (or even chicken cut up=

-2 Zucchini peeled and cut into half-sections.

-2 Carrots, peeled and cut into half-sections.

-1 White turnip, peeled and cut into half-sections.

-2 Potatoes peeled and cut into half land-sections.

-2tomatoes, grated

-2 onions, chopped

-1 Handful of precooked chickpeas.

-1tsp paprika.

1 tsp cinnamon

-1 tsp white pepper.

-salt.

-1 / 2 tsp turmeric.

1 tsp concentrated tomato paste

-water or stock

optional hot pepper, cayenne ,harissa

-For the couscous:

-1 Kg of couscous

salted butter or oil

-salt.

-water.

- In a pressure cooker put the meat all vegetables except zucchini and potatoes and spices to the tomato concentrate and water to cover the meat and vegetables . Optionally do this in a slow cooker or regular pot. Just the cooking time will be different.

- Close the pressure cooker and around 25 minutes after the whistle, open the pressure cooker add the zucchini and potatoes then cook for additional 30m until the sauce is thickened.

Meanwhile , prepare your couscous grains

Pour the couscous into a large bowl , coat the grains with oil and salt. Then add enough water to cover. Allow the water to absorb the grains. fill the bottom of the steamer with water about 2 liters -2qt

- Place the steamer basket above the boiling water (bottom of the couscousier) Steam the couscous for about 15m.

- Pour the couscous into a large bowl, fork to seperate the grains; salt and add better.

- let cool for at least 5 min and put in the basket and repeat the same steps above to steam again for 10m.

some people steam the couscous 3times or even 4times, but for a beginner the method I'm sharing is easy.

when the couscous is done, pile onto a plate in a dome shape. arrange the veg and meat on top. ladle the sauce on top before serving. plus serve more sauce on the side.

enjoy!