Tunisia: Lamb and Artichoke Couscous with Mint-kissed Cucumber Salad

 

Tunisia is the northern most country in Africa. With a fertile Mediterranean Sea coast in its north, an eco-region of African woodlands and forested mountains, and its toes firmly in the sand of the Sahara Desert in the South, this tiny country packs a lot into a small space. It shares African land borders with Libya to the south-east and Algeria to the south-west and west.

 

Tunisian cuisine is a rich culinary adventure that combines the best of the flavours and food traditions of North Africa, the Mediterranean, France, Italy and the Middle East.  Laced with fresh herbs and distinctive spices, Tunisian food is relatively spicy compared to other North African cuisines. Key ingredients include olives, tomatoes, lamb, legumes, garlic, cumin, caraway, coriander, citrus and fruits such as dates. Couscous is the national dish of Tunisia. it can be prepared in many ways and we offer a few alternatives here. 

  

Our 

Tunisian

menu included

 

Lamb and Artichoke Couscous

with

Mint-Kissed Cucumber  Salad

served with crusty baguette 

 

LAMB AND ARTICHOKE COUSCOUS

INGREDIENTS:

·      I kg Lamb Shoulder with the bone-in cut in 4 cm cubes or 1 forequarter Lamb Chop per person cut in half

·      2 cups marinated artichoke hearts cut in half

·      2 cups frozen peas, defrosted

·      1 sweet onion, peeled and thinly sliced

·      11/2 tsp salt

·      ¼ tsp ground black pepper

·      1 medium carrot, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice

·      3 tbs olive oil

·      1 large bunch fresh parsley, washed and finely chopped

·      2 large tomatoes, chopped or 1 can diced tomatoes

·      2 tsp paprika

·      1 tsp chilli flakes/powder optional

·      ½ tsp turmeric

·      1 pinch saffron, about 10 strands

·      8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced in half

·      2 cups vegetable stock

·      2 sprigs fresh rosemary

·      3 tsp Ras-el-hanout spice mix or follow spice recipe below

 

METHOD:

1.    Make a mixture of 2 tbs olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and all the dry herbs and spices (except the saffron threads – it is rare and costly so add it into the pot later so you don’t lose any in the marinating bowl)

2.    Marinate the lamb pieces in the mix until all sides are coated

3.    Take the bottom part of your cooking pot ( see explanations below about the pot at the instructions for TUNISIAN COUSCOUS)

4.    Add 1 tbs olive oil to the hot and heat on top of your stove/fire

5.    sear the meat until it is browned on all sides, about 5 mins then remove the meat from the pot and set aside

6.    Now turn the heat back a little and sauté the onions gently until they are translucent. If necessary add a bit more oil

7.    Add the tomatoes and cook with the onion to begin making the base sauce, stirring often with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes

8.    Sprinkle  the saffron threads into the sauce

9.    Add the lamb back into the pot and mix everything together and bring back to a simmer

10.         Add 1 cup of stock and the rosemary and stir as it simmers to finalise the stew sauce base

11.         Taste the sauce and if needs bee add a bit more salt now

12.         Reduce the heat to medium and if you are cooking couscous above the pot its now time to put the steamer on (see recipe below)

13.         cover the pot and simmer gently for 20 minutes then stir in the carrots

14.         Keep cooking for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and if the pot seems to get too dry ad a bit more stock or water

15.         After the 30 minutes add in the artichokes and peas, stir, bring back to the boil then simmer for 5 mins

16.         Add the fresh parsley, stir and cook for a further minute

17.         Now the Lamb and the couscous should be both cooked perfectly. The lamb will be very hot so allow it to cool a little before serving

 

this is a Q-zine original recipe informed by several sourced from:

https://jewishfoodexperience.com/recipes/market-jelena-pea-artichoke-stew-lamb/

http://everydayvegancooking.com/2014/09/peas-and-artichokes-stew-tunisian-recipe.html

https://www.food.com/recipe/tunisian-tagine-of-lamb-with-artichoke-and-peas-78868

https://food52.com/recipes/75570-tunisian-lamb-stew-koucha

https://medmunch.com/tunisian-food/

 

 

RAS EL HANOUT SPICE MIX 

½ tsp caraway seed powder or crushed

½ tsp fennel seed powder or crushed

½ tsp cumin powder

½ tsp coriander seed powder

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp crushed cardamom pod

 

this is a Q-zine original spice mix recipe informed by several sourced from:

https://www.ourtunisiantable.com/home/2016/10/22/tunisian-makrouna-recipe

https://food52.com/recipes/75570-tunisian-lamb-stew-koucha

https://medmunch.com/tunisian-food/

 

 

TUNISIAN COUSCOUS

Couscous looks like a  type of whole grain,  but it is actually a tiny pasta. In the Maghreb region of North-West Africa couscous is cooked in the top part of a double boiler pot called a kiska:s in Arabic or a couscoussière in French. The bottom part of the pot usually holds a rich stew and the  simmering vapours  from the bottom pot rise up to steam, flavour and cook  the couscous above. Having said that, you can also steam the couscous over salted water. If you don’t have a couscousièreyou can use a medium to large cooking pot topped with a vegetable steamer or even a large, fine-holed metal sieve in the top of a stock pot. If  your sieve/steamer has large holes you can  line it with cheese cloth or a tea towel to stop the couscous falling through into the sauce below. 

 

 

INGREDIENTS:  

·      1cup dry Couscous (do not use instant couscous) 

·      6 tbsp of olive oil 

·      2 heaped tsp salt 

 

METHOD:

1.    Once the stew in the ‘bottom’ pot is bubbling and about 1 hour off being finished it is time to begin preparing the couscous 

2.    Before you steam the couscous, you must wet it. This ensures it will swell the proper amount. 

3.    Put the dry couscous into a large shallow bowl and mix with the salt

4.    Add  the olive oil to the bowl and stir, toss and rub the couscous with your hands to evenly distribute the oil. Like the cooking of pasta in a pot of water with a splash of oil, the oil will help to  prevent the couscous from clumping, allowing each grain to remain separate as it steams

5.    Pour a cup of hot water onto the couscous then rub and toss the couscous between your hands until the water is evenly distributed

6.    The couscous will already be plumping up, but it needs to steam  for about 45 minutes in order to become tender - actually, the couscous will be steamed 3 times for 15 minutes each

7.    Put the couscous loosely into the ‘upper part’ of the couscousière. – don’t pack it in tightly as that may cause the couscous to cook unevenly

8.    Give the stew a stir in the bottom pot,  turn the heat to medium, put the ‘top’ over the simmering ‘bottom’ and cover the top with a tight fitting lid. If the lid is not tight enough to create a good steaming seal cover the top and edge of the lid with  aluminium foil to make a good seal

9.    steam the couscous for 15 minutes then remove the top, stir the bottom stew and stir the couscous. If the couscous seems dry stir in some more hot water, possibly a cup

10.         repeat steps 7 and 8 twice more, monitoring the temperature in the bottom pot to give enough heat to steam the pot and keep the bottom cooking without burning

11.         Serve the couscous topped with the  meat/vegetable stew 

 

This is a Q-Zine original recipe adapted from originals found at:

https://homade.recipes/235-how-to-cook-tasty-tunisian-couscous-my-way-vegan/

https://www.thespruceeats.com/steam-couscous-in-a-couscoussier-2395011

https://forward.com/food/452234/my-aunts-tunisian-couscous-with-beef-i-tweetyourshabbat/

 

 

MINT-KISSED CUCUMBER  SALAD

note: it is traditional to serve this salad with crusty baguette 

 

INGREDIENTS:

·      I medium to large cucumber diced (and peeled if you prefer)

·      4-6 ripe tomatoes, diced

·      ½ red onion, peeled and diced

·      2 tbs marinated, pitted black olives

·      1 red apple, cored and diced (optional)

·      ¼ bunch fresh mint, washed and chopped

·      ½ bunch fresh parsley, washed and chopped

·      2 tbs lemon juice

·      1 tbs apple cider vinegar

·      3 tbs olive oil

·      salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

 

METHOD:

1.    Put the lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper in a jar, screw on the lid and shake vigorously to make a vinaigrette dressing

2.    Taste test the dressing and then, if needed, adjust the flavour by adding more of any of the 5 ingredients to your taste preference

3.    You can prepare the dressing ahead of time but this salad is best made quite close to when it is served as this ensures the cucumber stays crunchy

4.    When ready, mix the cucumber, tomatoes, onion and apples in a bowl

5.    Give the dressing in the jar a good shake and pour it over the vegetables

6.    Toss the salad together

7.    When you are ready to serve sprinkle the fresh chopped mint and parsley over the salad and give it another light toss 

 

This is a Q-Zine original recipe adapted from originals found at:

https://medmunch.com/tunisian-food/

https://www.ourtunisiantable.com/home/2017/5/21/tunisian-cucumber-salad

https://twotwistedsisters.blog/recipe/tunsian-cucumber-salad/

 

Note: Photo used under Fair Use Laws from: 

https://food52.com/recipes/75570-tunisian-lamb-stew-koucha