Berber Couscous With Seven Vegetables

• --FOR THE GRAIN--
• 5 cups couscous
• 5 cups warm water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 tablespoons butter -- or more oil
• --FOR THE STEW--
• 3 pounds lamb, cubed -- *see note
• 2 large onion -- cut in slices
• 1 1/4 cups chickpeas -- soak overnight
• 3 tablespoons sunflower oil
• pepper -- to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• salt -- to taste
• 5 whole tomatoes -- quartered
• 1 pound carrots -- cut in half
• 1 pound turnips -- peeled & quartered
• 1 small cabbage -- cut into 2" chunks
• 1 pound zucchini -- cut into 2" chunks
• 1/2 pound fava beans -- shelled
• 2 each fennel bulbs -- quartered
• 1 pound pumpkin cubes -- peeled
• 1/2 pound eggplant -- cut in pieces
• 2 each bell peppers -- cut in ribbons
• 2 each chili peppers
• 1 cup cilantro -- chopped
• 1 cup Italian parsley -- chopped
• 2 teaspoons harissa (moroccan red pepper sauce) -- or to taste

1. Put the couscous in a wide oven dish so that the grains are not squashed
2. on top of each other. Gradually add the warm salted water, stirring all
3. the time so that it is absorbed evenly. Keep fluffing up the grain with a
4. fork and breaking up any lumps (as the grains stick together). After about
5. 10-15 minutes, when the grain is plump and tender, mix in the vegetable
6. oil and rub the grain between your hands above the bowl, to air it and
7. break up any lumps.
8. Put the meats in a large pan with the onions and the drained chickpeas.
9. If you are using canned ones, leave them out now and put them in towards
10. the end of the cooking. Cover with about 3 quarts water, add the oil,
11. pepper and saffron, and simmer, covered, for 1 hour. Add salt, the
12. tomatoes, carrots and turnips, and cook for 1/2 hour more, or until the
13. meats are very tender.
14. Add the remaining ingredients except the harissa and more water--you need
15. to have plenty of broth--and cook a further 1/2 hour.
16. Make a hot, peppery sauce to accompany. Take 3 ladles of broth from the
17. stew and stir in the harissa or 2 tablespoons paprika and 1 teaspoon
18. ground chili pepper, or more to taste--enough to make it very strong and
19. fiery.
20. Put the couscous, uncovered, in a preheated 400 degree F. oven and heat
21. through for 15-20 minutes, until very hot.
22. To serve, pile the couscous onto a large round dish. Add butter or more
23. oil and work it into the grain as it melts. Shape it into a mound with a
24. pit or crater at the top. Arrange the meat at the top and the vegetables
25. down the sides, and pour a little broth all over.
26. Serve the broth in a separate bowl. Pass the broth and the hot, peppery
27. sauce round for people to help themselves.
28. A French way of serving is to present the couscous separately, and the
29. meat and vegetables with the broth in a large bowl.

couscous, water, salt, vegetable oil, butter, stew, lamb, onion, chickpeas soak overnight, sunflower oil, pepper, saffron threads, salt, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage, zucchini, beans, fennel bulbs, bell peppers, chili peppers, cilantro, italian parsley, moroccan red pepper sauce

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/berber-couscous-with-seven-vegetables-50086111 (may not work)