Name: Moroccan Vegetable Couscous
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 65 min
Total time: 90 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Moroccan
Ingredients: 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil, divided; 1 large yellow onion, sliced; 3 ripe tomatoes, 2 grated, 1 diced for garnish; 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger; 1 tsp ground turmeric; 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper; 1 pinch saffron threads, crumbled; 6 cups vegetable stock; 1/2 bunch each cilantro and parsley, tied with string, plus chopped parsley for garnish; 4 carrots, halved lengthwise; 1/2 small green cabbage, cut into 4 wedges through the core; 1 1/2 lb pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into large wedges; 1 1/2 cups shelled fava beans, fresh or frozen; 2 cups dry couscous; to taste salt

Moroccan Vegetable Couscous

4.7 from 621 home cooks Free

Fluffy couscous under a heap of vegetables simmered in a saffron, ginger and turmeric broth: cabbage, pumpkin, carrots, fava beans and fresh tomato. It is the generous Friday platter of many Moroccan homes, made for sharing, with extra fragrant broth poured on at the table.

Prep

25 min

Cook

1 hr 5 min

Total

1 hr 30 min

Serves

Level

Medium

Cuisine

Moroccan

Method

Step 1: In a large, wide pot, heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat and cook the onion 8 minutes until soft. Add the grated tomatoes, ginger, turmeric, pepper and saffron and cook 3 minutes, until the oil turns deep gold and the spices lose their raw smell.
Step 2: Pour in the stock, add the herb bundle and 1 1/2 tsp salt, and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and cabbage wedges, cover, and simmer 25 minutes.
Step 3: Lay the pumpkin wedges on top and add the fava beans, then cover and simmer 20 minutes more, until the pumpkin is just tender. Adding vegetables in order of density means everything finishes together and the squash never slumps into mush.
Step 4: While the vegetables finish, put the couscous in a wide bowl, rub in the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and 1/2 tsp salt, and pour over 2 1/4 cups of the simmering broth. Cover tightly and leave for 10 minutes.
Step 5: Fluff the couscous with a fork, then rub the grains between your palms to break up every clump until it looks light and sandy. For an even airier texture, steam it over the pot in a cloth-lined colander for 10 minutes.
Step 6: Mound the couscous on a large platter and make a well in the center. Arrange the cabbage, carrots and pumpkin over and around it, spoon on the fava beans, and scatter with the diced tomato and chopped parsley.
Step 7: Discard the herb bundle, taste the remaining broth for salt, and bring it to the table in a pitcher so everyone can moisten their couscous as they like.