October 27, 2015

Moroccan Couscous of Fall Vegetables

Natacha Sanz Caballero Rice, Grains and Pasta, Vegetables butternut squash, couscous, fall vegetables, moroccan, moroccan couscous, spices, sweet potato, winter vegetables

When I set out to write this blog, my idea was to post the Spanish recipes I grew up with. Most of them are the traditional dishes cooked in the Valencian Community, or in Andalusia, the regions where my parents come from, and the dishes most made at my house. However, as I also mentioned in the ABOUT section of this blog, our household cuisine also had foreign influences. One of these was the cuisine of Morocco, a country, particularly the northernmost part of it, that I visited often in my youth and childhood. One of my mom’s sisters lived in that region for decades. Her husband Paco was, until his retirement, the director of the harbors of Ceuta and Algeciras, the first being a Spanish city located on the northernmost point of the territory of Morocco, the second one located in one of the the southernmost tips of Spain, and the gateway to Gibraltar, a British colony in Spain’s territory —I know, this complicated geography might not make much sense, and its politics are even more complicated.

Ferries cross from one city to the other, from Ceuta to Algeciras and vice versa, many times a day, and this is one of the trips I did with my parents and sisters very often. Seventeen kilometers of the Straight of Gibraltar, which we crossed with our car, in the ferry, entertained by the frequent sighting of dolphins playing.

The moment we set foot in Ceuta, even though it is a Spanish city, we knew we were in a different country. The sight of many men in their djellabas —the typical hooded gowns worn by men in North Africa—, and the smells in the streets, would transport us to a different place. This was also true the moment we stepped into my aunt and uncle’s house. Clad in white inside and outside, the white slipcovers on the sofas, contrasted with the colorful moroccan ottomans and side tables, and teatime of mint tea, but particularly, the smell of spices coming out of the kitchen, took us to a very different culture.

I have to say (and I hope she doesn’t mind), my aunt didn’t care much about cooking, so while some people employ someone to help with household cleaning, my aunt employed a cook. Always a Moroccan lady, that brought the flavors of her country to my aunt’s house. Needless to say, my mom walked away with many recipes from the days spent at her sister’s house in Ceuta, and with loads of spices from the markets.

My aunt now lives on the peninsula (the Iberian, that is), and doesn’t employ a Moroccan cook anymore, but those recipes have stayed in the family. However, as a Spaniard, even if you hadn’t had any contact with Morocco, the Muslim influences in much of Spanish cooking is very evident, particularly in Andalusia.

For the past few years I have seen couscous becoming more common in American kitchens. This is fabulous, because together with many other grains that have become more commonplace because of their healthy properties, it is now easy to find couscous at the supermarkets.

The recipe I’m sharing today, Moroccan Couscous of Fall Vegetables, uses many roots and vegetables you can find at this time of year, because they’re in season, but don’t be surprised to see more recipes for couscous in this blog as the seasons change. In Spain, we’d have couscous with lamb, which is a very popular meat, while here in America I serve it with many kinds of meats, and specially with fish. Moroccan Couscous of Fall Vegetables could be eaten as a lunch dish as well, in which case I’d serve it over a leaf of butter lettuce.

You might wonder, also, as you look at the photos… Yes, I forgot to include the butternut squash in my couscous! No matter, it turned out just as good. Which tells you you can’t go wrong if you decide to include a parsnip or two…

 

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS OF FALL VEGETABLES

Cuscús Marroquí de Verduras de Otoño

Ingredients:

4 thin carrots

3 small sweet potatoes

1 small butternut squash

3 medium shallots

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 bay leaf

1 cup water

Salt to taste

Peel of 1 lemon, finely grated

1 1/2 cups plain couscous

2 cups water

1 pinch saffron threads

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs flat leaf parsley

 

Peel and cut the carrots, sweet potatoes and butternut squash into 1 inch pieces.

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, ground ginger, red pepper flakes and pepper. Add this mixture to the bowl containing the cut vegetables. Add the grated lemon peel and mix well. Season with salt to taste and spread on an oven proof tray or cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until tender.

Remove from the oven and stir 1 cup of water into the roasted vegetables. Spread the cherries and the bay leaf over the vegetables and roast for another 10 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, heat the 2 cups water and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a boil. Remove from the heat, add the saffron threads and a pinch of salt and stir until dissolved. Add the couscous, stir and cover for about 10 minutes. Uncover, fluff with a fork and keep warm.

To serve, spoon the roasted vegetables and their juices over the couscous, and garnish with chopped flat leaf parsley.