Couscous
In couscous, the meat and vegetable mixture is rather long to cook, but not difficult. And the couscous itself (a kind of coarse semolina) is simple and quick to prepare.
477K 110 3.7
Last modified on: November 16th 2017
Keywords for this recipe:For 10 people, you will need:
- 1
4 courgettes - 2
1 leek - 3
4 carrots - 4
4 turnips - 5
1 onion - 6
1 garlic clove - 7
4 tablespoons olive oil - 8
20 Meatballs (optional) - 9
800 g chicken breast - 10
4 tablespoons spices for couscous - 11
350 g tinned (canned) chickpeas - 12
2 litres water - 13
70 g tomato paste - 14
2 beefs stock cube - 15 5 glasses water
- 16 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 17
5 glasses couscous - 18
50 g butter - 19
salt - 20
pepper - 21
a little harissa (optional) - Total weight: 6,890 grams
How long does it take?
Time required for this recipe:
| Preparation | Resting | Cooking | Start to finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48 min. | 5 min. | 1 hour 43 min. | 2 hours 36 min. |
At what time:
- When will I finish if I start the recipe at ... ?
When should I start for the recipe to be ready at ... ? - Work this out...
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Vegetables preparation
Prepare 4 courgettes.If you have small courgettes, just cut into thick slices.
Set aside.
Stage 3 - 10 min.
Peel and wash 4 carrots, cut into pieces, set aside.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Peel and wash 4 turnips, cut into pieces, set aside.
Stage 5 - 5 min.
Stage 6 - 10 min.
Stage 7 - 10 min.
Do the same thing with 800 g chicken breast.
Do this for all the meats, then set aside.
Do this for all the meats, then set aside.
Stage 8 - 3 min.
In the same pan, add a little more olive oil if necessary, add onion and garlic, salt and pepper, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
Stage 9 - 1 min.
Add meat, 4 tablespoons spices for couscous and mix again.
Stage 10
Add all the vegetables and 350 g tinned (canned) chickpeas, mix again.
Stage 11 - 2 min.
Add 2 litres water. With a spatula, scrape bottom of pan well to mix all the flavours (important).
Add 70 g tomato paste and 2 beefs stock cube, then salt and pepper.
Add 70 g tomato paste and 2 beefs stock cube, then salt and pepper.
Stage 12 - 15 min.
Bring to the boil.
Stage 13 - 1 hour
Then cover, and let cook on slow fire for at least 1 hour (2 or 3 hours is better).
Stage 14 - 5 min.
Stage 15 - 5 min.
When water is boiling, remove from heat and add 5 glasses couscous, mix well, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
Stage 16
After this time, add 50 g butter (or more), and mix with a fork. It's ready.
Stage 17
Stage 18
The traditional way to serve: a layer of couscous, then vegetables and meat, and a good deal of sauce over the top.
Remarks
To prepare a hotter sauce: take 2 or 3 ladles of stock from the pan, and in a bowl mix with a good tablespoon of harissa (according to your taste) and some chick-peas. Serve with couscous for spicy sauce aficionados.
As for the chicken, choose a good quality one (free-range, of traceable origin, or "red label" in France for instance).
Proportions are given as suggestions, do not hesitate to adapt to your taste.
You can add other vegetables if you like: bell pepper, aubergine/eggplants, and other meats: meatballs, lamb, spicy sausage, beef...
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
As for the chicken, choose a good quality one (free-range, of traceable origin, or "red label" in France for instance).
Proportions are given as suggestions, do not hesitate to adapt to your taste.
You can add other vegetables if you like: bell pepper, aubergine/eggplants, and other meats: meatballs, lamb, spicy sausage, beef...
If you can't find a ready-made mix of couscous spices, you can make your own from: cumin, coriander (ground), cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and turmeric. Paprika, cloves and caraway are also sometimes used.
And to drink?
A wine from Algeria of course, or Languedoc, something full-bodied. Otherwise a well chilled rosé from Provence.
Keeping
Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Nutritional information
| Whole recipe | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 4,457 Kcal or 18,661 Kj | 232 gr | 304 gr | 259 gr |
| 223 % | 89 % | 29 % | 39 % |
| Per 100 g | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 65 Kcal or 272 Kj | 3 gr | 4 gr | 4 gr |
| 3 % | 1 % | <1 % | 1 % |
| Per person | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Energetic value | Proteins | Carbohydrates | Fats |
| 446 Kcal or 1,867 Kj | 23 gr | 30 gr | 26 gr |
| 22 % | 9 % | 3 % | 4 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 10 people : 24.92 €
- Per person : 2.49 €
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Source
Home made.
This recipe uses (among others)
 | Water: You can get more informations, or check-out other recipes which use it, for example: Poaching syrup, Pilau rice, Rabbit civet "à la normande", Turnip and Jerusalem artichoke soup, Cassoulet, ... All |
 | Chicken breast: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Baker's chicken and potato tart, Chicken breasts in a potato crust, Lille style chicken, Vol-au-vent, Chinese Soup, ... All |
 | Tinned (canned) chickpeas: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Mixed vegetable curry, Green hummus, Chickpea salad, Spinach and chick peas "à la milanaise", Cauliflower and chickpea salad, ... All |
 | Tomato paste: You can check-out other recipes which use it, like for example: Taos hotpot, Green beans "Napoléon", Loaf for "les filles'", Cocktail sauce, Pissaladière with puff pastry, ... All |
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