Moroccan Tagine With Couscous
By: Helen Pitlick
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 3:57pm

Ingredients




2 tablespoons oil
2 onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
1 pinch of saffron threads
3 pounds of vegetables (carrot, eggplant, sweet potato, 2 zucchini, cut into large chunks
1/2 preserved lemon, rinsed, pith and flesh removed, thinly sliced
1 cup vegetable stock
3 1/2 ounces dried pears
2 ounces pitted prunes
10 ounces instant couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
 cup almonds

Preparation

1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan or ovenproof dish, add the onion and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until soft. Add the spices and cook 3 minutes. 2 Add the vegetables and cook, stirring, until coated with the spices and the outside begins to soften. Add the lemon, tomatoes, stock, pears and prunes. Cover, transfer to oven and cook for 30 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. 3 Cover the couscous with the olive oil and 2 cups boiling water and leave until all the water has been absorbed. Flake with a fork. 4 Remove the cinnamon stick from the vegetables, then stir in the parsley. Sprinkle on the almonds.

About


The chef recommends serving this on a large platter with the couscous formed in a ring and the tagine in the center, sprinkled with almonds. Preserved lemons are a specialty of Moroccan and Middle Easter cooking and are made by pickling lemons in salt.