Royal Lamb Couscous

 

Serves four.

This dish can be served with an optional Harissa sauce, a North-African spicy sauce that gives a nice extra kick to the dish.

   

List of ingredients:  

- 2 packets of lamb shoulder (about 4 pieces altogether) 

- 4 cups of chicken stock (or good-quality broth)

- 1/2 cup of chopped cilantro

- 2 medium onions, peeled and diced

- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced

- 1 medium turnip, peeled and diced

- 1 red pepper, diced

- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced 

- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

- seasoning: salt, pepper, turmeric and red pepper to taste. 

- plain couscous (Near East is a popular brand) 

- 2 tbsp oil (extra-virgin olive oil is overkill, plain olive/vegetable oil is fine)

 

Start by cutting all your vegetables.  The dice should be fairly coarse.  Season the lamb shoulder pieces with salt and pepper on both sides.  Heat over a medium-high flame 1 tbsp of the oil in an enamel dish or a large skillet.  Add the lamb pieces.  Sear on both sides until brown (about 5 min).  Remove the meat and keep it warm under another plate.  Remove excess fat from your dish and add the remaining tbsp of oil.  Add onions and cook until translucent (about 5 min).  Add the garlic and cook for another minute.  Now add the carrots, the turnip, the pepper and the potatoes.  Let all vegetables sweat for another few minutes, stirring often.  Add the chicken stock and the seasoning.  You should be able to cover your vegetables with the stock liquid.  if not, add more stock.  This dish MUST be kept moist..  When you add the seasoning, keep in mind that the red pepper is very hot.  Bring the vegetable mixture to a simmer.  Incorporate your meat pieces with their plate juices and let everything slowly simmer for another 45 minutes or so, preferably under a lid.  

 

About 10 minutes before the meat is ready, put a good laddle of the meat/vegetable juices in a sauce pan.  Add a spoon of butter or a dash of oil and bring to a boil.  Put in contents of couscous packet.  Cover and immediately remove from heat.  5 minutes later, pluff your couscous.  It should be moist but not overly wet.

 

To assemble: serve couscous in the bottom of a large shallow dish.  Add the pieces of lamb and then all the vegetables with their liquid.  Finally sprinkle dish with the chopped cilantro.  Present the dish on the dining table along with some Harissa sauce.  Voila!

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