Couscous is probably the most known dish that is typically Moroccan. There are many different interpretations of the recipe appearently if we look at the back of couscous bags in the supermarkets; well this is the real deal, a typical Bidaoui Couscous with seven vegetables. Enjoy it.

• 1 lb of shoulder of mutton or veal
• 1 lb of boneless chicken tighs
• 1 lb of beef stew meat
• 1 lb of merguez sausages
• 1 12oz Can of Garbanzo Beans
• 1 small can of tomato paste

• 1 lb of carrots (3 carrots)
• 1 lb of turnips (3 medium turnips)
• 1 lb of onions (2-3 large onions)
• 1 lb of yellow squash or green zucchinis (4 zucchinis)
• 1 lb of bell peppers (2 greens and 2 red bell peppers)
• 8 ozs of aubergines (1 medium aubergine)
• 1 28oz Can of Stewed tomatoes (3 or 4 fresh tomatoes)

• 3 lbs of coucous semolina
• Water Ratio of about 1.5 cup of water for 1 cup of couscous (Replace part of water with broth)
• 5 ozs. of butter to pour over the couscous when cooked.

• Olive oil to sauté the meats
• 2 tablespoons of salt
• 1 tablespoon of black pepper
• 1 teapoon of red pepper
• 2 tablespoons of Ras el Hanout (Mix of black and White cumin, and coriander)
• 3 tablespoons of Harissa for the meat stew

Prepare the Meats

1. Cut the meats in cube
2. Sauté the Veal or Mutton
3. Sauté the beef cubes
4. Sauté the Merguez sausages
5. Sauté the Chicken

Cook meats in a pressure cooker

1. Put the 4 sauté meats together
2. Add water (to cover meats)
3. Add salt, black pepper, red pepper, ras el hanout
4. Add Harissa
5. Add tomato paste
6. Add Garbanzo Beans
7. Close cooker, let pressure header spins for 4-5 minutes

Prepare Vegetables

1. Let the pressure cooker cool off before opening lid
2. Reserve two cups of Meat stock, and mix with two cups of water
3. Cut vegetable in large chunks
4. Cook carrots and turnips in the meat stock/water (until tender, 15-20 minutes)
5. Cook bell peppers, and onions in the meat stock (7-8 minutes, until tender)
6. Cook zucchinis and the aubergine in meat stock (3-4 minutes, until tender)
7. Mix all vegetables, add stewed tomatoes and add left over meat stock

Prepare Couscous semolina

1. Prepare the proper quantity of liquid (water, 1 cup meat stock, 2 tablespoons of olive oil). Ratio of about 1.5 cups water to 1 cup of dry couscous.
2. Bring to boil
3. Pour boiling water over couscous and wait about 5 minutes.
4. Fluff with fork.
5. For added flavor, add some of the liquid from the veggie stew to the couscous in place of some of the water.

Spicy sauce

1. Reserved one or two cups of meat stock
2. Mix some harissa to taste

• 1 packet of coucous (1 kg or 2 lbs)
• 1 kg (2 lbs) of meat (knuckle of veal or shoulder of mutton)
• 1 medium sized Savoy cabbage
• 1 kg (2 lbs) of onions
• 4 or 5 tomatoes
• 500 gms(1 lb) of red pumpkin
• 250 gms (9 ozs.) of aubergines
• 500 gms (1 lb) of carrots
• 2 hot peppers (chillies)
• 1 handfull chopped coriander
• 150 gms (5 ozs.) of butter for the stock.
• 150 gms (5 ozs.) of butter to pour over the couscous when cooked.
• 1/2 teaspooful of saffron(preferably crushed flowers)
• 1 soupspoon of pepper
• 6 litres (11 pints) of water
• salt to taste.

Put the pieces of meat cut into large pieces, two sliced onions, the diced cabbage, butter, salt and pepper at the bottom of the couscous steamer.

Pour in 6 liters of water, and bring to boil. Then put the upper half of the steamer, full of rolled couscous, over the boiling stock.

Seal together the two parts of the steamer with a piece of cloth soaked in flour and water, paste so that the steam can escape only through the top.

Allow to cook for half and hour from the moment the couscous begins to steam. Take the couscous off the heat and pour into the large deep dish made of earthenware or wood for mixing bread and making dough, press lightly with a ladle to separate the grains, allow to cool and sprinkle with water.

Let the couscous air and then sprinkle with water again until the grains are swollen and soaked with water. Leave it to absorb all the water.

In the meantime, about an hour before serving, place in the bottom part of the steamer (which is still boiling) the tomatoes, the aubergines (quartered but not peeled), the onions, carrot and turnip (all peeled and quartered), the hot peppers and the chopped (or crushed) coriander. Cook the pumpkin cut into quarters seperately in a little of the stock.

Check the seasoning of the stock and, half an hour before serving, put the couscous back to steam, making sure to seal the two halves of the steamer as before.

When the couscous begins to steam, take it off the heat, add the 150 gms of melted butter, mix well, and pour on as much of the stock as the couscous can absorb, stirring all the time. Put onto a large round dish with the couscous heaped into a pyramid and the meat and vegetables placed in a scooped out hollow at the top of the cone. Serve at once, putting a bowl of the stock on one side for those who like their couscous more moist.