Wolfert gives a lot of variations for this seven-vegetable couscous. The "default" is the Fes version, but she also offers a Marrakech rendition as well as "mountain-style" and "with lamb's head". I haven't had a chance to try the mountain-style couscous with seven vegetables yet and I'm not planning on making the lamb's head version¹ at all, but I've now tried the other two, so I figured it was time for a write-up!

I am not completely confident that I managed to do the Marrakech version as I was supposed to. The Fes version involves separately cooking pumpkin with raisins and then adding them to the couscous afterward. Since I wasn't using pumpkin in the Marrakech version, I omitted the raisins as well, but I now wonder if I should have included them. (The couscous was still delicious either way. I'm just not sure if what I made was what the author intended.)

It's been a while since I made the Fes version, so I'm mostly going to be transcribing the recipe out of the book for that one without much in the way of additional notes or personal commentary. The Marrakech version is fresh in my mind though, so that one should be a little more fleshed out. As for the mountain-style and lamb's head variants, those I can't offer any insights on at all. But I'll include them anyway in case there is any interest. I can always come back and update this post if and when I get around to making the mountain-style recipe.

Couscous with Seven Vegetables in the Fes Manner

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

1 c. dried chickpeas
2-3 cracked lamb shanks
4 chicken wings + 2 backs
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
2 Tbsp. saffron water²
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 onions, quartered
2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
3.5L water
200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
450g instant couscous³
200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
~1/4 c. dark raisins
200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
1 small cabbage, halved
1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

Directions

Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add enough water to cover them by several cm. Soak overnight.
The next day, drain the chickpeas. Peel if desired⁴.
Place the drained chickpeas in a pot and add enough water to cover them by several cm. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Place the lamb, chicken, salt, pepper, saffron water, turmeric, onions, cinnamon sticks, herbs, tomatoes, and half the butter in a very large pot and cook, covered, over low heat for 10 minutes.
Add the water⁵ and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and cook, partially covered, for 3 hours. Remove the chicken wings and backs after ~90 minutes of cooking.
Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Skim and discard fat from the surface of the broth.
Cut the meat into chunks. Discard any fat, gristle, or bones. Return the meat to the broth.
Bring broth to a boil and add the carrots, turnips, sweet potatoes, and chickpeas. Cook for 30 minutes.
Prepare the couscous through to the end of the second steaming (third steaming if using hand-rolled/non-instant couscous).⁶
Soak the raisins in water for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Label a bit of the lamb broth into a separate pan and add the pumpkin and raisins to it. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook until the pumpkin is tender. Drain and set aside.
Steam the couscous once more (just 10 minutes this time).
Add the zucchini and cabbage to the broth and bring back to a boil. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
Strain the broth, reserving the meat and vegetables.
Correct the seasoning of the strained broth and return to a boil. Cook down to a volume of ~8 cups.
Dump the couscous into a serving platter and toss with the remaining 4 Tbsp. of butter.
Toss with the ghee (if using).
Use a fork and/or a whisk to break up any clumps and ensure the grains are all light and separate.
Gradually add up to 1 1/3 c. of the lamb broth to the couscous. (Hand-rolled couscous may be able to take up to 1 2/3 c. of broth.) You may find that you do not need all the broth.
Toss the grains again, making sure to break up any lumps. Let stand for 10 minutes.
Make a well in the centre of the couscous.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and vegetables to the well.
Add the drained raisins and pumpkin on top.
Serve with red pepper sauce and any remaining broth.

Variations

Couscous with Seven Vegetables in the Marrakech Manner

Ingredients

1 c. skinned split fava beans⁷
2-3 cracked lamb shanks⁸
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
2 Tbsp. saffron water
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 onions, quartered
2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
3.5L water
200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
450g sweet potatoes⁹, peeled and cut into chunks
450g instant couscous
1/4 c. raisins (optional)
2 bell peppers, cored and sliced
200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

You may also optionally include pumpkin, turnips, hot peppers, and/or cabbage.

Mountain-Style Couscous with Meat Confit and Seven Vegetables

Ingredients

1 c. dried chickpeas
450g lamb neck
450g shredded "express" meat confit
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
2 Tbsp. saffron water²
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 onions, quartered
2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter + 4 Tbsp. meat confit drippings, divided
3.5L water
200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
450g instant couscous³
200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
~1/4 c. dark raisins
200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
1 small cabbage, halved
1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

Couscous with Lamb's Head and Seven Vegetables

Ingredients

1 c. dried chickpeas
2 lambs' heads
1 Tbsp. coarse sea salt
1 Tbsp. black peppercorns, ground
2 Tbsp. saffron water²
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 onions, quartered
2 (7-8cm) cinnamon sticks (preferably cassia)
small bundle of cilantro & parsley, tied together
4-5 very ripe tomatoes, quartered
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided
3.5L water
200g carrots, peeled and cut into 5cm sticks
200g turnips, peeled and cut into 5cm chunks
450g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
450g instant couscous³
200g pumpkin, peeled and seeded and cut into chunks
~1/4 c. dark raisins
200g zucchini, trimmed and quartered
1 small cabbage, halved
1 Tbsp. ghee (optional)
red pepper sauce (or harissa and extra broth)

The lambs' heads will need to be soaked in water, halved, cleaned, and tied together before cooking. Wolfert does not specify how long they need to be soaked for or how to cut or clean them. Perhaps this is something that is normally done by the butcher?
Once the heads have been sorted out, you may proceed with the recipe as outlined above.

¹ I'm not put off by the lamb's head itself, but I worry about prions... I'd honestly really love to try brains at some point, but I don't think I ever will because it's just not worth the risk. ^Back
² I don't use saffron water in large enough quantities often enough for it to be worth it for me to keep it on hand in the fridge. I usually just mix it up as I need it. In this case I crushed a scant 1/8 tsp. of saffron threads and poured over 2 Tbsp. of boiling water. ^Back
³ The original recipe was for 680g of couscous, but I got mixed up and only did 450g. That said, I don't think I would've been able to handle more than ~500g in one go anyway, so it was just as well. Even with just 450g, this produced A LOT of couscous. I'd advise against making more than that in one go unless you a) have a very large steamer/couscousiere, b) have a very large platter and c) have a huge number of people to feed! Seriously, we fed 7 people out of this, sent leftovers to two different households, and still have a huge container of couscous sitting in the fridge the next day. Proceed with caution! ^Back
⁴ I never bother peeling my chickpeas. I don't mind the skins and I find peeling them annoying (despite Wolfert's clever tips). ^Back
⁵ I could only fit 3L of water into my pot. Given the reduced amount of liquid, I opted to cook my broth fully covered rather than partially covered. This seems to have worked out fine. ^Back
⁶ Wolfert notes that the dish can be prepared in advance up to this point. Warm everything back up 30-60 minutes before serving and continue with the recipe as directed. ^Back
⁷ The instructions for this variation said to omit the chickpeas and chicken, but to optionally include fava beans. It was unclear whether fresh or dried fava beans were intended. Looking at the recipe again, I think it was probably meant to be made with fresh fava beans, but I made it with dried, so that's what I've written instructions for here. That said, feel free to leave out the fava beans entirely and substitute some other vegetable instead. ^Back
⁸ Although the recipe calls for lamb shanks, we were already having a lot of lamb for dinner and we have a lot of beef in the freezer right now, so I opted to use two beef shank steaks in place of the lamb shanks to make the broth. ^Back
⁹ I was intending to use sweet potatoes for my couscous, but I was unsure of the quality of my remaining sweet potatoes and I had some lovely fresh potatoes out of my parents' garden, so I just used those instead. Different flavour, for sure, but still very nice. ^Back

Kickshaws and Other Amusements

Sunday 2 October 2022