This dish was supposed to be made with barley grits/couscous, but I didn't have any and I didn't have time to grind my own, so I just used whole wheat couscous instead. The preferred method is, of course, to cook the couscous by steaming it three times and only adding the broth at the end of cooking. This really does make a big difference to the final result and makes the couscous much nicer. But I already had a lot of other things going on in the kitchen, so I skipped the steaming and just cooked the couscous by the instant way. I will write up and link to the steaming instructions (which don't seem to be on the blog yet) in a separate post.

Couscous with Beef and Leafy Greens

Slightly adapted from The Food of Morocco by Paula Wolfert

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. dried chickpeas¹
• 450g cracked lean beef shanks or short ribs (braising ribs), cut into 2-3cm cubes²
• 1-2 bunches Russian kale, broccoli rabe, or broccolini; rinsed, trimmed, and chopped
• 225g carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 225g parsnip, peeled and halved lengthwise
• 1 tsp. coarse sea salt
• 3 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground turmeric
• 1/2 tsp. cumin seeds, ground
• 1/2 tsp. black peppercorns, ground
• 450g tomatoes, diced, divided
• 6 c. water
• 450g barley grits or barley couscous³
• 1/4 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 2 c. milk⁴
• 2 tsp. ghee or oudi

Directions

1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl or pot and pour in enough water to cover them by at least 5cm. Soak overnight.
2. Drain the chickpeas and transfer to a large pot or Dutch oven.
3. Add the beef, carrots, parsnips, and 1/3 of the greens, cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.⁵
4. Add the salt, 2 Tbsp. of the oil, onion, spices, and 1/2 of the tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes.
5. Add the water and bring to a boil.
6. Cover and cook over medium-low heat until the meat is tender (2-3 hours).
7. Meanwhile, steam your barley grits/couscous.⁶
8. While the barley is cooking, brush the remaining Tbsp. of oil onto the bottom of a large skillet.
9. Spread 1/2 the remaining greens in the skillet.
10. Place the cilantro and parsley on top of the greens, then place the remaining greens on top of the herbs.
11. Cover with a paper towel and a heavy plate followed by a tightly fitting lid.
12. Cook the greens over low heat for 30 minutes.⁷
13. Uncover the greens and add the remaining tomatoes to the pan.
14. Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, for ~10 minutes. Set aside.
15. Check on the broth and skim any foam or fat off the surface. Adjust the seasoning to taste.
16. Strain the broth and set the meat and vegetables aside.
17. Add the milk to the broth and boil it down to reduce by about half.
18. Stir in the ghee.
19. Moisten the thrice-steamed barley with ~1 1/2 c. of the broth. Use a whisk to smoothout any lumps.
20. Arrange the meat, vegetables, and greens on top of the couscous.
21. Let stand for 10 minutes.
22. Serve with a bowl of the remaining broth on the side.⁸

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¹ I swapped in 1 c. of canned chickpeas for the dried and skipped the soaking step. ^Back
2 I completely missed the part where it said to cut up the beef. This would've made it a lot easier to serve! Oh well, it was still delicious. If you do use beef shanks and cut them up before putting them in, make sure you still include the bones. They add great flavour! ^Back
3 As noted above, I didn't end up making barley grits, so I just used 2 c. of whole wheat couscous instead. (2 c. may or may not be equivalent to 450g of barley. I didn't worry so much about having the same amount, I just cooked what seemed reasonable for the meal.) ^Back
4 Goat's milk would be preferable, but cow or sheep can be substituted if necessary. ^Back
5 The recipe calls for adding the vegetables at this stage, but I would be tempted to experiment with adding them later. They were quite soft by the time the broth was done and I feel that it might've been better to cook the meat and chickpeas alone first and add the veggies part-way through. ^Back
6 As noted above, I skipped all the steaming and just made a batch of instant couscous using the broth at the end. It would certainly be better with properly steamed starches, but sometimes convenience trumps quality. Instant couscous does make this dish more accessible. Especially when you have other things cooking at the same time. ^Back
7 This seemed like way too much cooking to me. The greens were dry and beginning to brown after the half hour. Even though I'd had the pan on the lowest possible setting. Next time I think I'd probably try cooking them for only 15 minutes. ^Back
8 Pouring a little bit of extra broth over the couscous just before you eat it really makes a big difference. I highly recommend both broth and harissa as extra "condiments" with this dish. ^Back

This was really good. Better than I was expecting based on the recipe if I'm honest. And, even with making the cheese from scratch, it came together pretty quickly and easily. And I think you could easily substitute the vegetables depending on what you have on hand or what's in season. The carrots and spinach were great, but I think zucchini, snow peas, corn, or maybe even shaved asparagus would all work well. Sautéed kale would be nice too. Or even beets if you don't mind the extra overhead of cooking them first.

Farro Grain Bowls

Slightly adapted from Cook's Country April/May 2018

Ingredients

• 6 c. water
• 2 tsp. coarse sea salt, divided
• 2 c. farro
• 6 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 3 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 4-5 carrots, shaved into ribbons
• 4 c. baby spinach
• 450g cremini mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 batch fresh goat cheese

Directions

1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Add 1/2 Tbsp. salt and farro, return to boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 c. oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper.
4. When farro is done, drain and mix with vinaigrette.
5. Add carrot ribbons and spinach and toss to combine. Set aside.
6. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium-high heat.
7. Add mushrooms and 1/8 tsp. salt. (Add a little more pepper too if desired.)
8. Cook, covered, until mushrooms release their liquid.
9. Uncover and continue to cook until liquid has evaporated.
10. Stir 1/8 tsp. salt into the cheese.
11. Add cheese and mushrooms to farro mixture and enjoy!
12. For prettier presentation, divide farro mixture into individual serving bowls and top each with mushrooms and cheese.

I'm trying to get into back home cheese making. I used to make paneer at home semi-frequently. I ventured into some other unripened cheeses at home back when I first started working at the dairy, but I never really got any momentum with it or got a good feel for doing it at home on a very small scale. I would like, though, to start experimenting with making my own cheese at home.

Last time I think I got a little ahead of myself. I tried to do too much too fast before I had either the knowledge, confidence, or tools. This time I'm going to try to take things a bit slower. I started out with a basic paneer, just to ease myself back into things. And today I did a simple, direct acidified goat cheese. I generally find direct acidified cheeses quite boring. I like cultured and ripened cheeses. They're more interesting, have more flavour, and are more fun to make. But, as noted, I'm trying not to get ahead of myself. So I'm starting with simple, direct acidified stuff. And, I gotta say, despite my disdain for the "just add acid" cheeses, this one was really quite nice! It looks beautiful and has a wonderful texture and, although it is very mild, the flavour is excellent!

Fresh Goat Cheese

Slightly adapted from The Home Creamery

Ingredients

• 2L whole (3.8%) goat's milk
• 125mL apple cider vinegar

Directions

1. Slowly heat the milk to 80°C, stirring frequently to prevent sticking or scorching.
2. Hold milk at 80° for 10 minutes.
3. Slowly pour in vinegar, stirring to incorporate. Milk should curdle producing small white curds and clear, slightly greenish whey.
4. Pour mixture through a cheesecloth¹ lined colander. (Whey can be saved and used for baking or discarded.)
5. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth together, tie, and hang the cheese to drain. (If not hanging over the sink, place a bowl underneath to catch the whey that drips out.)
6. Allow to drain for at least half an hour (for a softer cheese) or up to five hours (for a slightly firmer cheese).
7. Can be eaten immediately or kept in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Serving Suggestion:

Radishes with Goat Cheese

Adapted from Real Simple

1. Break up cheese with a fork and stir in 1 Tbsp. olive oil + salt and pepper to taste. (I like using a nice coarse salt for this.)
2. Slice radishes and use to scoop up mounds of mild, creamy cheese.

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¹ If using cheesecloth purchased at a grocery store, use a triple layer. If you can find it, "butter muslin" will work much better. Cheesecloth from an actual cheese making supply house will tend to be much better quality and can be washed and reused. Plastic "cheesecloth" is also an excellent option. It's much easier to clean than actual cloth. The drawback is that it also tends to be somewhat more fragile and can tear if you're too rough with it. All that being said, grocery store cheesecloth can be used successfully, it's just a bit of a pain since it can't be reused and also you need multiple layers and the curds have a tendency to get caught between them. It does make for a cheap and easily available option if you're just getting started though. And is, in fact, what I'm using right now until the rest of my supplies come in.^Back