Lentil Couscous W Vegetable Tagine Recipes

LENTIL TAGINE

Steps:

• Heat a 6 quart Sauce Pot over medium high heat.
• Add in olive oil and coat the pan.
• Add in onions and spices.
• Sweat onions until translucent.
• Add in garlic, ginger and lentils and stir to coat with mixture.
• Add in cold vegetable stock and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for fifteen minutes.
• Add in the sweet potatoes, chopped tomatoes, peppers, and dates.
• Stir into mix and allow to cook for another 25 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are soft.
• If tagine gets too thick, adjust consistency with vegetable stock or cold water.
• Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Garnish with fresh parsley (or coriander) and preserved lemon for service.

MOROCCAN LENTILS AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place the lentils in a medium saucepan.
• Add garlic, spices, and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking time.
• While lentils are cooking, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan.
• Remove from heat, stir in couscous, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is nicely browned, about 10 minutes.
• Add lentils to skillet and mix well.
• Remove and discard bay leaf. Serve lentils over couscous.

VEGETABLE TAGINE WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Peel the onion and cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Peel and finely chop the garlic or pass it through a garlic press. Peel the carrots and cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Trim the ends of the zucchini and yellow squash and discard. Cut them in half lengthwise and slice widthwise into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Cut the bell pepper in half, remove the seeds and membranes, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Peel the eggplants and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
• Place the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Add the carrots, zucchini, squash, bell pepper, cumin, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, salt, and 1 cup of the water and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in the eggplant, the raisins, the tomatoes with their juice, and the chickpeas with their liquid. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
• Meanwhile, bring the remaining 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
• Spoon some of the couscous into the center of each plate and top with the vegetable tagine.
• cooking 101
• A tagine is a Moroccan stew named after the special pot in which it's cooked. A traditional tagine pot is made of heavy clay and consists of a base that's circular and flat with low sides, and a large cone-shaped cover that rests inside the base during cooking. The design of the cover returns the condensation to the bottom. The cover is removed and the base is taken to the table for serving.