Vegetable Couscous Stew Recipes

HEARTY VEGETARIAN STEW WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion and garlic in the hot oil until softened, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes, squash, beans, tomatoes with juice, vegetable broth, cumin, and coriander; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until squash and potatoes are soft enough to eat, 30 to 50 minutes.
• Ten minutes before the stew is finished cooking, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir in couscous; cover, and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes, then season with salt and stir in butter.
• Remove stew from the heat and stir in lime zest, 1/2 of the cilantro, and 1/2 of the mint.
• Serve stew next to couscous on a plate with a tablespoon of yogurt. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and mint and serve with a lime wedge.

CHICKEN AND SUMMER VEGETABLE STEW WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the chicken stew: Put the garlic, carrots, onion, cinnamon, raisins, ginger, cumin, paprika, sugar, turmeric, 1 tablespoon salt and several grinds of black pepper in a large saucepan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the carrots start to get tender, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken, chickpeas, tomatoes and zucchini and stir to combine. Return to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce the heat and simmer until the stew is slightly thickened and fragrant and the vegetables are tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, but still hold their shapes, about 15 minutes. (If the vegetables are fork-tender a bit sooner, remove them to a bowl while the liquid reduces then return them to the pot when ready to serve.) Remove and discard the cinnamon sticks.
• For the couscous: Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil with the butter and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, cover and set aside until the water has been absorbed and the couscous is plump, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and keep warm.
• For the topping: Combine the cilantro, parsley, almonds, pistachios and raisins in a medium bowl.
• To serve, divide the couscous among bowls, top with the stew and sprinkle with the herb topping. Serve with harissa and yogurt on the side.

ROASTED VEGETABLE STEW WITH MOROCCAN COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
• Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
• Transfer the cut vegetables to prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
• In a large saucepan, combine broth, tomatoes, cumin, and thyme. Set pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in all but 2 cups of the roasted vegetables (reserve 1 cup of the roasted vegetables for the Eggplant Caponata and 1 cup for the Chicken Curry). Reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 minutes.
• Cook couscous according to package directions, adding apricots and cinnamon before the addition of boiling water.
• Remove vegetable stew from heat and stir in cilantro. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
• Spoon cooked couscous into shallow dinner bowls and top with vegetable stew.

SUMMER VEGETABLE COUSCOUS WITH SPICY PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare the chickpeas for the stew: Put chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add onion stuck with cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and carrot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes or so, until tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and let chickpeas cool in their broth. May be cooked a day or 2 ahead. Alternatively, use 2 cups canned chickpeas.
• Make the couscous: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add corn kernels and season generously with salt and pepper, then sauté, stirring, for a minute or so. Add couscous, cinnamon, saffron (if using), turmeric and 3 cups water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 minute, stirring. Put the lid on and turn off heat. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes, then fluff. Taste and adjust salt, then keep warm. Or, for lighter, more tender couscous grains, follow step 3 (optional).
• Spread warm couscous on a baking sheet to let cool to room temperature, then rake with fingers to remove clumps. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cold water. Then place couscous in top compartment of a steamer and put water in bottom compartment. To steam, bring water to a boil, then reduce heat but leave at a rapid simmer. Steam for 15 minutes, covered. Keep warm.
• Make the stew: Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until somewhat softened. Add garlic, tomato paste, pimentón, red pepper flakes, cumin and coriander and stir to coat.
• Add sweet peppers, zucchini and tomatoes and season generously with salt. Add cooked chickpeas and 3 cups chickpea cooking liquid or water. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add okra, cover again and cook for 5 minutes more, until all vegetables are soft. Check seasoning of broth and adjust if necessary.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto: Put cilantro, serrano chile, garlic, cumin, olive oil and salt in a food processor and pulse to a rough purée. Transfer to a small serving bowl. To keep green color, add lime juice just before serving.
• To serve, ladle stew (with plenty of broth) into large wide bowls or deep plates. Nestle a large spoonful of couscous on the side. Pass the spicy pesto separately, telling everyone to add pesto to taste.

SEVEN-VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the stew: Put the garlic, turnips, onion, carrot, fennel, raisins, ginger, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon in a large soup pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 10 minutes. Halve and seed the butternut squash and cut it into wedges. Tie parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Add squash, zucchini, chickpeas, and parsley sprigs to the pot. Using your fingers and working over the pot, tear the tomatoes into big pieces and add them to the pot with their juices. Simmer the stew, covered, until it is slightly thick and fragrant, and the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. (You can test the vegetables a bit sooner, remove them as soon as they are tender, and return them to the pot when you are ready to serve. All the vegetables should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, but still hold their shapes.) Remove cinnamon sticks.
• For the couscous: Bring water to a boil with the butter and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the water has been absorbed and the couscous is plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.
• To serve, spread the couscous over a large serving platter and, using a slotted spoon, mound the vegetables in the center. Pour some of the broth over the vegetables and sprinkle with the almonds. Pass the remaining broth and the harissa, if desired, at the
• table.

MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium high heat.
• Add carrots, squash, and onion and cook until golden, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in garbanzo beans, stewed tomatoes, prunes, cinnamon, salt, crushed red pepper, and 1 and 1/2 cups water.
• Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer 30 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare couscous as label directs, but use vegetable broth in place of the water called for on label.
• Stir cilantro into stew.
• Spoon stew over couscous to serve.

VEGETABLE STEW WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a large non-stick skillet heat oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and cook squash and onion with salt to taste, stirring occasionally, until browned lightly, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low and cook mixture, covered, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, or until squash is almost tender.
• While squash mixture is cooking, in a small saucepan bring water to a boil. Stir in couscous and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Stir in parsley and salt to taste and keep warm, covered.
• Add mushrooms to squash mixture and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are golden. In a large measuring cup stir together broth, cider or juice, and flour. Stir broth mixture and raisins into vegetable mixture and simmer over moderate heat until sauce is thickened slightly, about 2 minutes. Place mustard greens or chard on top of stew and add salt to taste. Simmer stew, covered, 1 minute, or until greens are wilted.
• Serve stew with couscous.

MOROCCAN CHICKPEA AND VEGETABLE STEW WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
• Add the zucchini, onion, carrot and garlic.
• Saute 5 minutes.
• (For a time-saver, use the matchstick carrots from the produce department) Stir in the broth, and the next 9 ingredients, and bring to a boil.
• Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 8 minutes or until tender.
• Stir occasionally.
• While the stew simmers, bring the 1 1/2 cups water to a boil, stir in couscous, and remove from heat.
• Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Serve stew over couscous.

SEVEN VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine the couscous and 3 cups boiling water in a heatproof bowl. Cover and let stand until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the margarine, turmeric and salt. Cover and set aside.
• For the vegetable stew, heat the oil in a large saucepan or soup pot. Add the onions and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Stir in cabbage and sauté until both it and the onion are lightly golden.
• Add the remaining stew ingredients. Bring to a simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 20 minutes. Add water as needed to produce a moist, but not soupy, consistency. The vegetables should be just tender, but still firm.
• To serve, arrange the couscous on the outer edge of a large serving platter and make a well in the center. Pour the vegetable mixture in the center, then sprinkle with the garnishes, topping with sliced or slivered toasted almonds. Let each guest place a mound of couscous on his or her dinner plate and top it with the vegetable mixture.