Crazy For Couscous

In college, you'd think my typical diet may have consisted of "college-kid food" like pizza, beer, and burgers. Well, not really. For my entire senior fall semester I was hooked on this simple dish I'd make with couscous, tofu, raisins, chopped peppers and tomatoes, and sometimes walnuts. I could make this dish in one pot (I only had one!) on the tiny stove in our dorm's kitchen, in about 8 minutes. I'd dine on this meal while writing my thesis or putting the finishing touches on a case study report. Friends would laugh, but it was filling, made for easy clean up, and was relatively inexpensive.

My, have things changed.

My last encounter with couscous occurred when TC and I recently dined at the Baracka Cafe in Cambridge. This restaurant was suggested by the cooking class instructor, well-known chef and cookbook author Didi Emmons. She quoted that it's appearance from the outside (and inside, for that matter) was unassuming, but the Moroccan dishes are exquisite. Well, that was true. We got there a bit early, and the "staff" (an older woman, a helper cook, and what I'm assuming was her son) were prepping for what seemed like a crazy busy night (although we were the only ones there at that point). The son attached his iPod to the speakers, cranked the volume, and *WHAM* we were transported to Casablanca.

When the menu came and we had our chance to decipher it, TC ordered a kebab dish and I ordered the specialty, Moroccan Couscous. We both ordered a rosewater lemonade, which ended up being the most delicious lemonade I've ever tasted. Baracka Cafe's lemonade won "Boston Magazine's" Best Drink, Lemonade, in 2003.

The Moroccan Couscous came in a rustic wooden dish and the couscous was topped with assorted root vegetables, lentils, garbanzos, and fava beans. The dish was absolutely delicious. The combination of turmeric and cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin, and coriander and a bit of pepper made this dish like a non-spicy curry dish with a sweet flair.

I'd give the Baracka Cafe a "definitely go back" rating, but get there early, because the crowd swells at the door after 7. http://www.barackacafe.com/

So for the past few months, the thought of couscous has been out of my mind. But when I was preparing a recipe given to me by a person at work for an upcoming multicultural cooking class, I was reminded of this delicious dish I enjoyed at Baracka Cafe.

This sparked my interest in preparing Moroccan Couscous for myself. Lucky for me, a simple and quick recipe graced the back of the whole wheat couscous box.

The couscous I buy is Fantastic World Foods Organic Whole Wheat Couscous. This whole grain provides 6 grams of fiber for every 3/4 cup cooked product. I love couscous because it only takes about 5 minutes to cook, once the water is boiling. I also love this kind of couscous because you cannot recognize that it is a whole grain. Unlike some types of whole wheat pasta, this whole wheat couscous does not shame itself with a sticky, chewy final product. It also absorbs the cooking liquid and flavors well, so it's a great alternative to pasta in a tomato sauce-based recipe.

MOROCCAN COUSCOUS (adapted from Fantasy Foods)

1 cup couscous, uncooked + 1 1/2 cups boiling water (makes about 3 cups of cooked product)
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup vegetable broth
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1 zucchini, peeled and julienned
1 sweet potato, peeled and julienned
1 can of garbanzo beans
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, for heat!)
dash of coriander, dash of nutmeg
golden raisins
pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
1. Prepare the couscous, according to package directions.
2. On high heat, saute garlic, onions, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini in olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until 3/4 cooked.
3. Reduce heat to medium and add vegetable broth. Let mixture simmer.
4. Add spices, tomato paste, and garbanzo beans.
5. Stir in prepared couscous. Cover and remove from heat.
6. Garnish with golden raisins and toasted pine nuts.
Makes 6 generous servings.

This dish was delish, and is a close second to Baracka Cafe's original dish, but is surely supreme to the amateur status of College Couscous.

Jump on the train and join the couscous craze!