Vegetable Couscous

Name: Vegetable Couscous
Yield: Serves Four
Ingredients: 2 leeks, washed and cut into chunks; 1 carrot, peeled and cut into short sticks; 1 stick celery, chopped into 2.5-cm/1-inch lengths; 2 courgettes, cut in chunks; 100 g/4 oz chick peas; 100 g/4 oz couscous; 450 ml/¾ pint chicken stock; 4 button onions, peeled; pinch of saffron or a few shreds of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon water; pinch of saffron or a few shreds of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon water; pinch of saffron or a few shreds of saffron soaked in 1 tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 4 tomatoes, peeled; 1 teaspoon chopped mint; 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley; pinch of dried oregano; 2 tablespoons hot stock taken from the cooking vegetables; 1 teaspoon ground coriander; ½ teaspoon chilli powder; 2 tablespoons tomato purée; 2 tablespoons hot stock taken from the cooking vegetables

Preparation info

Serves
Four

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Cooking for Friends

By Prue Leith

Published 1978

About

Couscous is made from wheat, and is rather like semolina, but coarser. In Middle Eastern countries it can mean anything from a sort of porridge to a luxury dish containing chicken, game, vegetables, etc.

Ingredients

100 g/4 oz chick peas
100 g/4

Main course

Method

Soak the chick peas in cold water overnight or until slightly swollen. Drain them and simmer in fresh water until tender - anything from 45 minutes-3 hours depending on the type and size of the chick peas. Put the couscous into a bowl and cover it with about 300 ml/