Name: Couscous with Winter Vegetables
Yield: Makes 4 generous servings
Ingredients: 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded, and finely diced; ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; 6 medium-sized or 12 small (½ pound) carrots, cut into 3-inch pieces; 2 (½ pound) small turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch wedges; 3 medium-sized parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths; 1 3-inch piece of cinnamon stick; 1 large yellow onion, cut into ½-inch wedges and then halved; ½ pound winter squash such as banana or butternut, cut into chunks or cubes about 1½ inches long; 2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted or clarified butter; ⅓ cup black raisins; ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 to 1½ cups cooked chick-peas; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; ½ teaspoon turmeric; 2 large pinches of saffron threads; ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; Salt; 2½ cups water; 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1½ cups instant couscous; ½ teaspoon salt; 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil; 1 cup broth from the vegetables; 1 teaspoon harissa, or more to taste, or the red chili paste; 1 cup fresh peas, shelled, or frozen; 2 cups water or broth from the chick-peas (unless canned); 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

Preparation info

Makes
4
generous servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Savory Way

By Deborah Madison

Published 1990

About

This dish of golden vegetables served with two sauces over a mound of delicate couscous is more of a production than most of the recipes in this book, but not impossible if you’re organized. It takes about 15 minutes to prepare the vegetables and get them started; the sauces can be made while they are cooking, and the instant variety of couscous can be cooked just before you’re ready to eat. It’s a dish for a special occasion or a party. Peas aren’t winter vegetables, of course, but they le