North African couscous w/blackeyed peas & greens stew

[Guest guest]

INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil1 medium onion, chopped4 large

garlic cloves, minced1 teaspoon coriander seeds, lightly toasted and ground1

teaspoon caraway seeds, lightly toasted and ground2 teaspoons cumin seeds,

lightly toasted and groundSalt, preferably kosher salt, to taste1 pound

black-eyed peas, rinsed2 tablespoons harissa (or more to taste; substitute 1/2

teaspoon ground cayenne pepper if harissa is unavailable), plus additional for

serving2 tablespoons tomato paste1 1/2 pounds greens (such as Swiss chard, kale

or mustard greens) stemmed, washed thoroughly in two changes water, and

coarsely chopped1 large bunch parsley or cilantro (or a combination),

stemmed, washed and chopped2 to 2 2/3 cups couscous, as needed

PREPARATION

 1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy casserole or Dutch oven, and add

the onion. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the garlic,

ground spices and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir together for about a minute, until the

garlic is fragrant. Add the black-eyed peas and three quarts water, and bring to

a boil. Reduce the heat, add salt to taste, cover and simmer 30 minutes. Add the

harissa (or cayenne) and the tomato paste, and cover and simmer another 15 to 30

minutes, until the beans are tender and fragrant. Strain off 1/2 cup of the

liquid and set aside.

2. Stir in the greens a handful at a time, allowing each handful to cook down a

bit before adding the next. Simmer 20 minutes, until the greens are very tender

and fragrant. Stir in the parsley and/or cilantro, and simmer

another five minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding

salt, garlic or harissa as desired.

3. Reconstitute couscous in liquid according to package. There are many methods

to do this. The simplest, fastest way is simply boil some water or broth, add

dry couscous & let them sit in a bowl for 5-10 minutes.

I've seen a method where the cook stirs the couscous w/bare hands every 5

minutes, crushing lumps between fingers, recovers bowl & repeats 3 or 4 times.

It depends on how much time you have.

If you have even more time, try the Tunisian/N. African method & steam the

reconstituted couscous which renders them more tender, moist & very fluffy.

Steaming can be done by placing cheesecloth in a colander or sieve, placing

reconstituted couscous in colander, covering the colander with a plate, and

placing the colander in a large saucepan

above an inch or two of boiling water, making sure the colander does not touch

the liquid.  Wrap a towel around the edge of the colander so steam does not

escape. Steam for 20 -30 minutes.

Alternate steaming methods:

To steam in the oven, place the reconstituted couscous in a lightly oiled baking

dish, cover tightly with foil and place in a 350-degree oven for 30 minutes. 

To steam in a microwave, transfer reconstituted couscous to a microwave-safe

bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and pierce the plastic a couple of times

with a knife. Microwave for two minutes at full power. Let sit for one minute,

then carefully remove the plastic and fluff with a fork. Repeat if desired.

4. Transfer the couscous to a wide serving bowl or directly to wide soup plates.

Spoon on the stew with a generous amount of broth and

serve, passing additional harissa at the table.Yield: Serves six to eight

Advance preparation: The beans can be cooked up to three days ahead, and the

finished stew can be made a day or two ahead. You may want to add more liquid

when you reheat.