Moroccan spiced soup with jewelled couscous recipe

Moroccan spiced soup with jewelled couscous recipe

Harissa paste is a hot and spicy North African condiment based on a chilli paste, and this Moroccan spiced soup with jewelled couscous recipe shows it off at its best. It's low in calories and fat, too.

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

450g beef rump or sirloin, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-size pieces

2 small onions, chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 carrot, cut into small dice

2 celery sticks, diced

1 heaped tbsp harissa paste (try Bart Spices Harissa Paste or Belazu Rose Harissa, from the spice and condiment section in supermarkets), plus extra to serve

2 tsp plain flour

1.2 litres vegetable stock, hot

400g can chopped tomatoes

75g ready-to-eat dried apricots

900g butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into small cubes

For the jewelled couscous

175g couscous

300ml vegetable stock, hot

2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced

2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

2. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the carrot and celery, cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened slightly. Stir in the harissa paste and flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot vegetable stock.

3. Stir in the tomatoes and apricots, then bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper.

4. Add the butternut squash and return the beef to the soup. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until both the squash and beef are tender.

5. Meanwhile, make the jewelled couscous. Put the couscous into a large bowl. Pour over the hot stock, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid. Fluff up the grains with a fork, then stir in the tomatoes and mint. Season.

6. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Pile a spoonful of couscous in the centre and serve with extra harissa on the side.

Nutritional info

Per serving: 330kcals, 8.2g fat (2.1g saturated), 24.2g protein, 42.4g carbs, 18.7g sugar, 0.6g salt

Meshwiya salad recipe

Serves 8 as a side dish | Ready in 35 minutes | Rating

This popular North African salad goes beautifully with barbecued lamb, although it can be enjoyed on its own by your veggie friends.

Ingredients

2 large red peppers

450g vine-ripened tomatoes

1 red onion, very thinly sliced

1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped

1 tbsp capers in brine, drained and rinsed, plus extra to garnish

11/2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 preserved lemon, drained (we like Belazu, from major supermarkets)

Method

1. Preheat the barbecue. When hot, add the peppers and cook over a medium heat for 20-25 minutes, turning, until blackened. Seal in a plastic bag. Once cool, discard the stalk, seeds and skin and cut into 1cm wide strips. Put into a large bowl.

2. Meanwhile, cut a shallow cross into the base of each tomato. Blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, refresh under cold water and peel. Halve, deseed and cut the tomatoes into thin wedges. Add to the peppers, along with the onion, chilli and capers.

3. Just before serving, whisk together the lemon juice and oil and season. Toss with the salad and spoon onto a serving dish. Cut the flesh from the preserved lemon, then cut the rind into small dice. Sprinkle over the salad with a few extra capers.

Moroccan lamb burgers with tomatoes, houmous and pitta recipe

Moroccan lamb burgers with tomatoes, houmous and pitta recipe


Spice up your barbecue with some North African know how.



Ingredients
800g lean lamb mince
Small bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
11/2 tsp coriander seeds, roughly crushed (if you can’t get seeds, use 1/2 tsp ground coriander)
4 pitta breads
8 ripe plum tomatoes, sliced
2 shallots, finely sliced into rings
Small tub good-quality houmous
Fresh mint leaves, to garnish
Method
1. Put the mince into a large bowl. Add the spring onions, paprika and coriander and season well. Mix together using your hands, then shape into 12 mini burgers. Pop on to a large plate, cover and set aside.
2. Preheat a griddle pan over a high heat. Toast the pitta on the griddle until golden on each side, sprinkle with sea salt and set aside to cool. Cook burgers in 2 batches on the hot griddle for about 5 minutes, turning once, until golden all over yet a little pink in the middle. Set aside.
3. Divide the tomatoes and shallots between 4 plates and season. Thread 3 burgers on to a wooden skewer and rest 1 on each tomato salad. Serve with a generous dollop of houmous, a toasted pitta and a few mint leaves scattered over.
Nutritional info
Per serving: 602kcals, 22g fat (8.5g saturated), 51g protein, 53g carbs, 8.2g sugar, 1.8g salt