The kitchen is a great place to enjoy a little therapy as you prepare dinner. Uncramp your hand from its grip on an electronic device, roll up your sleeves and pour grains of couscous into a dish. Watch it swell and soften as you prepare Morocco's national dish in the traditional manner.
You might not expect little grains of durum wheat rolled to the size of an ant’s head to be so responsive. We are in the habit of following package instructions to pour boiling water over dry couscous and waiting five minutes for lumpy, half-cooked results. This shortcut robs us of the pleasure of watching grains swell and soften between our fingers as they expand to hold the meat and juices of the stew they accompany.
The hostess/cook of a Moroccan inn whom I observed on a recent trip made this one pot meal look easy. First she layered chicken, spices, olive oil and vegetables in a couscoussière, a set of interlocking pots that Moroccan brides receive on their wedding day. (On the table in the photo above.) She then rinsed, drained and poured the couscous grains into a second pot whose perforated bottom would allow vapor to rise from the stew below and steam the grains to tender perfection.
After twenty minutes, she turned out the couscous onto a bowl, poured water, salt and a little olive oil over it and worked it through her fingers, breaking up small clumps. Another twenty minutes of steaming rendered the couscous ready to be piled high in a broad, shallow serving bowl. The stew meat, vegetables and broth were arranged over it in a precise pattern worthy of a festival.
A Moroccan meal is not complete without a loaf of Khobz, traditional bread prepared by hand while the couscous simmers and steams. The swirling action of the hand gathering flour and water into dough is much like that made when loosening grains of couscous. Khobz dough rises once and expands into a dense, golden disk in a hot oven. Moroccans tear off pieces of khobz to scoop up couscous grains with piece of stew, and juices. Foreigners use forks until they gradually get knack of it.
Join Chez Madelaine’s Zoom cooking class on February 5, 9:45 -11:30 am to watch the making Moroccan Couscous, Khobz and a radish and orange salad with lemon dressing. We are always looking for converts to the pleasures of hands-on cooking.
