Middle Eastern Couscous With Honeyed Caramelized Onions Raisins Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the raisins, garlic, cinnamon, cumin, and coriander. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the couscous to the saucepan, along with the 2 cups of boiling water and the salt. Stir once with a fork, cover tightly, and remove from the heat. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Stir with a fork before serving to fluff the couscous and combine the other ingredients. (This recipe can be made up to a day ahead and reheated over very low heat or in a microwave oven.)

Steps:

• FOR THE MEAT: Prepare the meaty stew or soup. In a large pan, put the meat and about 1/2 pound onions, coarsely chopped, and cover with about 1 1/2 quarts water. Bring to the boil and remove the scum. Add salt, pepper, the ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the cloves and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add the saffron and more water to keep the meat well covered (there should be a lot of broth) and simmer for 1/2 hour more. The meat should be so tender you could pull it apart with your hands.
• FOR THE TFAYA: For the honeyed onion tfaya, cut the onions in half and slice them. Put them in a pan with about 1 cup water. Put the lid on and cook, covered, over low heat (they will steam) for about 1/2 hour, until the onions are very soft. Remove the lid and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Add the butter and oil and cook until the onions are golden. Stir in the honey and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the drained raisins, and a pinch of salt and cook 10 minutes more, or until the onions caramelize and become brown.
• Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan or fry them in a drop of oil until golden, turning them over. Coarsely chop about half of them.
• FOR THE COUSCOUS: Put the couscous in a wide oven proof dish so that the grains are not squashed on top of each other. (I use a large round clay dish, in which I also serve). Gradually add the warm salted water, stirring all the time so that it is absorbed evenly. Keep fluffing up the grain with a fork and breaking up any lumps (as the grains stick together). After about 10-15 minutes, when the grain is plump and tender, mix in 3 tablespoons vegetable oil and rub the grain between your hands above the bowl, to air it and break up any lumps.
• Put the dish, uncovered, in a preheated 400°F oven and heat through for 15 to 20 minutes, until very hot. After about 10 minutes, fluff it up again with a fork. Before serving, work in 3 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil and break up any lumps very thoroughly.
• TO SERVE: Make a mound of couscous and make a hollow in the center. Moisten with a ladle of the meat broth. Put the meat in the hollow and cover with the onion and raisin tfaya.
• Sprinkle with a mixture of chopped and whole toasted or fried blanched almonds, and serve the broth separately. Alternatively, you might prefer to serve everything separately, or straight into soup plates. Serves 6.
• The New Book Of Middle Eastern Food Claudia Roden.

Steps:

• Cook 2 cups Israeli couscous as the label directs; drain. Saute 1 diced onion in olive oil with a pinch of cinnamon until golden, 5 minutes. Add 1 cup golden raisins and 2 tablespoons water and cook 2 minutes; toss with the couscous and a handful each of sliced almonds and chopped parsley. Season with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• Bring broth and salt to boil in heavy large pot; turn off heat. Immediately mix in couscous and raisins. Cover and let stand until couscous is tender and broth is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork. Mix in nuts, green onions, and butter. Season to taste with pepper. Transfer to bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 315°F Spread nuts on a baking sheet and bake about 5 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow to cool, then coarse chop.
• Place in a bowl with the chopped apricots and toss to combine.
• Place the couscous and sugar in a bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Stir well then add the butter and a pinch of salt. Stir until the butter melts, then cover with a dish towel and set aside for 10 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork, then add the nuts & apricots, toss gently.
• The couscous can be served just like this, on a platter with the meat, or in a bowl. Some prefer it served in small bowls, sprinkled with the cinnamon and a little hot milk. This way it can be a dessert or a breakfast dish, much like we enjoy cream of wheat.

Steps:

• In large heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Add onion, stirring to coat with oil; reduce heat to low.
• Cook, covered, 15 minutes.
• Stir in raisins, sugar, cloves, cinnamon stick, pepper, ginger and nutmeg.
• Cook, covered, 30 to 40 minutes, until onion is tender, dark brown and juicy.
• In medium pot, cook couscous according to package instructions, using stock instead of water. For Vegetarian use only a vegetable based mushroom stock.
• Fluff.
• Heap in serving dish.
• Top with onion mixture.
• Spoon some paneer over the top if you desire.

Steps:

• Prepare the couscous in a large, round, ovenproof dish as described on page 112, leaving the final heating in the oven to be done 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
• Prepare the meat broth in a large pan. Put in the meat, with about 1/2 pound onions, chopped, and cover with 7 1/2 cups water. Bring to the boil and remove the scum. Add salt and pepper, the ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and the cloves. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours. At this point, add the saffron and more water, if necessary, and simmer for another 30 minutes, or until the meat is so tender you can pull it apart with your fingers.
• At the same time, prepare the honeyed onion tfaya. Cut the remaining onions in half and slice them. Put them in a pan with 1 cup water. Put the lid on and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, until the onions are very soft. Remove the lid and cook further, until the liquid has evaporated. Add the butter and oil and cook until the onions are golden. Stir in the honey and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, the drained raisins, and a pinch of salt. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes, or until the onions caramelize and become brown.
• Fry the almonds in a drop of oil until golden, turning them over, then drain on paper towels. Coarsely chop about half of them.
• About 20 to 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time, put the couscous in the oven, preheated to 400°F, and heat through until it is steaming hot, fluffing it with a fork after about 10 minutes. Before serving, fork the butter, cut into small pieces, into the couscous and again fluff up the couscous as it melts in.
• To serve, moisten the couscous with a ladle of broth and mix in the chopped almonds, and leave it in the baking dish or turn it onto a large, round platter; shape it into a mound and make a wide shallow hollow in the center. Put the meat in the hollow, cover with the onion and raisin tfaya, and sprinkle with the remaining whole, fried almonds. Serve the broth separately.

Steps:

• In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups water with cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, salt, raisins and butter; bring to a boil.
• Stir in couscous; remove from heat.
• Add pine nuts, then cover.
• Let stand 5 minutes.
• Using a fork, fluff couscous and place in a serving bowl.