C – One of my boyfriend’s friends loves learning to cook.
He also loves talking about food and cooking. Of course, he loves taking lessons from me. One night at a bar, he ended up talking about all the things he wanted to learn how to make from me.
“Can you make Moroccan food?”
“Um … no. I am not sure if I’ve tried authentic Moroccan food. But, I can always try to figure it out.”
I think he was a bit intoxicated because the conversation started to get really random after awhile. I wonder if he recalls the list he gave me.
“First, I want to learn how to make pasta from scratch.” he said.
“Easy.” I replied.
“Then, I want to see how you make fried chicken.” he suggested.
“That’s fine. But, it’s a lot of work.” I replied.
“That’s fine. After that Moroccan.” he said.
“That one I am not sure of. But, there’s always the Internet. We can find anything on the Internet.” I said.
Well, promises are promises. I guess I needed to get started. First off, couscous with sweet potatoes and preserved lemons. I am not sure if this is authentic Moroccan. But, I think I am headed in the right direction.
Moroccan spices are a good start. Moroccan preserved lemons even better. Sweet, dried fruit, some couscous. It was really tasty. I loved the balance of salty, sweet and a refreshing kick of lemon.
It was delicious. This would be a great side dish or good eaten all by itself.
| Savory Lemon Week: Couscous with Sweet Potatoes and Preserved Lemons |
- 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, small diced
- 2 Tbsp grapeseed oil
- Salt to taste
- 1 large onion, peeled and minced
- 1¾ cups water
- 1¾ cups couscous
- 1 preserved lemon
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup dried cherries or cranberries, coarsely chopped (optional)
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ⅔ cup pine nuts, toasted
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees.
- Toss the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of oil and light salt in a large baking dish or pan.
- Cook on the upper rack of the oven until the potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. (Don’t overcook.)
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a saute pan and cook the onions over medium high heat with a bit of salt until translucent.
- Add the sweet potatoes and onions into a large bowl.
- Cut the preserved lemon in quarters. Scoop out the insides and reserve. Remove the rind from the skin. Cut the skin into ¼ inch pieces.
- Add them to the sweet potato/onion mixture. Then, press the reserved flesh through a strainer to extract the liquid. Add the liquid to the sweet potato/onion mixture.
- Bring 1¾ cups water to a boil with a teaspoon of salt, turn off heat and add the couscous. Let sit for 10 minutes covered. Once done, fluff couscous with a fork.
- Add the couscous to the sweet potato/onion mixture.
- Add the raisins, cherries or cranberries, ground cinnamon, parsley and toasted pine nuts. Mix well.
- Serve warm. It can also be served at room temperature.
- Enjoy!
I hope my boyfriend’s friend will like it.
Tomorrow, another Moroccan recipe.
Adapted from: http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/11/israeli-couscous-with-butternut/