Recipe: Couscous Royale

This is a decadent Moroccan recipe that I first had in Belgium of all places. Brussels has a thriving Moroccan community and they brought this recipe to the area and it's served in most of the Moroccan Restaurants in the Moroccan districts. If you can't get the spicy lamb Merguez sausages then use good quality thin beef chipolatas if you can get them.

Ingredients

1 Medium Onion thinly sliced
2 Cloves of Garlic finely chopped
1 Medium carrot diced into 2cm cubes
1/2 Butternut Squash diced into 2cm cubes
2-3 Turnips diced into 2cm cubes
1-2 Preserved Lemons roughly chopped
8-10 Green Olives
1 tspn Cinnamon
1 tspn ground Ginger
1/2 tspn Cumin
1/2 tspn Paprika
A pinch of Saffron
A drizzle of Honey
1 Medium tomato chopped
Chicken or Vegetable stock
A pinch of salt
A pinch of black pepper
A pinch of Cayenne pepper
4 Merguez Saiusages
2 Medium Chicken breasts
Olive oil
Harissa

Method

In a clay tagine or a medium-sized lidded saucepan, saute all the vegetables gently in a little olive oil until the Onion and Garlic are soft but not browned. Add the Preserved Lemons, olives, spices and cinnamon and saute for 2 minutes more. Add the stock, tomato, honey and saffron. Season with the salt, pepper and cayenne to taste. Place the lid on the tagine or saucepan and simmer gently until the carrot, squash and turnips are softened but not quite cooked through. Put a grill pan on a medium heat to warm up. Slice the chicken into chunks and coat with Olive oil. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Cook the chicken and Merguez Sausages on the grill pan until lightly browned and cooked through. Serve the vegetables over Couscous with the grilled chicken, sausages and Harissa on the side.