Lamb Semoule (Couscous)
I am a Parisian. I was brought up in Paris from a French father and an Algerian mother. I ate lots of Algerian food growing up, either cooked by my mother, my grandmother, or one of my numerous aunts. This type of mixed Arabic/French background is very common in France, which is one of the reasons why more and more Arabic influenced dishes are appearing in French cuisine. It is pretty common, nowadays, to see “Couscous” appear on a traditional French bistro’s blackboard, including in Paris.
I have chosen “Couscous” as a “dish from my hometown”. Here, I refer not only to the grain, which we call “Semoule” in French, but also the delicious sauce that is served with it. In northern African countries, this is typically eaten on Fridays. This recipe works really well for vegetarians too, so simply remove the meat and add some preferred vegetables.
Feel free to double up this recipe as the sauce can last in the fridge for a few days. Simply make the dry couscous right before serving.
I like to cook my food quite rich. Feel free to use less olive oil (although I don’t recommend it the first time around) than what I recommend.
Serves 4 hungry mouths or 6 regular mouths as a main.
Ingredients
400g neck of lamb (or another bony, fatty cut of lamb), cut into roughly 2-3 cm thick “steaks”.
400g of bone-in chicken thigh. You can use drumsticks, although chicken thighs will be better for this recipe. Don't use chicken breast.
3 large carrots, peeled, then cut along the length, then cut in 5 cm chunks.
4 large turnips or 8 small ones. Peeled, then if large cut in quarters, and if small, cut in halves.
2 medium courgettes, or 4 small ones. Peeled by leaving a “zebra pattern” (in the end, you will have peeled half of the courgette), then cut along the width into 2 cm thick circles.
400g cooked canned chickpeas, drained (or 180g dry chickpeas, which will cook in the sauce— make sure to soak these in water the night before cooking, and discard the soaking water).
20g of tomato puree.
3 medium onions, chopped roughly.
4 garlic cloves, peeled.
1 large bunch of coriander or 2 small bunches of coriander cut roughly.
500g dry couscous.
3 tablespoons of olive oil.
Chicken stock (or vegetable stock)
Water
Salt
Optional: dried ground coriander.
Method
In a frying pan, heat the oil then sautè onion, garlic and coriander together until you get a green looking, almost smooth paste (stop blitzing just before it is completely smooth - you should still have small solid bits of onion in). Set aside.
Using a deep, large pot for which you have a lid (if you have one of these iron-cast “Le Creuset” type dishes, use it!) heat up the olive oil on medium-high heat. When hot (before it starts to smoke), add the lamb and chicken skin face down. Try to make sure that all of the meat is getting contact with the pot. If impossible, make sure to alternate the different bits of meat. This will make the fat render. When the fat on the bits of meat looks golden, move on to the next step. This should take 5-10 minutes (if making vegetarian couscous, you can skip the meat, but still add the same amount of olive oil).
Add in the blitzed almost-smooth paste from step 1 and stir everything vigorously. Your kitchen should now be filled with a delicious smell. Add 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir frequently for the next 5-10 minutes, making sure that the paste does not burn. If the bottom of the pan starts to stick, feel free to add dashes of olive oil.
Mix the tomato puree with a tiny bit of boiling water so that the mixture is roughly liquid and add it to the pot. Stir.
Add 500 ml of stock (chicken or vegetable) and 1L of water. Add the turnips and carrots and wait for the sauce to boil. When it has, reduce the heat to medium-low and cover. Simmer for at least 45 minutes, and up to 3h. Feel free to reduce the heat even more if the sauce is boiling under the lid.
Taste the sauce. Add either another 500 ml of stock (chicken or vegetable) or another 500 ml of water or 250 ml of stock and 250 ml of water, depending on your taste (the sauce should just cover the vegetables, no more). Optionally, feel free to add one teaspoon of ground coriander (or more or less depending on taste, just make sure to taste the sauce and add incrementally) at this point. Add the courgette and cover. If using dried chickpeas add them now. Simmer for another 30 minutes on medium heat. Feel free to reduce the heat even more if the sauce is boiling under the lid.
Remove the lid, bring the heat to medium and let the sauce simmer until it roughly has the consistency of a curry - this should take anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes. If using canned chickpeas, add them in the last 10 minutes of simmering the sauce.
Cook dry couscous according to package instruction. Make sure to add either olive oil or butter and 1 teaspoon of salt afterwards if the package does not specify it.
Serve the sauce on top of the cooked couscous with plenty of vegetables and meat if using.
Enjoy!
Written by Raphael Lenain
Raphael lives in London, where he works for a startup in healthcare. In his free time he likes to cook feasts for his friends, DJ and even produce music. He is also a big fan of the outdoors, and is always up for a good walk. On Saturday mornings, you might find him at the farmers market, or cycling around Hackney.
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