Couscous with Confit Vegetables: A Legacy of the Imazighen People

Today we are going to cook this couscous with confit vegetables confit in oil and mixed into the grains, a versatile, traditional staple from North Africa.

The Arabic term kuskusū, which refers to both the semolina and the dish itself, first appears in the cookbooks of the medieval Islamic West during the 12th and 13th centuries. However, couscous is of Berber or Amazigh origin, belonging to the indigenous ethnic groups of North Africa.

Derived from the word ‘barbarian’, ‘Berber’ is the name given to these people by Greco-Roman outsiders, and later by the Arabs. They themselves never used this word to define who they were. Instead, they used the term Imazighen, which means ‘the free men’. It is to their ingenuity that we owe the technique of transforming durum wheat into steam-cooked grains.

In 2020, UNESCOinscribed the knowledge, practices, and traditions related to the preparation and consumption of couscous on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

And now, let’s get to our recipe. I have used the vegetables that I find most suitable for this dish, but the recipe will work just as well if you choose your favorites or whatever you happen to have on hand.

Couscous with Confit Vegetables

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Raciones

2

raciones

Tiempo de preparación

10

minutes

Tiempo de cocinado

25

minutes

Ingredientes

• 200 g coscous (approx. 1 cup)

• 200 ml vegetable broth (approx. 1 cup)

• Half a red bell pepper

• Half a green bell pepper

• 1 onion

• 1 carrot

• A knob of butter

• Salt

• Black pepper

• 1 tsp curry powder

• Extra virgin olive oil

Instrucciones

• Cover the bottom of a pan with enough olive oil to sweat the vegetables.
• Add all the finely diced vegetables to the pan. Cook them over medium-low heat for about 20–25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• While the vegetables are simmering, hydrate the couscous. Heat the vegetable broth, and once hot, remove it from the heat.
• Add the couscous to rehydrate it, and cover the pot. Let it rest for 3 minutes.
• Once the couscous has rehydrated, mix in the butter to fluff the grains and add creaminess.
• Add the couscous and a teaspoon of curry powder to the vegetables.
• Sauté everything together for about 5 minutes so the flavors meld. Your couscous is now ready to serve!

Vídeo de la receta

Notas

• This dish can be enjoyed both hot and cold. During the summer months, I love letting it rest in the fridge and serving it chilled, either as a side dish or as a light meal.

Want to pair your meals with a different side? I suggest a delicious rice infused with cardamom.