Date And Almond Couscous Food

COUSCOUS WITH DATES, RAISINS, AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, combine water, butter, orange peel and juice, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to a boil. Add the couscous to the boiling water. Remove from heat and cover for ten minutes. Liquid should be absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
• In a small frying pan, heat the almonds over medium heat, stirring continuously until toasted. Add the raisins and dates and butter. Heat all until butter is melted.
• Serve couscous spread over a platter, top with topping mixture. Sprinkle a bit of powdered sugar over the top.

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt to boil in medium saucepan. Add couscous; stir 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Transfer to large bowl to cool.
• Whisk olive oil, lemon juice, lemon peel, and cardamom to blend in small bowl. Drizzle over couscous. Mix in garbanzo beans, dates, almonds, minced cilantro, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand at room temperature at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Garnish with cilantro sprigs.

COUSCOUS WITH DRIED DATES

Steps:

• Bring the water, stock, and oil to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the dates followed by the couscous. Cover the pan tightly with a lid, remove from the heat, and allow to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

DATE AND ALMOND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat; cook and stir onion in the hot oil until lightly browned and very tender, about 30 minutes.
• Stir couscous into onion mixture; turn heat to medium. Cook and stir couscous until fragrant and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Pour broth over couscous mixture and bring to a boil; reduce heat, cover skillet, and simmer until couscous has absorbed all the liquid, 5 to 10 minutes.
• Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat; cook and stir ham in the hot oil until lightly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Mix ham, dates, almonds, olives, parsley, salt, and pepper into couscous mixture; cook and stir until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.

SPICED HERB & ALMOND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat some oil in a roasting tray and then add the onions and fry for about 5 mins until just softened. While you're frying, add the saffron strands to the stock if using, so the flavour and colour infuses. (If you are making the Fragrant chicken too (see 'Goes well with') use the same pan to add flavour to this dish and leave the juices in there, but you can tip out some of the chicken fat if you like).
• Tip the chilli into the tray, fry for 1 min more, then take off the heat. Add the couscous and stock, then cover with cling film for 10 mins. Once the couscous has absorbed all the stock, quickly chop the coriander (if you chop it too soon it will start to wilt), then fork it through the couscous with the almonds, dates and lemon juice and serve straight away. To serve cold, leave to cool, then add the chopped coriander just before eating.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN COUSCOUS WITH DATES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken, then cook for 10 mins or until browned on both sides. Remove and put in a large baking dish with the dry couscous.
• Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon along with the stock, cumin, cinnamon and dates, then bring to the boil.
• Pour the date mixture over the chicken and couscous, sprinkle over the almonds, cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Serve sprinkled with the remaining zest and parsley.

YVONNE MAFFEI'S ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS, DATES AND BUTTERED ALMONDS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof dish or pot with a tight lid, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the lemon juice, the ginger, the pepper and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the chicken and rub it around in the mixture until evenly coated. Turn chicken breast side down and roast, uncovered, for 50 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine couscous, 2 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Set aside for 5 to 15 minutes to soak.
• In a small skillet, melt the butter. Add almonds and cook, stirring constantly, just until toasted and golden; adjust heat so almonds and butter do not scorch. Turn off heat and stir in dates.
• Add almond-date mixture to couscous, along with any butter left in pan, and mix, fluffing the grains with a fork. Mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the sugar, the cinnamon and the orange blossom water (if using).
• Drizzle or paint honey over top of chicken (leave chicken breast-side down in pot). Add couscous mixture to the pot, arranging it around the chicken. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and return to the oven for 30 minutes more.
• Remove from the oven. When cool enough to handle, remove chicken and carve into serving pieces. Stir and fluff couscous, scraping up any chicken skin stuck to bottom of pan, and place chicken pieces back on top of couscous. Sprinkle with chopped herbs and serve immediately.