Couscous with Seven Vegetables

Method

Couscous with seven vegetables is the great communal dish of Morocco, traditionally the Friday meal, and the number is a matter of abundance rather than a strict rule — the point is a generous, varied pile of vegetables steamed over a fragrant broth. The grain is the vehicle; the vegetable stew spooned over the top is the dish. Prepare the vegetables in even, sturdy chunks so the harder roots and the softer squash and courgette finish together: cut the carrots and turnips into batons, the squash into large cubes, the cabbage into wedges, and the courgette into thick rounds.

Soften the chopped onion in the olive oil in a large deep pot, then stir in the ras el hanout, turmeric, and ginger and cook for a minute until fragrant — moroccan-cuisine|the spice base should smell warm and rounded, not hot. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook them down for a few minutes until they slump. Now add the firmest vegetables first: the carrots and turnips. Pour in the vegetable stock, season, bring to a simmer, and cook for ten minutes before adding the butternut squash and cabbage. The staggering keeps everything at the right texture rather than reducing the roots to mush while the squash is still raw.

Meanwhile prepare the couscous. Tip it into a wide bowl and stir through a little olive oil and salt to coat the grains. Bring some of the vegetable broth to the boil and pour it over in a ratio of roughly one and a half parts liquid to one part couscous, cover tightly, and leave it off the heat to steam for five minutes — cold liquid gives clumped, unevenly hydrated grains, so the broth must be boiling. Fluff the couscous thoroughly with a fork, breaking up any clumps, until it is light and separate.

Return to the pot for the last stage: add the courgette and the drained chickpeas and simmer for a further ten minutes, until every vegetable is tender and the broth has taken on their sweetness. Taste and adjust the seasoning. To serve, heap the fluffy couscous onto a large platter, make a well in the centre, and pile the vegetables in with a few ladlefuls of the broth spooned over so the grain drinks it up. Scatter with fresh coriander, and put the remaining broth and a bowl of harissa on the table for people to adjust their own bowls.