Couscous Royale is the Parisian version of the traditional Moroccan dish- but on steroids. Much like the Dutch rijsttafel (“rice-table”), in an attempt to show the full breadth exciting cuisines from foreign lands, the French created a combination of dishes that showed off the “best of” that cuisine. The French achieved this feat in this one dish.
Couscous Royale- Moroccan Couscous with Lamb Stew & Grilled Meat
This Moroccan feast in-one-dish is perfect for a large dinner party. It highlights some of the best of Moroccan cuisine- delicate meatballs, luscious vegetable and lamb stews, spicy grilled merguez sausage and, of course, couscous. It's a bit of a project but most of the dish's components can be done well in advance. This recipe has been adapted from the version originally printed in the November 2012 issue of Saveur.
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Servings: 12
Equipment
- Large pot or Dutch Oven
- Large bowl
- Sealable plastic freezer bag
- Slotted spoon
- Metal skewers or soaked wood skewers
- Medium saucepan
- Grill or heavy grill pan
Ingredients
Lamb Stew
- ⅓ cup Olive oil
- ½ cup All-purpose flour
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 medium Onion, roughly chopped
- 2 ribs Celery, chopped
- 2 medium Carrots, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 small Red chilis
- 1 medium Turnip, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium Zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ cup Golden raisins (Sub: black raisins or prunes)
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ¼ tsp Saffron, crushed
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
- 2 sticks Cinnamon
- 2 large Bay Leaves
- 4 cup Chicken stock
- 15 oz Can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed (Sub: canned tomato sauce or diced tomatoes)
- 1 cup Dried chickpeas, soaked overnight (Sub: 1 can of chickpeas)
- 1 small Cabbage, cored and roughly chopped
- 1 bunch Parsley, chopped
- 1 large Lemon, juiced
Meatballs
- 1 lb Ground lamb
- 1½ tbsp Ground cumin
- 1½ tbsp Paprika
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1 large Egg
- 1 tsp Each: Kosher salt and black pepper
Marinated Meats
- 8 Baby lamb chops (optional)
- 1 lb Chicken thighs, boneless and cut into 1×2-inch pieces
- 8 long Merguez sausages (Sub: hot Italian sausage) Homemade merguez sausage recipe
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1½ tbsp Cumin
- ½ cup Cilantro, chopped
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Each: Kosher salt and black pepper
Couscous
- 3 cups Fine-grain couscous
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp Olive oil
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- ½ tsp Black pepper
Instructions
Make Stew
- Heat oil in an 8 quart saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Place flour in a plastic freezer bag. Working in batches, season lamb with salt and pepper and shake in bag to cover in flour. Brown lamb cubes on all sides, about 6 minutes per batch. With a slotted spoon, transfer cooked meat to a large bowl.
- Add onion, celery, carrot, chili pepper, turnip, and zucchini to pot over medium heat. Cook and stir until golden brown, about 12-15 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, paprika, ginger, saffron, cinnamon, bay leaves, and raisins. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until lightly caramelized. Return lamb to pot along with chickpeas, tomato, cabbage, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil then lower heat to medium. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are tender, about 2½ hours. Stir in parsley and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and return cover to keep warm.
Make Meatballs
- Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix to combine. Pinch off enough meat to roll into 1-inch (2.5 cm) balls. Thread 3-4 balls onto skewers, place on a plate and keep chilled in refrigerator until ready to cook.
Marinate Meats
- Combine all marinate ingredient in a seal top bag and shake to cover chicken thighs and, if using, lamb chops. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Make Couscous
- Bring water, oil, and butter to a boil. in a large saucepan. Stir in couscous and season with salt and pepper. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit, untouched, until water is absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside with cover back on.
Serve Couscous Royale
- Preheat the grill to medium-hot, or heat a cast iron grill pan or large skillet over medium-high heat. Grill on both sides and in batches; chicken for 10 minutes, Meatballs for 15 minutes, lamb chops (if using) for 7 minutes, and 15-18 minutes for sausages.
- To serve, Make a pyramid of couscous on a large serving platter. Decorate couscous with stew and meats. Conversely, serve couscous, meats, and stew in separate serving pieces on the table. Serve with harissa on the side.
Nutrition
Calories: 679kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 142mg | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 1220mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 2360IU | Vitamin C: 48mg | Calcium: 132mg | Iron: 7mg