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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Course: Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: African, Morocco, North Africa, Parisian

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 3

Marinating: 1

Total Time: 4 30

Servings:

Author: My Hungry Traveler

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

Couscous with Lamb Stew & Grilled Meats (Couscous Royale)