I am passionate about ethnic cuisine, there’s no denying it! I love replicating many recipes whose spicy ingredients are able, with their savoriness, to partially replace salt! Couscous is one of them! After learning the art of its preparation from a Moroccan friend, I always try to apply the basic rule to make this dish, then season it with seasonal legumes and vegetables. Today I want to reveal this secret, which consists of massaging the raw semolina grains very slowly with turmeric, ginger, curry, and the addition of cloves before letting them steam cook. It really makes a difference! And here is my proposal for today, a dish I made several weeks ago and unfortunately only now I could share here on the blog! It’s a brightly colored and captivating dish that, as always, is inspired by Middle Eastern cuisine, because it is rich with the intense aromas of spices and the use of soy sauce, then adapting to the flavors and traditions of Mediterranean cuisine! So the last artichokes of winter can be validly replaced with asparagus, but you will also find fresh broad beans, and especially strawberries, with their unmistakable aroma! A pleasure for the eyes and the palate, to be enjoyed as a single dish with the first warm days of spring. Extraordinarily rich in beneficial nutrients for the body, and therefore essentially perfect for facing the seasonal change and loading up on vitamins and minerals!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 5 Minutes
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Steam cooking
- Cuisine: International
Ingredients:
- 10.5 oz uncooked couscous
- 1.5 cups vegetable broth
- 4 artichokes
- 7 oz broad beans, shelled and peeled
- 3 slices turkey
- 7 oz strawberries
- 8.8 oz cherry tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons turmeric powder
- 1 teaspoon ginger powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon curry
- 4 cloves
- 1 bunch chopped parsley
- 5 leaves mint
- to taste mix of dried herbs
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 1/2 lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
Preparation:
Clean the artichokes, removing the outer leaves until you reach the heart. Also, remove the central choke, then slice them very thinly into julienne strips and plunge them into lemon acidulated water. Blanch them for 3 minutes and drain. In a wok, brown the garlic with two tablespoons of oil and two of the cooking water. Add the artichokes (fig. 1).
In the same water where you blanched the artichokes, blanch the broad beans for 2 minutes, drain and add them to the dressing (fig. 2).
Let it simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes, adding more water if necessary. The artichokes should remain a bit crunchy. Adjust the salt and pepper and turn off the heat (fig. 3).
Meanwhile, massage the raw couscous with two tablespoons of oil, the spices, some chopped parsley leaves, and the cloves for a few minutes (fig. 4).
In a pot, bring the vegetable broth to a boil, then turn off the heat, pour in the couscous, and cover with a lid (fig. 5).
Let it rest for 5 minutes, then fluff with the tines of a fork (fig. 6).
Once well fluffed, let it cool slightly (fig. 7).
Separately, on a very hot grill, cook the turkey slices for 3 minutes on each side, slightly moistened with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and flavored with the mix of dried herbs (fig. 8).
Once grilled, cut them into diamonds and add them to the artichoke and broad bean dressing. Add the cherry tomatoes and strawberries cut into quarters and drizzle everything with two tablespoons of oil, three of soy sauce, and the juice of half a lemon. Adjust the salt (fig. 9).
Transfer the cooled couscous into a large salad bowl, removing the cloves (fig. 10).
Enhance it with all the dressing and mint leaves and mix evenly.
Serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and another drizzle of oil if desired. Alternatively, put it in the fridge for 1 hour before plating.
And voilà… your couscous with artichokes, strawberries, and turkey with soy sauce is ready to be enjoyed!
Bon Appétit from FeFe’s kitchen!
