Mix & Match

Even if on auto-pilot because of sickness or fatigue, I still cook. It’s simply a matter of survival for me. Fortunately for my family and myself, cooking is such a second nature, a no-brainer, a profoundly engraved habit that even in when my damaged mind go on sick-leave, I still can cook. Mix & Match… That’s what I often do when I cook. A moroccan seasoning, a western-style steamed vegetable and a middle-eastern stapple served the western way for example… Isn’t called “Fusion Cuisine” in fancy restaurants ? Moroccan Meatballs This recipe can be halved. I always make a lot and use them three different ways. We eat one 3rd of the recipe the first time I make them. Then I freeze separatly the 2 other thirds to make a mexican soup and a moroccan tagine. 4 pounds ground beef 2 eggs 2 medium yellow onions roughly chopped 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves (packed) ½ cup fresh flat parsley leaves (packed) 3 garlic bulbs 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 and ½ teaspoons salt (or to taste) 1 teaspoon freshly groud pepper Put the ground meat in a large bowl and add the eggs. Don’t mix yet. In the bowl of your food processor, put all the other ingredients. Process, scrapping the sides from time to time, until the onions are finely chopped. Add the onion mixture to the meat and eggs in the bowl. Mix well with your hands. Pre-heat the oven to 350 F. Form the meat in 1 inch meatballs. Put on a cookie sheet previously covered with foil (makes it easy for later cleanup). Cook 15 minutes or until the meat is no longer pink inside the meatballs. Steamed Couscous Cooking couscous by adding boiling water to it is an heresy in the eyes of moroccan cooks, myself included. Couscous should be steamed ! If you want a really good couscous and not an infamous mushy mess, steaming it is the way to go. In Morocco we use a “couscoussier”. It’s a special pot with a pierced top. It’s not easy to find one in western countries. But you can use a saucepan with the steaming top accessory that comes with all good pot sets. Never cover the steaming couscous. 3 cups cousous (I use whole wheat couscous) 1 tablespoon butter 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and pepper to taste Put the cousous in a large bowl. Add cold water until the water is 1 inch above the couscous. Mix with your hand and immediately pour through a fine sieve to drain. As soon as it is drained, put the couscous back in the bowl. Pass your finger through the couscous mass to break it a bit. Just roughly. No need to have all the grain separated. Leave the couscous to dry a bit for 15 minutes or so. During this time, bring water to boil in a saucepan on which you can adapt a steaming top. The water level shouldn’t be more than 2/3 of the saucepan so boiling water doesn’t touch the bottom of the steam accessory. Pass again your finger in the grains to separate them well this time. If there’s lumps left, just rub them gently between your two palms. Put the couscous in the top of the steamer, in a mound fashion. Let cook until the steam is visibly passing through the couscous grains. Let then the steam pass through the couscous during 3 minutes or so. Remove the steaming-top from the saucepan and pass it under running hot water just until the water begins to run through the steaming top to the sink. When you see the water coming through the steaming top, remove it swiftly from the running water. It takes seconds only to “rinse” the couscous. Add butter, olive oil on top of the couscous. Sprinkle salt and pepper on it too. With a wire whisk, separate the mass of couscous to “aerate” it until the added ingredients are well incorporated. Return the steaming top on the saucepan of boiling water (add water if it evaporated to much in the saucepan). Once you can see the steam clearly going through the couscous, remove the steaming top from the saucepan and empty it in a bowl. Taste the couscous and adjust salt or pepper by sprinkling them on the couscous. With the wire whisk, aerate again the couscous. It’s now ready to serve. Couscous cooked this way can be refrigerated or frozen in a ziplock bag. Simply steam again or micro-wave to re-heat and it’ll taste like freshly made.

Bon appétit !