Tunisian stew with couscous

Ingredients for 3 servings:

• 300 g couscous
• 300 g lean meat of your choice
• 1 small can of tomato paste, double concentrated
• some harissa
• olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 vegetable onion(s)
• 1 small zucchini
• 2 carrots
• 1 kohlrabi
• 3 bay leaves
• turmeric
• cumin
• Ginger, ground
• Coriander, ground
• Pepper, white
• Spice mix (couscous spice)
• 1 ½ liters of beef broth
• possibly potatoes
• possibly chickpeas

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour

original Tunisian recipe

Peel the carrots, onion, and kohlrabi. Cut the carrots into 1 cm thick slices, the kohlrabi into strips, and the onion into thick rings. Wash the zucchini, quarter it lengthwise, and then cut it into 1 cm thick slices. Brown the meat and add some seasoning, if desired. Mix the tomato paste with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of harissa, and 2 crushed garlic cloves. Bring 1.5 liters of beef broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the tomato paste mixture, the meat, carrots, and kohlrabi to the broth. Season with 8-9 teaspoons of couscous spice mix, 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric, 1/2 teaspoon of coriander, a little white pepper, ginger, and cumin. Then stir the bay leaves into the pot. Simmer for about 30 minutes. If the sauce is a bit too runny, add another 15 minutes. Now it’s time to adjust the seasoning: If you want a more intense flavor, add a little cumin and 1-2 teaspoons of couscous seasoning. Add the zucchini and onions and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. The vegetables should be soft. If the sauce is still too thin, reduce until it reaches the desired consistency. Remove the bay leaves. Prepare the couscous according to the package instructions. Serve in deep plates: First the couscous, then the meat and vegetables. Tip: Veal escalope tastes particularly delicious and becomes wonderfully tender when cooked. For a vegetarian option, simply omit the meat and replace the beef broth with vegetable broth. Variation: If desired, you can also add a few small, boiled, peeled potatoes and/or a small can of chickpeas to the stew. However, the chickpeas should only be heated in the sauce. You may also need a little more broth – just add more if needed.