Tuesday, February 16, 2010

A Moorish Chicken Stew With Couscous Salad



After a lovely lunch to celebrate the Chinese new year at our local Chinese, one of the tummies left for Sydney for work, so I will be cooking for two for the next few nights. A quick dash to the supermarket once we had decided on the dinner menu, we spent the rest of the afternoon in the sun over a few glasses of lovely local wine.
This is an extremely easy meal to prepare especially if you already have some harissa  on hand. Vary the recipe by adding preserved lemon or dried figs if your heart desires. Whole quails can be used if you really want to make an impression on your guests.

serves 4 to 6
you'll need;
1 kg of free range  chicken drumsticks or a whole chicken cut into 18 pieces
1 hot chorizo sausage, sliced and browned
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomato
4 tbs of harissa, for the recipe click here 
1 onion, chopped
rind of one lemon
2 bay leaves
250 ml of chicken stock
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbs of smoked paprika
salt and pepper to taste

for the couscous salad;
2 cups of couscous
2 cups of vegetable stock
2 tbs of olive oil or butter
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
2 tomatoes, chopped
a handful of sultanas
a handful of almond flakes
rind of one lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the chicken pieces and set aside.

Fry onion til translucent then add in the harrisa, continue to stir for a few minutes on medium heat.

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 to 10 minutes then return the chicken and chorizo pieces together with the rest of the ingredients and stock, simmer for 15 minutes.

Add eggplant pieces and cook for 10 minutes follow by zucchini and simmer for a further 10 minutes.

If the stew is too runny, remove the solids and reduce the sauce further. Check for seasonings.

For the couscous salad - Pour hot stock and olive oil over couscous, cover and leave for 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff up the couscous then add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well, check for seasonings.

Serve couscous with the chicken stew and top with more chopped parsley and almond flakes.

The leftover was turned into a delicious pasta sauce the following evening.

41 comments:

  1. I love the idea of using the leftovers as a pasta sauce.

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  2. i love stew! yours look very comfy. never had it with couscous...pretty much more with rice

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  3. Mmmm.....I would love this dish. Looks delicious. You make me want to try the couscous again. I've just tried it at a restaurant last week and it tasted horrible.....dry and tasteless.

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  4. Wow this is great! I can imagine using whole quails for this dish!

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  5. Yummy! I have no idea couscous is so easy to prepare! Using the leftovers as a pasta sauce is brilliant!

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  6. 又是一年美好的开始,又是一段幸福的时光,又一次真诚地祝福你:过年好!

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  7. looking yummy...and leftover stew for pasta...fab idea...

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  8. Bo,
    Thank you!

    Ann,
    Thanks! Try having it with couscous next time.

    Mary,
    Thank you :) You could have been served precooked couscous :( Try making it and let me know.

    Shanshan,
    Haha it is very easy indeed.

    addiechang,
    謝謝!我也祝你萬事如意!

    cicily,
    Haha thank you very much!

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  9. Mmm...sounds perfect dish. Never tried couscous before, love trying...

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  10. The stew looks fantastic! Your step by step photos actually convinced me it is not a very difficult meal to make!

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  11. Looks fabulous, I had forgotten it was the Chinese New Year :0(... I will celebrate tonight :0)

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  12. mmmmmmmmmm looks so very yummy!! ill have to make the harissa first..will sure do ~ tq ^^

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  13. Plusieurs recettes à base de couscous.
    Quel plaisir.
    See soon.

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  14. I really want to try that salad! Looks great and colorful!

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  15. Couscous salad looks heavenly....can't wait to try it!

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  16. This looks divine ..Hope you had a wonderful New year day and a happy V day :-)

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  17. Never tried couscous before and your stew looks yummy!

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  18. Ok, I think I can make this one! It doesn't look TOO difficult. If i mess up, then I will at least have some delicious Couscous! :)

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  19. Yum! What an incredible meal! I love the addition of chorizo and the homemade harissa!

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  20. wow!!! looks so mouthwatering..i m drooling

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  21. Love this combo!! The chicken looks yummy!! I am a big fan of chicken.. hehe

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  22. Anncoo,
    Thank you! Try it I think you'll like it.

    rosa,
    Thanks! Nothing is difficult on this blog :)

    Eternally Distracted ,
    Thank you! Enjoy!

    zurin,
    Thanks! Please do!

    Saveurs et Gourmandises,
    Merci!!!

    Michael,
    Thanks! Please do!

    Angie,
    Thank you !

    Gulimor,
    Thanks :) I did have a very nice weekend :)

    Cheah,
    Thank you! You must give it a try soon.

    Paul,
    Oh you won't fail haha!

    5 Stars Foodie,
    Thank you! I love adding chorizo to many dishes :)

    Sarah,
    Thank you :)

    mycookinghut,
    Thank you! It is my favourite too, a lot of people find it too common though lol

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  23. I adore couscous and the chicken looks fantastic! What and great way to reinvent the sauce the next day!

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  24. Harriet from CarltonFebruary 17, 2010 at 9:20 AM

    Simply superb! Love the combinations and thanks for the recipe for harissa too!

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  25. Delicious! I can imagine all those wonderful flavours and love the idea of using whole quails.
    I made the broccoli pesto yesterday and it was an instant hit! ;)

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  26. Oh wow, this looks so good!! I love couscous, too so I'm definitely saving this recipe. :)

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  27. Delicious meal...love the idea of adding sultanas and almond on the couscous...the chicken makes a great pair!

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  28. This looks like a big bowl of flavour, yum. I am particularly smitten by the crispy bits of chorizo. I'm not sure they would have actually made it into the dish if I were standing close by :)

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  29. Great dish buddy! I like how you reinvent the sauce the following night!
    Cheers!

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  30. that sounds so rich, with plenty of layers of flavor!

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  31. I'm having people over for dinner on Friday, this seems like a perfect dish! How many quail/person would you suggest if I'm serving desserts as well? Do I brown the quails first?

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  32. woww..yummy and looks so appealing :).. new here and u have got a beautiful blog :)..following u dear :)

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  33. Even the leftover is yummy looking ^_^

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  34. Yasmin,
    Thank you! The idea just came up haha.

    Harriet,
    Thank you very much!

    love to eat ,
    Thank you! I'm glad you like the broccoli pesto! :)

    sook,
    Thank you :) Hope you try it!

    Juliana ,
    Thank you! Yeah they add so much flovours and texture to the dish.

    Conor,
    Haha thanks! I almost have to tie up my hands to stop finishing them before starting the dish too :)

    fitzboy,
    Thank you! It was great as pasta sauce :)

    Amelia PS ,
    Thank you! It is a lot lighter than it looks.

    Ju,
    Thank you very much! :)

    KL girl in MELB,
    If you are getting the jumbo quail, one each is enough, just make sure you have enough couscous salad for all. Yes brown the birds lightly before braising, half an hour should do. Good luck!

    Neetz ,
    Thank you very much! :)

    noobcook,
    Haha thank you very much! :)

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  35. Another great dish! I'm a very big fan of couscous and the chicken looks amazing!

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  36. Tricia,
    Thank you very much!

    my kitchen,
    Thank you!

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  37. Mister Chapot would love this plate, couscous, spices, tu aurais fait un heureux avec ce plat !

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  38. chapot,
    Thank you very much! absolument!

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  39. Very nice recipe.I am having difficulty finding halal chorizo (i'm muslim) in Kuala Lumpur.any suggestions as to where I can get them.I already tried Jusco and Cold storage supermarkets.they don't seem to have.feel really appreciate an early response

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