Couscous is one of my favorite wholegrains.
Mellow in nature, I love the way it takes on the flavor of the spices and herbs that surrounds it. Itself a a blank canvas, it needs to be infused in rich deep flavors to come into its own. It's good to remember that when cooking couscous because left blank, devoid of personality is the worse thing you can do to this delightful grain.
And that is exactly why, when I do couscous I pay special attention to the broth. As long as you've got a good, solid, delicious broth the couscous is bound to be good. And when it comes to infusing broths with aroma and flavor few things can compete with the Spice of Gold - Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. And for good reason.
Millions of flowers to produce 1 lb of saffron. Fascinating!
Growing up if there is one thing Mum knocked into my head, it was this - If it's saffron, it's got to be Spanish, from La Mancha (central Spain), the land of Don Quixote.
Did you know, that flowering takes place for a short period of only hours? And flowers are must be handpicked in the fields by skilled women called roseras within a specific period in late October.
After the harvest, the mondadoras, or petal-strippers, separate the stigmas from the rest of the flower, and gather them for the next step of the process, the toasting which is a century-old ritual that has essentially remained unchanged.
I am looking forward to this evening's dinner because it has been a long time since I fixed couscous (don't ask..it has to do with my low carb phase) so I really do want to make something of an event of it. And what better way than with fragrant aromatic saffron strands!
So let's fix some -
Couscous cooked in a saffron broth with succulent asparagus and carrots finished with raisins and cilantro. Wonderful as a side or a light lunch!
The main ingredients for this can be divided into 2 categories - broth & couscous. So for ease of preparation, I have separated the ingredients just so -
The ingredients on the left are for the broth. The ingredients above are for the couscous. In both, saffron strands are used. In broth they are slightly crushed to release oils and optimize flavor. In the couscous the are left intact.
The first order of business is to create the saffron broth.
For the Saffron broth - Begin with good quality store-bought chicken stock or homemade chicken stock as a base, Celery, yellow onion, thyme sprigs, whole black peppercorns, cloves, garlic cloves, fresh ginger root and 1/8 tsp saffron strands.
Prepare the broth ingredients -
Onion - Peel, discard skin and roughly dice
Celery - Cut of tips and 2" off the bottom. Roughly dice.
Carrots - Peel and halve along its length. Cut off the tips and set aside. Do not chop because it will be easier to remove and incorporate into the couscous.
Ginger - Peel and cut into big chunks
Garlic cloves - Peel and roughly dice into chunks
Saffron - Place in a dry mortar and pestle and crush.
In a saute pan large enough to hold the stock and the couscous, add 3 cups of the chicken stock . Add the diced vegetables 1 tsp salt, and bring to simmer on medium-high heat. Once it simmer add the crushed saffron.
Lower heat. Place a tight fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes till the stock is infused with herb and saffron flavors. Sieve the stock in a sieve. Discard all the residue vegetables except for the carrots.
In a meanwhile prepare the ingredients for the couscous -
Garlic & Ginger - Place peeled ginger root and peeled garlic cloves in a mini-chopper. Chop up the garlic and ginger till fine. Set aside.
Asparagus - Snap ends. Where they naturally snap is where the tough end meets the succulent lengths. Chop into little 1/2" circles. Leave the Asparagus tips intact. Do not chop the tips.
Spanish red onion - Peel and finely chop.
Leeks - Use only the bottom 2-1/2 inches (white and light green parts only). Halve, then quarter lengthwise and then chop fine.
Cilantro leaves - Finely chop.
Carrots - Chop into 1/2" pieces. Set aside.
Rinse and wipe dry the saute pan which you used for the stock. Melt 2 tbs butter in the pan. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute or so. Do not brown.
On medium heat, add the chopped onions and leeks. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions sweat. Do not brown.
Add the chopped asparagus and tips. Saute for another minute or so. Measure out 2-1/2 cups of the saffron broth and pour into the pan. Add 1/8 tsp whole saffron strands & raisins. Stir and bring to simmer.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and on medium-low heat cook for about 4 minutes till asparagus is tender. Add 1-1/2 cups instant couscous. Stir and replace the tight fitting lid on the pan. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, fluff the couscous with a fork. Top with a pat of butter if wanted. Stir in the carrots as well.
Serve immediately in a bowl if eating as a main.
Or serve the couscous as a side. Wonderful with poached fish, chicken or pan fried scallops.
The mix of aromatic herbs, spices and the saffron infused broth adds such wonderful flavor to the couscous. The saffron also imparts a lovely yellow tint throughout the dish.
The best surprise of all were the raisins imparting just the right hint of sweetness and I found myself looking forward to the next bite where I just might find another raisin.
This is such a lovely and delicate side to have in ones culinary repertoire and is my go-to side for a weeknight or when company is over.
Recipe for
Saffron Infused Couscous with Asparagus & Raisins
Preparation time - 20 minutes
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
For Saffron broth -
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 stalks celery
1 large carrot
2 garlic cloves
1" fresh ginger root
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp saffron strands
4-5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp whole black pepper corns
3 whole cloves
For Couscous -
1-1/2 cups instant couscous
1/2 medium Spanish red onion (for 1 cup finely chopped)
4 garlic cloves
1-1/2" fresh ginger root
20 asparagus stalks (to get 1 cup chopped + tips)
1/4 cup raisins
2 tbs butter
1/8 tsp saffron strands
2-1/2 cups saffron broth
Preparation -
Onion - Peel, discard skin and roughly dice
Celery - Cut of tips and 2" off the bottom. Roughly dice.
Carrots - Peel and halve along its length. Cut off the tips and set aside. Do not chop because it will be easier to remove and incorporate into the couscous.
Ginger - Peel and cut into big chunks
Garlic cloves - Peel and roughly dice into chunks
Saffron - Place in a dry mortar and pestle and crush.
In a saute pan large enough to hold the stock and the couscous, add 3 cups of the chicken stock . Add the diced vegetables 1 tsp salt, and bring to simmer on medium-high heat. Once it simmer add the crushed saffron.
Lower heat. Place a tight fitting lid and simmer for 20 minutes till the stock is infused with herb and saffron flavors. Sieve the stock in a sieve. Discard all the residue vegetables except for the carrots.
In a meanwhile prepare the ingredients for the couscous -
Garlic & Ginger - Place peeled ginger root and peeled garlic cloves in a mini-chopper. Chop up the garlic and ginger till fine. Set aside.
Asparagus - Snap ends. Where they naturally snap is where the tough end meets the succulent lengths. Chop into little 1/2" circles. Leave the Asparagus tips intact. Do not chop the tips.
Spanish red onion - Peel and finely chop.
Leeks - Use only the bottom 2-1/2 inches (white and light green parts only). Halve, then quarter lengthwise and then chop fine.
Cilantro leaves - Finely chop.
Carrots - Chop into 1/2" pieces. Set aside.
Rinse and wipe dry the saute pan which you used for the stock. Melt 2 tbs butter in the pan. Add the ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute or so. Do not brown.
On medium heat, add the chopped onions and leeks. Saute for 4-5 minutes until the onions sweat. Do not brown.
Add the chopped asparagus and tips. Saute for another minute or so. Measure out 2-1/2 cups of the saffron broth and pour into the pan. Add 1/8 tsp whole saffron strands & raisins. Stir and bring to simmer.
Cover with a tight fitting lid and on medium-low heat cook for about 4 minutes till asparagus is tender. Add 1-1/2 cups instant couscous. Stir and replace the tight fitting lid on the pan. Remove from heat and set aside for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, fluff the couscous with a fork. Top with a pat of butter if wanted. Stir in the carrots as well.
Serve immediately in a bowl if eating as a main.
Enjoy!
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