Minted Apricot Couscous Recipes

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan add a 2 count of extra-virgin olive oil. Add the red onion, apricots and almonds and saute gently over low heat until translucent and slightly fragrant. Add the couscous then dump in the warm chicken broth. Stir with a fork to combine, add lemon zest and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes, then uncover and add the scallions, mint, and cilantro. Fluff again with a fork. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
• Serve family-style on a large platter and garnish with fresh cilantro.

Steps:

• Finely grind coriander seeds in an electric coffee/spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
• Bring water, 2 tablespoons oil, and salt to a boil in a 1 1/2- to 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in couscous and coriander seeds, then cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in remaining tablespoon oil, apricots, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste

Steps:

• In a bowl, stir together the couscous, garlic, lemon zest, scallions, a pinch of salt and a grind or 2 of pepper. In a pot on high heat, bring the chicken stock and butter to a boil. Immediately pour over the couscous mixture, then quickly cover tightly with a lid or plastic wrap. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add the mint, fluff with a fork and stir in the olive oil. Serve warm.

Steps:

• Set couscous in a bowl. Pour boiling broth or water over it and let steep for 1/2 hour.
• Right before eating, heat some olive oil in a skillet. Add couscous and cook, stirring constantly, until couscous is warmed through.
• Remove it from the heat and add mint and fresh tomatoes; season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Set couscous in a bowl. Pour boiling broth or water over it and let steep for 1/2 hour.
• Right before eating, heat some olive oil in a skillet. Add couscous and cook, stirring constantly, until couscous is warmed through.
• Remove it from the heat and add mint and fresh tomatoes; season to taste with salt and pepper.

Steps:

• To prepare the Moroccan Spice Mix for the Chicken: Combine the cinnamon stick, cloves, cayenne, cumin, fennel, coriander, and paprika in a dry skillet over low heat and toast for just a minute to release the fragrant oils; shake the pan so they don't scorch. In a spice mill or clean coffee grinder, grind the toasted spices together, with 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and the brown sugar. (A word of advice: make sure you thoroughly wipe out your coffee grinder before you make coffee again - Moroccan spices taste great on chicken but horrible with coffee.)
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the chicken with cool water, inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels. Massage the chicken skin with the spice rub; make sure you don't miss a spot. Season the inside of the chicken generously with salt and pepper. Stuff the lemons halves, cilantro, and garlic in the cavity and place the chicken in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Fold the wing tips under the bird and tie the legs together with kitchen string. Drizzle the oil all over the chicken. If you have time, let the chicken marinate for 30 minutes to really get the flavors down deep into the meat. Roast the chicken for 1 hour; pop an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh; if it reads 160 degrees F, it's done. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes so the juices can settle back into the meat. Remove and discard the skin from the chicken. Pull the chicken from the bone and shred the meat, with your fingers or 2 forks. Put the shredded chicken in a large bowl and squeeze the lemon halves that have cooked inside the bird over the meat to moisten.
• To prepare the Apricot Couscous: Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the water over it, stir with a fork to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork. Put the apricots, almonds, green onions, mint, and cilantro on a cutting board and coarsely chop everything up; add this to the couscous. Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.
• To prepare the Green Olive Sauce: In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the shallots and chile over low heat for 8 minutes until caramelized, then scrape into a food processor. Add the olives, parsley, vinegar, lemon juice, and 1/2 cup of oil; puree a good 3 minutes until totally smooth.
• To put the whole thing together: put the shredded chicken and couscous on the lavosh bread, add a few spoonfuls of the olive sauce, and roll the sandwich up. Wrap in foil and take the sandwich to a picnic, if desired.

Steps:

• Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the apricots, scallions, and orange juice; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add couscous and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, toast cumin seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Lightly crush them using a mortar and a pestle (or use the flat side of a heavy knife and a cutting board). Add to a bowl with the warm couscous, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss well. When the couscous is cool, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice or oil if needed. Garnish with pistachio nuts if desired.

Steps:

• In each of two 3-quart saucepans bring half of water, oil, cinnamon, cumin, salt, and apricots to a boil. Stir 1 box couscous into each pan and let stand, covered, off heat 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to 2 shallow baking pans to cool as quickly as possible. Cool couscous completely and with your fingers break up any large lumps. Couscous may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring couscous to room temperature before proceeding.
• Fluff couscous with fork again and stir in currants, pistachios, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.

Steps:

• Cut up apricots coarsely and combine with water. Follow package directions for proper amount of water.
• Add lemon juice and butter, stir and cover. Bring water to boil.
• When water boils stir in couscous and continue stirring until water boils again.
• Remove pot from heat, cover and allow to sit 2 or 3 minutes, until water is completely absorbed and couscous is tender.

Steps:

• Boil a kettle. Tip the couscous into a large bowl, crumble in the stock cube, then add the turmeric, cinnamon and apricots, and season well. Pour over 500ml boiling water, give everything a quick stir, then cover with cling film and leave for 5 mins.
• Put half the sliced onions in a bowl with a good pinch of salt and the sugar, pour over enough boiling water to cover and leave to steep for 10 mins. (This will remove some of the onions' acidity and turn them a beautiful bright pink colour.)
• Heat enough oil to come about 5cm up the side of a deep saucepan. Once hot, fry the remaining onions in batches for 1-2 mins until golden and crispy. Drain on kitchen paper and sprinkle with salt.
• Use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Drain the steeped onions and stir through the couscous with the lemon zest and juice, olive oil and herbs. Tip onto a serving platter or bowl and scatter with the crispy onions and mint leaves.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan add 1 TBL extra-virgin olive oil, when it is hot add the red onion, almonds and apricots and saute gently over low heat until translucent and slightly fragrant.
• Add the couscous then dump in the warm chicken broth. Stir with a fork to combine. Add lemon zest and cover. Let sit for 10 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork again.
• Coarsely chop the green onions, mint and cilantro; add this to the couscous. Add lemon juice, drizzle with olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine.