Customer Reviews

Couscous: Fresh and Flavorful Contemporary Recipes

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4 star:		(1)
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My first attempt was "Couscous Fritters with Fresh Corn and Tomato Salsa". Delicious! Every recipe tried was well seasoned and was what I'd call an "eager to repeat winner", if you don't mind fighting past all the errors.

In "Couscous Fritters", the instructions you're supposed to turn to page 20 for her technique on how to peel and seed tomatoes. There is nothing about tomatoes on page 20. It's really page 22. The recipe calls for 2/3 cup broth, but what kind? Step 1 puts all the ingredients for the salsa together while in step 2 you are asked to prepare the fritters. Among the ingredients you're supposed to mix together is the "remaining salt". What remaining salt? You used it all in step 1 for the salsa. I think she meant the cumin.

Recipes are well thought up but somehow, either the test kitchen or the editors goofed. If you are someone who really needs recipes to be right, skip this book. You'll pull your hair out trying to figure out what's wrong. If you can work around the mistakes and really want to try couscous, you'll find some really tasty meals in here. My copy has lots of notes and cross-outs. I'm sure yours will too.

Tired of rice and potatoes, I've been keeing an eye out for recipes about couscous. Not too long ago, I caught Kitty on a television program. I think it was Sara Moulton's show on the Food channel. They prepared "Couscous-Parsley Salade with Preserved Lemons." The recipe called for 1 or 2 Tsp of pine nuts and Sara dumped about a cup in! Hey, but that's okay. I like crunch! So, I bought the cookbook and set about preparing the "Rock Cornish Game Hens with Dried Fruit and Couscous Stuffing." I substituted dried cherries for the prunes. The recipe was easy to follow and came out just fabulous. A welcomed twist from the usual game hens and wild rice. The next recipe I want to try is "Tongolese Couscous in Peanut Sauce." While there's no photo, it sounds delicious. Thank you Kitty!

My husband and I traveled with Kitty on her last Moroccan culinary tour and we highly recommend it. We also highly recommend this book from which we have prepared several dishes including the delicious Rock Cornish game hens with dried fruit and couscous stuffing. Our dinner guests have loved the Moroccan foods that we have prepared - a departure from the usual party fare. We have found all of her recipes unique, flavorable, fun to prepare and delicious to eat! Also recommend her "Cooking at the Kasbah". Our guests have raved about the chicken b'stila which is quite unique, a "production" to prepare but can be made ahead of time, frozen and then baked right out of the freezer.

This book is for the adventurous cook who is bored
with pasta and rice and who is interested in ethnic
and fusion cuisine. From cover to cover, it impressed
me. The book is informative, mouthwatering and
creative and respects current eating trends.

Recipes range from 1 to 3 hours of preparation time.
There's a generous introduction on the history and
relevance of couscous and a listing of sources for
spices and traditional couscous cookware.

I chose this recipe because it contained interesting
ingredients which I had on hand, and I felt most
readers would find it easy to prepare. I learned how a
combination of spices can create a dish that is
flavorful and delightfully fragrant. I would
definitely make it again, perhaps with more saffron

next time.

GAME HENS WITH COUSCOUS STUFFING

Serves 2-4

21/2 cups chicken broth

4 tablespoons butter

10 threads Spanish saffron

1/2 cup couscous

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

2 12-ounce Cornish game hens

1/2 cup (about 4 ounces) slivered blanched almonds,
toasted

1 cup (about 5 ounces) golden raisins

1/2 cup (about 5 ounces) pitted prunes, coarsely
chopped

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 medium onion, diced

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a medium
saucepan, bring 3/4 cup of the broth, 2 tablespoons of
butter, and half of the saffron to a boil. Add the
couscous in a stream. Stir once. Remove from the heat.
Cover and let stand until couscous is tender, 12 to 15
minutes. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix the olive oil with the
remaining saffron, the turmeric, and paprika. Using
your hands, coat the hens inside and out with this
mixture. Set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the
slivered almonds with the raisins, prunes, 1
tablespoon of the honey, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon,
1/4 teaspoon of the ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt,
1/4 teaspoon of the pepper, and the remaining butter.
Set aside.

4. In a food processor, in increments, grind the dried
fruit and spice mixture until it acquires a thick,
gritty consistency. Transfer to a medium bowl and
combine with the couscous.

5. With a large spoon, stuff equal portions of the
couscous mixture into each hen. Place them, breast
side down, in a medium baking dish. They should not
touch. Surround them with diced onion and add the
remaining broth. Cover and bake 50 to 55 minutes. Turn
hens over and baste. Bake, breast side up, uncovered,
until the hens are brown and the juices run clear when
a thigh is pierced with a fork, 30 to 35 minutes.

Transfer hens to a warm serving platter. Keep warm.

6. Drain the pan juices into a medium saucepan over
medium heat. Add the remaining honey, cinnamon,
ginger, salt and pepper. Reduce by a quarter. Spoon
over and around the hens. Sprinkle with remaining
almonds and serve.

Per serving: 1347 calories, 65 g protein, 125 g
carbohydrates, 69 g fat, 173 mg cholesterol, 1559 mg
sodium, 10 g fiber. Calories from fat: 45 percent

This is a wonderful book for people who want great meals fast. The recipes are for the most part quick( the couscous takes only five minutes to cook), easy to prepare , and they are big on flavor. The author begins the book with traditional recipes, but the bulk of the books focus are contemporary recipes for this versatile grain.