Couscous: Fresh and Flavorful Contemporary Recipes (Paperback)

by Kitty Morse (Author), Alison Miksch (Photographer) "Throughout this book, for the sake of convenience..." (more)
Key Phrases: stand until the couscous, stand until couscous, preserved lemon rind, North African, Middle Eastern, Moroccan Preserved Lemon (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Author of many books on Moroccan cooking, including The Vegetarian Table, Morse divides the couscous recipes here into two categories: traditional and contemporary. The traditional recipes are all enticing; the contemporary ones, however, vary wildly from the tempting (Couscous-Parsley Salad with Preserved Lemon) to the unorthodox (Steak and Mushroom Pie with Double Gloucester Couscous). The best of the contemporary recipes take cooked couscous as an ingredient for further preparation. These include Lettuce-Wrapped Couscous Terrine with Dilled Shrimp and Yogurt SauceAa perfect light luncheon dishACurried Couscous Croquettes with Ribboned Vegetables, and Chicken Vegetable Soup with Mint Couscous Dumplings. The traditional recipes cover Sicilian Fish Cuscus? alla Trapanese with clams, mussels, swordfish, sea bass and shrimp; Algerian Couscous with Lamb Meatballs, Lima Beans and Artichoke Hearts; and Moroccan Sweet Couscous with Almonds, Raisins and Orange Blossom Water. Purists may grumble that all recipes use the instant couscous method (pouring the couscous into boiling water, then covering it and setting it aside off the heat to steam), although Morse does include the lengthier traditional method for the more ambitious. All in all, with its enjoyable introductory essay and instructions on making basics such as Moroccan Preserved Lemons, this serves as an attractive overview of a relatively unknown ingredient.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Bored with spaghetti? Tired of rice? Discover the exotic world of couscous! Fluffy and foolproof, couscous cooks in in less than five minutes and makes aperfect accompaniment to any dish! North African cusiine, couscous is a hot trend in contemporary cooking—and author Kitty Morse is here with the most exciting and inventive ways to get couscous beyond the land of Casablanca and straight into your kitchen. From Couscous Paella to Couscous Mango Mousse, Couscous will revolutionize your culinary repertoire. You may wonder what you ate before discovering this versatile and delectable staple.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811824012
• ISBN-13: 978-0811824019
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #655,626 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Food, Poor Editing, March 12, 2001

By	Teantae Turner "sistert" (Columbia, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, June 20, 2002

By	Elizabeth Moran Biktashev (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Flavorable, exotic recipes, February 21, 2001

By	Anne Marshall (Sarasota,, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.