How To make Couscous with Chickpeas and Vegetables

1/2 cup chickpeas

dried
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic :

crushed
1 onion

chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 carrots :

sliced 1/4"
4 baby turnips
4 cups sweet potato

chunks
1 cup tomato juice :

or less
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 sliced zucchini (courgettes)
1/4 cup dried apricots
8 button mushrooms
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
salt

to taste freshly ground black pepper :

to taste 1 cup water
1 1/3 cups couscous

instant
3 tablespoons golden raisins :

(sultanas)
chopped chives

for garnish yellow rose petals :

for garnish, optional
PREPARATION (2 hours or overnight) - Rinse peas and sort. Place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for a t least 1 hour or overnight. Drain, place in a large saucepan and cover with fresh water. Cover (lid) and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 1 hour. Drain and set aside.
COOKING (40 minutes) - Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over low-medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, cinnamon, paprika and cumin. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 3 minutes. - Add the carrots, turnips and sweet potatoes and cook, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes. - Add the tomato juice and stock and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chickpeas, okra/squash, apricots, mushrooms and parsley and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10-12 minutes. Season to taste with the salt and pepper. - Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the couscous and sultanas and mix well with a fork. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand for 2 minutes to allow pasta to swell. Add the remaining oil to center of the couscous, return pan to heat and cook over medium heat, stirring until heated through, about 4 minutes. - Spoon couscous around the edge of a serving dish. Garnish with the chives. Spoon chickpea and vegetable mixture in the center and sprinkle with rose petals, if using. Serve immediately.
490 cals | 10 g of fat. ----- VARIATIONS (seasonal ingredients) water and a low-sodium vegetable bouillon 1/2 cup V8 plus 2 cups water 4 ounces of okra instead of zucchini rutabaga instead of turnips yellow and green summer squash instead of 1 color Use 1 yam and 1 russet, white potato for the sweet potato Use 16 ounced canned chickpeas; drain, rinse ----- Serve with ripe tomatoes, chopped; blanched okra, sliced; toss with a vinaigrette spiced with ground corriander seed. Nectarine slices. Iced tea.
[Recipes by Anne Marshall (1996). New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang. Over 100 recipes from the Cuisines of 13 countries. mcRecipe/patH.22Au96]