Recipe

Tsorta Tfaya With Couscous

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Recipe
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by Sarah Shatz

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by Kayb

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Couscous Dish

This recipe was entered in the contest for Your Best Dirt Cheap Dinner
Chef
Kayb's Notes: I can never make a recipe the same way twice; it always requires tinkering. Tinkering with an old favorite, tfaya, yielded this toothsome and warming chickpea and tomato stew over couscous...
I can never make a recipe the same way twice; it always requires tinkering. Tinkering with an old favorite, tfaya, yielded this toothsome and warming chickpea and tomato stew over couscous that's fragrant with ras el hanout. I can eat it and almost believe I'm in North Africa, where surely it is not as miserably cold as it is here south of the Mason Dixon line tonight.

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Serves 3 to 4

For the tfaya:

2 small onions Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons butter Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons olive oil Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 cup diced dried dates or figs, or raisins Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 teaspoon turmeric Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 teaspoon ginger Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 teaspoon cumin Ask a question about this ingredient

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed Ask a question about this ingredient

1 teaspoon harissa Ask a question about this ingredient

2 tablespoons honey Ask a question about this ingredient

1/4 cup water Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, cooked and drained, or 1 can, drained and rinsed Ask a question about this ingredient

1 15-oz can diced tomatos Ask a question about this ingredient

For the couscous:

2 cups vegetable or chicken broth Ask a question about this ingredient

1 cup couscous Ask a question about this ingredient

1/2 teaspoon ras el hanout Ask a question about this ingredient

Cut onions in half vertically, slice thinly, and saute in butter and olive oil over medium heat in a Dutch oven until soft. Add all the spices, the honey and the water, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the onion is well caramelized. Taste and adjust spices as needed.
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When onion is golden brown, add chickpeas and tomatos. Simmer, covered, while making the couscous.
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Bring stock to a boil in a small saucepan. Add couscous, ras el hanout, stir, and remove from heat. Cover and let steam for five minutes. Fluff with a fork.
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To serve, put a serving of couscous in a wide bowl, shaping so it's higher at the edges. Put tfaya in the center. Garnish, if desired with slices or wedges of a boiled egg.
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4 Comments on Tsorta Tfaya With Couscous

Scribbles added 6 months ago

I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious. Easy dish with nice warmth.

Kayb added 7 months ago

Fran, ras el hanout is a spice blend common in a lot of North African cuisine; lots of peppers, some cinnamon, and I'm honestly not sure what all else is in it. You can get it at most places with a really good spice selection, or order it. I get mine from a gourmet shop locally. If I were going to try to approximate it, I'd probably blend some of any powdered chiles I had, some cardamon, some cinnamon, and maybe some coriander.

Fran McGinty added 7 months ago

I feel so stupid asking these kind of questions but what is ras el hanout?

VivianY added over 2 years ago

I made this last night and it turned out fantastic!
The tomatoes kind of overshadowed the sweetness, so we just added a bit more honey and spices after it had simmered down. We also added a lot more figs/dates/raisins. Really easy to make as well.