Serves 6-10 as a main or side
Prep time: 30 mins | Cooking time: 1 hour
This is the vegetarian base for our Moroccan Lamb dish for Rosh Hashana. This is our interpretation of couscous with seven vegetables, but there are hundreds of variations on this dish traditionally eaten by Moroccan Jews at Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot. Loaded with seasonal harvest vegetables, burts of sweetness, and traditional Simanim, this dish is simple and highly symbolic. All the vegetables can be swapped out and interchanged for others, and although the number seven is incredibly relevant in Judaism, especially as we remember the creation of the world, there is no hard-and-fast rule that says you have to stick to exactly seven vegetables! Although this delicious vegetarian dish is traditional at Rosh Hashana, this dish is also a great budget-friendly side or main course, healthy and easy to make. This recipe goes a long way, will leave you full for hours, and is a fantastic family meal for any day of the week. It’s also delicious cold as a couscous salad, and leftovers make excellent lunchbox fillers.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Couscous
- 1 Red Onion, diced and salted
- 1 large Parsnip
- 2 Carrots
- 1 large Sweet Potato
- 1 Courgette
- 250g Butternut Squash
- 1-2 Preserved Lemons, very finely chopped
- 400g Chickpeas
- 1 cup Broad Beans
- ¼ Red Cabbage, ribboned
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tbsp ground Cumin
- ½ tbsp Turmeric
- Salt & Pepper
- 2 tbsp Oil
Method
- Chop the parsnip, carrots, sweet potato, courgette and squash into small chunks.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 2 tbsp oil and red onions, and fry until soft over a medium heat (approx 10 minutes).
- Add in all the chopped root vegetables and fry for 10 minutes, stirring regularly on a medium-high heat. Add a splash of water if necessary to avoid burning.
- Add in turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, preserved lemons and salt and pepper (to taste) and stir to combine.
- Add in chickpeas, broad beans and cabbage and stir in, cooking for a further 5-10 minutes until beginning to brown.
- Add 800ml boiling water, cover and cook for 20-30 minutes until vegetables are tender, but not mushy.
- Turn off heat and add in dry couscous, stir to combine and cover. Wait 10 minutes for the couscous to steam, and serve.
(Image by Yaffa Judah)
