If you're seeking a flavorful and exotic dish to tantalize your taste buds, embark on a culinary journey to the heart of North Africa with merguez and lamb couscous. This delectable dish, rooted in the vibrant traditions of Morocco and Algeria, overflows with an enticing blend of spices, tender meats, and fluffy couscous. Merguez sausages, with their fiery harissa paste, dance harmoniously with succulent lamb morsels, while aromatic vegetables, dried fruits, and nuts contribute layers of sweetness and intrigue. Immerse yourself in the rich tapestry of flavors and textures that merguez and lamb couscous offers, transporting you to a realm where culinary dreams come alive.
Here are our top 8 tried and tested recipes!
GRILLED MERGUEZ WITH HERBED COUSCOUS
The merguez -- a harissa-spiked lamb sausage of North Africa -- can also be broiled, six inches from the heating element and turned occasionally, for eight to 10 minutes. Recipe courtesy of Clare Vivier.
Provided by Martha Stewart
Categories Food & Cooking Ingredients Pasta and Grains
Time 35m
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Place couscous, oil, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Add 3 cups boiling water, cover with plastic, and let stand 5 minutes. Remove plastic, fluff couscous with a fork, and let cool 15 minutes. Add chopped herbs, tossing to combine; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a platter.
- Preheat grill for direct-heat cooking (medium-high on a gas grill). Brush grates with oil. Grill sausages, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to platter with couscous. Drizzle with oil and scatter with herb leaves; serve.
MERGUEZ LAMB PATTIES WITH GOLDEN RAISIN COUSCOUS
Provided by Andrea Albin
Yield Makes 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 16
Steps:
- Toast fennel seeds in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until fragrant and a shade darker, about 1 minute. Grind to a fine powder in grinder.
- Mix together lamb, garlic, harissa, spices (including fennel), and 1/2 teaspoon salt thoroughly with your hands (do not overmix). Form into 4 oval patties (about 3/4 inch thick).
- Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook patties, turning once, about 9 minutes total for medium-rare.
- While patties cook, bring broth, raisins, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil in a 2-quart heavy saucepan, then stir in couscous. Let stand off heat, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork; stir in cilantro, zest, and salt to taste.
- Serve patties on couscous.
MERGUEZ AND LAMB COUSCOUS
Provided by Bryan Miller
Categories dinner, main course
Time 1h30m
Yield 8 servings
Number Of Ingredients 14
Steps:
- Place lamb in a deep kettle (preferably one with a steamer attachment on top). Add onions, rutabaga and fennel. Season with salt, and add 4 quarts cold water (it should cover the ingredients), black pepper and ginger.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place couscous in a large bowl, and cover with cold water. Mix thoroughly with your hands to break up lumps. Transfer couscous to a steamer attachment with fine holes (if you do not have one, try a colander), and drain the couscous into a separate bowl. Then, transfer couscous to the original large mixing bowl, and let sit 15 minutes.
- Break up the couscous again with your hands, and return it to the steamer or colander. Place the steamer over the simmering lamb and vegetables. Cover and let steam for about 15 minutes.
- Return couscous to a large bowl and, when it is cool, grease your hands with the olive oil and mix the grains thoroughly, breaking up any lumps. Do this several times, adding more oil.
- Return couscous to steamer, and place over simmering meat and vegetable liquid, covered.
- When meat has cooked for 45 minutes, add carrots, raisins, chickpeas and merguez. Taste broth for seasoning. Add more pepper if necessary (withhold salt until the end). Simmer for another 20 minutes. (At this point the stew may be set aside to cool, scraped of any surface fat, and reheated before serving. Place couscous in a large bowl and cover with a damp towel.)
- When ready for final cooking, place stew over a medium-low flame. Place a couscous-filled steamer on top, covered. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Taste for seasonings before serving.
- Place a mound of couscous on a warm plate. Cover with meat, vegetables and broth. Serve with hot sauce, like Tabasco, on the side.
GRILLED MERGUEZ AND ONIONS WITH MINT-LEMON COUSCOUS
In this summery salad, spicy merguez are grilled until seared, then served over a mound of couscous and vegetables that have been seasoned with herbs, cumin and plenty of lemon. Red onions wedges, grilled on one side only, are charred and caramelized in some parts while staying crisp and pungent in others. If you can't get merguez (which are traditional North African sausages made from lamb, beef or a combination of both), you can substitute any other spicy sausages. Choose something with a bite to contrast with the juicy sweetness of fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Note that those without grill access can easily use the broiler here.
Provided by Melissa Clark
Categories weekday, grains and rice, sausages, main course
Time 45m
Yield 4 servings
Number Of Ingredients 15
Steps:
- Make the couscous: In a medium, heat-resistant bowl, combine boiling water, couscous and 1 teaspoon salt, and cover with a plate or lid. Let sit until the water is absorbed, 7 to 12 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Meanwhile, light the grill to medium-high or heat your broiler with the rack 3 inches from the heat source.
- Halve lemons crosswise and then squeeze the juice from one half into a large bowl. Add cumin, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Slowly whisk in 1/3 cup olive oil. Stir in radishes and set aside to marinate.
- Place onion wedges and remaining 3 lemon halves, cut-side down, in a grill basket and grill until charred on one side only, 2 to 4 minutes. Or place on a sheet pan and broil until charred, 5 minutes. Transfer onions and lemons to a cutting board.
- Either on the grill, or on the same sheet pan as you used for the onions, grill or broil merguez until browned all over, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer sausages to a cutting board and cover with foil to keep warm while you assemble the salad.
- When onion is cool enough to handle, dice it and add to radishes. Fold in couscous, tomatoes, 1/2 cup mint, 1/2 cup parsley, cucumbers, nuts and a large pinch of salt. Squeeze the juice from a charred lemon half into the bowl. Taste and add more salt and lemon, if needed. Slice merguez on a bias into 1/2-inch pieces.
- To serve, spoon couscous salad onto a platter, then top with sausages and any accumulated juices. Garnish with remaining herbs and a big drizzle of olive oil, and serve with remaining charred lemon halves on the side for more squeezing.
ALGERIAN LAMB SAUSAGE MERGUEZ
Algerians like their sausage spicy and with an exceptional array of seasonings. The version that follows can be considered medium hot, with pepper and chili providing the heat, while the garlic adds the aromatic richness.
Provided by Olha7397
Categories Lamb/Sheep
Time 35m
Yield 10 sausages
Number Of Ingredients 12
Steps:
- Grind the lamb, fat from the lamb kidney (do not add the kidney) and garlic with the medium size holes of the grinder, ¼ inch in diameter. Add all the remaining ingredients, including the water, but not the casing. Test the mixture at this stage by preparing a miniature patty and frying it in a teaspoon of oil in a skillet. Should it need salt, it can be added at this time.
- Tie one end of the casing tightly to hold the filling. Fill the casing with the lamb mixture, twisting it around every 4 inches to make individual sausages.
- The merguez can be eaten in various ways the next day. The simple method of cooking is to fry them in hot vegetable oil until brown and crisp. Very little oil is needed since the sausage contains lamb fat. Serve warm. Makes about 10 to 12 sausages.
- NOTE: Algerians often prepare merguez with the cheaper cuts of lamb, especially the scraps left over from trimming the more expensive parts. You don't have to do this since the meaty leg of the lamb is an ideal cut that can be used.
- Sumac is that rare Mediterranean and Middle East seasoning that was used at one time as a salt substitute. The dried reddish crushed powder has a lemon/salt flavor and is used in meat and chicken dishes. It adds an important flavor to Algerian merguez.
- The Great Book Of Couscous.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 306.9, Fat 22.6, SaturatedFat 9.7, Cholesterol 78.1, Sodium 306.6, Carbohydrate 5.8, Fiber 1.4, Sugar 0.3, Protein 20
SPICY MERGUEZ & COUSCOUS POT
Pack up this spicy sausage stew as part of a hearty lunch - simply heat in the microwave for a filling midday meal
Provided by Cassie Best
Categories Dinner, Lunch, Main course, Supper
Time 45m
Number Of Ingredients 11
Steps:
- Heat the oil in a pan. Squeeze the sausagemeat from the skins and shape into 8 meatballs. Add them to the pan and sizzle on a medium-high heat for 5-10 mins, rolling around the pan, until they are cooked. Set aside.
- Drain the fat from the pan, leaving 1 tbsp behind. Reduce the heat and add the lemon, onion, chilli and pepper. Stir for 5 mins. Add the ras el hanout and stir for 1 min more.
- Add the tomatoes and 300ml water, and crumble in the stock cube. Return the meatballs to the pan and simmer, covered with a lid, for 10-15 mins, until the sauce is rich and the veg are tender. Season and stir in the coriander. Transfer to 2 microwavable containers with tight-fitting lids, and chill until you're ready to eat. Weigh 50g couscous into 2 sandwich bags to take to work too.
- When you're ready to eat, add the couscous to the cold sauce. Stir well and microwave for 3 mins, until the couscous is cooked through.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 552 calories, Fat 26 grams fat, SaturatedFat 10 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 49 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 16 grams sugar, Fiber 7 grams fiber, Protein 27 grams protein, Sodium 3.9 milligram of sodium
QUICK COLLARD GREENS WITH MERGUEZ SAUSAGE AND COUSCOUS
Provided by Michael Lomonaco
Categories Sauté Dried Fruit Sausage Winter Collard Greens Couscous Cilantro Bon Appétit
Yield Makes 4 to 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 13
Steps:
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil; add collard greens and boil until soft, about 2 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Cool greens slightly and cut into 1-inch strips.
- Place sausages and 1/2 cup water in heavy large skillet. Cook over medium heat until water evaporates and sausages start to brown, about 12 minutes. Continue cooking until sausages are cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes longer, depending on size of links.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in another heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add dried crushed red pepper and next 3 ingredients; stir 1 minute. Add greens and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in currants. Add reserved 1 cup cooking liquid to skillet; bring to simmer. Partially cover pan and cook until liquid has reduced slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Stir cilantro and butter into hot couscous; divide among plates. Top with greens and sausages.
MERGUEZ MEATBALLS
These spicy lamb meatballs are inspired by the flavors of North African merguez sausage. Serve with roasted vegetables, over couscous, in flatbreads, or in a salad. Cilantro yogurt is a great accompaniment.
Provided by LauraF
Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Lamb Ground
Time 1h
Yield 24
Number Of Ingredients 8
Steps:
- Toast cumin, coriander, and fennel seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Use a mortar and pestle to grind finely.
- Combine the ground spices, lamb, harissa, garlic, salt, and paprika in a large bowl. Mix by hand until thoroughly blended. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes so spices can permeate the meat.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Form the lamb mixture into 1-inch meatballs and place on the prepared sheet.
- Roast meatballs until the centers are no longer pink, 11 to 12 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a meatball should read at least 160 degrees F (71 degrees C).
Nutrition Facts : Calories 38.7 calories, Carbohydrate 0.3 g, Cholesterol 12.7 mg, Fat 2.6 g, Fiber 0.1 g, Protein 3.3 g, SaturatedFat 1.1 g, Sodium 97.4 mg
Tips:
- Choose high-quality ingredients: Use fresh, flavorful ingredients, especially for the merguez and lamb. Look for well-marbled lamb and plump, juicy merguez sausages.
- Cook the merguez and lamb properly: Sear the merguez and lamb over high heat to create a crispy exterior and juicy interior. Do not overcrowd the pan, or the meat will steam instead of sear.
- Use a flavorful broth: The broth is the base of the couscous, so make sure it's packed with flavor. Use a combination of chicken stock, vegetable stock, and water, and add in some spices and herbs for extra flavor.
- Fluff the couscous: After the couscous has cooked, fluff it with a fork to separate the grains and make it light and airy.
- Add your favorite toppings: Serve the couscous with a variety of toppings, such as roasted vegetables, grilled meats, or a simple salad. You can also add dried fruits, nuts, or fresh herbs for extra flavor and texture.
Conclusion:
This merguez and lamb couscous recipe is a flavorful and satisfying dish that is perfect for a weeknight meal or a special occasion. With its tender meat, fluffy couscous, and flavorful broth, this dish is sure to please everyone at the table. So next time you're looking for a delicious and easy-to-make meal, give this recipe a try.
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