Recipe - Christmas Eve Couscous

VEGETABLE STEW
2 ounce Oil
1 pound Onions, cut or sliced up
1 pound Carrots, cut or sliced up
1 One half pound Acorn squash
peeled, seeded & minced
1 teaspoon Ground ginger
One half teaspoon Powdered cinnamon
One half teaspoon Turmeric
One fourth teaspoon Ground white pepper, or more
1 One half pt Water or vegetable stock
1 pound Courgettes
trimmed and cut or sliced up
1 pound Frozen broad beans
Salt
1 Squeeze lemon juice
1 ds Sugar
Chopped fresh coriander

FOR THE GRAIN
1 pound Couscous
1 teaspoon Salt
2 ounce Butter

FOR THE EXTRAS
1 tablespoon Harissa sauce
15 ounce Canned chick peas, drained
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
6 ounce Raisins
4 ounce Pine nuts
8 ounce Soy yogurt
A dusting of paprika

First make the stew. Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onions
and fry for 5 minutes, then add the carrots, squash and spices. Cook for a
further 10 minutes, with a lid on, stirring from time to time until all are
buttery and spicy. Add the water or stock and simmer for 1015 minutes, or
until the vegetables are just becoming tender. Add the courgettes and broad
beans, and cook for a further 5 minutes or so. Season with salt, lemon
juice, and a little sugar if necessary. (This is best made in advance and
reheated, as the flavours improve it is particularly good after
freezing.) Now make the grain. This is an unusual way to cook couscous, but
I find it gives the best results. Put the couscous into a baking tin and
add 1 pint of water; immediately drain this off and return the couscous to
the tin. Leave it for 20 minutes, separating the grains with your fingers
after 10 minutes, or more times if you're passing. Put the couscous into a
sieve or steamer lined with a blue Jcloth. Set over a pan of simmering
water (it doesn't have to be the stew) for 20 minutes. Tip the couscous
back into the baking tin and pour over 5 fl ounce cold water with the salt
dissolved in it. Sift the grains with your fingers and leave for 15
minutes, then put back into the lined steamer and heat as above for a
further 20 minutes. Sift with your fingers into a serving bowl and stir in
the butter. Set aside while you put together the extras. To assemble and
serve, take a ladleful of liquid from the stew and add it to the harissa to
make a thick paste. Put this into a small bowl. Drain the chick peas. In a
small pan, heat the oil and add the cumin seeds, stirring for a moment or
two, then add the chick peas and stir until heated through. Put into a
second small bowl. Cover the raising with boiling water, leave for 10
minutes or longer to plump, then drain and put into a third small bowl. Put
the pine nuts into a fourth bowl they can be lightly toasted if you
like. Finally, put the yogurt into a fifth bowl and dust the top with some
paprika. To serve, ladle the stew over the couscous and garnish with
chopped fresh coriander.