Couscous by Christylle (with comments by Marie!)

INGREDIENTS:
2 lb coucous
1 packet chicken pieces
4-5 pieces of lamb
2 onions
3-4 tomatoes, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 lb carrots, large chunks or just cut in half
1 small cabbage, quartered
2-3 large courgettes, same sized pieces as the carrots
turnips, if available (don't know how many, have never used them)
1 tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tin artichoke hearts, drained and rinsed
tomato paste
harissa paste - if you can't get this, you might want to add some chillis to the recipe to make it spicy
couscous spices (try an Arab supermarket, or use dried coriander and cumin)
butter

FOR THE STEW:

This part can be done the day before, if you want to, otherwise just do the lot in one go:

Use a very large pan, ideally a couscousier i.e. that has a compartment in the top for steaming couscous.
Brown the meat and remove.
Brown the onions in the same pan
Add the tomatoes
Add the red pepper
Put the meat back in
Add 2 litres of boiling water
Add the carrots, and the turnips if you are using them
Season: salt, pepper, whatever spices you are using, and a big squeeze of tomato paste
Simmer for 30 minutes.

On the day you are serving, bring back to the boil, or just carry on from above:

Add courgettes and cabbage
Simmer for 20 minutes
Add artichokes and chickpeas
Simmer for 10 minutes
... and it's ready!...

FOR THE COUSCOUS:
You will need 20 minutes to prepare and a further 30 minutes to cook. So start 20 minutes before the second half of the recipe above, and put the couscous on to steam at the same time as you add the courgettes and cabbage.

Put the couscous is a wide, flat dish and season with salt and your spices.
Sprinkle over a mug of cold water and rub it into the couscous with your hands.
Wait five minutes, then rub it in again.
Repeat with another mug of water. You will need about 2 mugs total. You want it to be moist but not sticky. (Trust me, you will know if you've put in too much water. All you can do about it is add more couscous to soak it up.)
Then steam for 30 minutes with the lid on - either in the top half of the couscousier, or in a steamer. If you haven't got a steamer, put it in a sieve above boiling water with a watertight lid on top. No watertight lid? Cover with greasproof paper or foil, then put the lid on.

TO SERVE:
Seperate the stew from the broth.
Put couscous into a bowl and melt some butter into it.
Serve the couscous, the broth and the stew separately, with harissa paste on the side to stir into the broth.