Marak Couscous
Posted: | Categories: Recipes | Tags:jewish holidays soup
Marak Couscous
Melissa Ben-Ishay
Adi and I cook a lot together, but we're often making different dishes side by side—not working on the same dish together. For this one I took the backseat and let him lead, using the techniques he grew up watching his mom do in the kitchen. He bundles the fresh herbs together in the pot, adds boiling water instead of cold, and waits to add the seasonings so they don't burn. The result is a soup that tastes just like we're at Tata's house, made with just as much love.
Ingredients
½ green cabbage
4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled
1 butternut squash, peeled and cut lengthwise
3 carrots, peeled and chopped to be the same size as the cabbage
3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 tablespoons beef tallow
1¼ teaspoons salt, divided, plus more to taste
Black pepper
1 leek, dark green ends and roots cut off
1 bunch fresh parsley, washed
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed
24 oz. bone broth
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 cup fine couscous
A few scallions, sliced lengthwise, to garnish
Directions
- Chop the cabbage and potatoes to be about the same size, roughly 1” cubed.
- Scoop out the seeds of the butternut squash. Cut the squash and carrots into pieces the same size as the cabbage.
- Heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat and add the onions and beef tallow. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few turns of black pepper.
- Chop the leek and add to the pot with the onion. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are soft.
- Add the cabbage, potatoes, squash, and carrots to the pot and stir.
- Cover the vegetables with boiling water, making sure everything is covered.
- Tie the parsley and cilantro together with twine and add to the pot along with the bone broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.
- After about 30 minutes, add the spices: 1 tablespoon ground turmeric, 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, and another ½ teaspoon salt. Stir well to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- While the soup simmers, make the couscous. Add 1½ cups water, 1 teaspoon olive oil, and ¼ teaspoon salt to a small pot and bring to a boil.
- Add the couscous as soon as the water boils, then stir, remove the pot from heat, and cover the pot. Let sit for 5 minutes, then fluff the couscous with a fork.
- To serve, scoop out couscous onto a plate and create a well in the middle. Ladle the soup into the well and garnish with sliced scallions.
