Mergez, couscous and vegetables.

[Wohoki]

This is my version, made from memory, of a classic North African/Morrocan sausage dish. It's very popular with my kids: we always run out of food before they've had "lasts" (which is the serving after seconds or thirds or ........ )

I have not included weights, I do tend to wing it when I'm cooking, so I haven't got them written down, and the amount of spice needed depends on the flavour of the lamb; if it has a good aroma add more, if it's from the supermarket add less, but don't drown it. The veg should be like a thin tomato soup with large pieces of vegetable floating in it, this compliments the couscous, and the flavour is from the sausage.

Sausage:

Minced lamb, I'd recommend shoulder or breast. About 25-35% fat.
Uncooked couscous, 10% of the meat weight.
Hog, or more authenticaly, sheep casings.
Spice mix. ( One or two tablespoons per kilo: to taste)
Crushed garlic, 1-2 large cloves per half kilo of meat (or to taste!)
Optional extras (see below)

Spice mix:
2 parts corriander seed
1 part cummin seed
0.5-1 part dried hot chile flakes (to taste. I like chile, so I guess you could go as low as 0.25 parts if you don't)
0.5 part fennel seed
1 part sweet paprika
0.25 part black pepper

Optional extras:(No more than two of the following, added fresh: don't toast them)
Lemon/lime zest
Fresh mint leaves
Fresh corriander leaves
Chopped fresh red chile
Chopped fresh green pepper
Pistacio nuts/ almonds (toasted if you like, but leave in chunks)

1. Toast the spices in the oven at 160C for 10 minutes, then grind.
2. Mix all the ingredients well, add a little water/stock to make a nice, stuffable mix, and stuff. Traditionally these are a small sausage about 3 inches long linked into threes, but a big coil held with skewers is easy to cook.
3. Either fry slowly in olive oil (don't let them split!) or poach and then colour under a grill or on a BBQ.

This is traditionaly served with a vegetable stew and couscous.

Stew chopped, tined toms in an equal volume of chicken or vegetable stock with (cut chunky):
Chick peas
Carrots
Courgettes
A few new potatos
Lemon juice
Whole fresh chile
Bay leaves
Black pepper and a little salt
Plus whatever seasonal bits and pieces you have: almost anything (I've even added sprouts.)

Serve with couscous cooked with plenty of good olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and some chopped spring onions.

[TJ Buffalo]

Nice recipe, I had made one similar to that and loved it. The hardest part was shelling out the pistachios and then keeping from devouring them.

[Wohoki]

I forgot to mention that it needs some harissa on the side.

[TJ Buffalo]

Harisa is great stuff; I've bought it in a tube, but one could make it based on Clifford Wright's recipe:

2 ounces mildly hot dried Guajillo chili peppers

2 ounces mild dried Anaheim chili peppers

5 garlic cloves, peeled

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground caraway seeds

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground coriander seeds

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Extra virgin olive oil for topping off



1. Soak the peppers in tepid water to cover until softened, about 45 minutes to 1 hour . Drain and remove the stems and seeds. Place in a blender or food processor with the garlic, water, and olive oil and process until smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.

2. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the caraway, coriander, and salt. Store in a jar and top off, covering the surface of the paste with a layer of olive oil. Whenever the paste is used you must always top off with olive oil making sure no paste is exposed to air otherwise it will spoil.

Variation: To make a hot harisa, use 4 ounces dried guajillo chili peppers and 1/ 2 ounce dried de Arbol peppers.

Note: To make salsa al-harisa, that is, harisa sauce, used as an accompaniment to grilled meats, stir together 2 teaspoons harisa, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons water and 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves.

Makes 1 cup

[Wohoki]

I love harrissa with fried eggs. (and it's breakfast time now, so........ )