Lamb and Chickpea Couscous

This quick Mediterranean style couscous cooks up fairly quickly, for the varied levels of flavors and textures involved. It is a warm and inviting comfort food as fall begins to cool us down.

1 onion, diced

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1/2 tsp powdered cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 lb lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes

3/4 cup Israeli couscous

1 can chickpeas, lightly drained

2 cups water

1 Tbsp harissa paste (I used Cava brand from Wholefoods), or to taste

2 Tbsp unsweetened dried cranberries, or chopped seeded dates

1 Tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)

Sauté onions and carrots in a dash of olive oil in a medium pot for about 10 minutes. Add garlic, rosemary, cumin and turmeric and cook another 2 minutes. Set aside in a bowl.

In the same pot, brown the lamb in olive oil, working in batches if necessary to ensure each piece has air separation and sears and browns in oil well.

Return the veggies to the pot and add the remaining ingredients except the couscous. Bring to a boil, and lower to a gently-bubbling simmer. Cook covered for about an hour, stirring three or four times. Add the couscous and simmer for about another 30 minutes, stirring every so often. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, and water to adjust thickness and flavor level to taste.

Garnish with fresh mint if desired.

Serves 4.

Cook's Note: I remade this dish and added a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes. After all the meat was browned, I added the strained tomatoes to the pot to fry for a few minutes to deepen the tomatoes' flavor. I then added back the reserved tomato liquids to the stew along with the water. It was a nice touch.

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