A couscous recipe, 
Mediterranean-style! 

A couscous recipe featuring eggplant, zucchini, and capers!

Here is a nice light meal, perfect for an appetizer or a light lunch, that you can enjoy warm, or room temperature with the same quality and flavor.

Eggplant & Couscous Recipe: Ingredients List

The ingredients that we are going to need are the following:

• 1 large eggplant, cut in cubes of an inch
• 3 medium sized zucchini, cut in slices of 2/3 of an inch
• salt
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, largely chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, sliced
• 3 peppers, cut in 1 inch pieces (its even more colorful of a dish when mixing the color of peppers used, green, yellow, red)
• 1 small hot pepper or a teaspoon of crushed chili peppers
• 1/2 cup of red port
• 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons of caper, strained
• 1 pound of well ripened tomatoes, diced
• 1 cinnamoon stick
• 1 bay leaf
• 10 - 12 black olives, pitted
• 1 1/2 cups of couscous, soaked in warm water for 15 minutes, and well strained
• 1 lemon (juice)
• fresh ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped parsley 

Couscous Recipe: Cooking Instructions

To start our couscous recipe first salt the eggplant and zucchini cubes and leave them for approximately 30 minutes to an hour in separate strainers. 

In a deep frying pan, with a lid, saute the onion with four tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, for three to four minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute.

Add the peppers and hot peppers (if crushed hot pepper, add at last minute) and saute for about four more minutes by stirring often.

Dry with paper towels the zucchini and eggplant pieces, and add them now in our frying pan with four more tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.

Stir so the olive oil goes everywhere, and saute for about five more minute. Stir the tomato paste in the red port wine, and add them into your pan. When it starts boiling, leave it for two to three minutes, and add the caper, diced tomatoes, cinnamon stick and the bay leaf. 

When the dish gets to a rolling boil, lower the flame to cook for 30 to 40 minutes until the veggies soften and the sauce thickens. 

Remove from the fire, try it out, and then add salt and pepper as needed or desired.

Going back to your couscous that has been well soaked and strained for fifteen minutes, press it with your hands to remove any extra water, and put it in a big bowl. 

Pour on top of the couscous three to four tablespoons of olive oil, lemon, a lot of fresh ground pepper and the finely chopped parsley and mix well with your hands.

TIPS on pairing our couscous dish:

Add on top of the couscous the veggies and olives now as well. Enjoy with either a dry Pinot Grigio or a semi-dry Vidal Blanc. Cheers! 

What's New?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

1. Dr

   Dec 04, 14 04:30 PM

   When France lost Algeria in 1960, a great worry of winemakers wad what are we going to do now? French wines from many regions WERE B,ENDED WITH MUCH STRONGER

   Read More

2. How to make port wine - and history!

   Dec 04, 14 03:26 PM

   
   How to make port wine - delicious, heart-warming, the perfect gift

   Read More

3. Wine accessory shopping for the holidays

   Nov 01, 14 04:25 PM

   
   Wine accessory shopping for the holidays

   Read More