People who know me would tell you that it's hard to tell which I like more: gardening or cooking. I'd say it depends on which I'm doing at the moment. Anyway, French cooking and French gardening go hand in hand. For me, cooking is an on-going adventure. Join me here on my culinary explorations, where I share with you both my old favorites as well as new inspirations. It's my fondest wish that these recipes serve as a springboard for your own new creations.
03/21/2012
Berber vegetarian lentil couscous with wild greens and final flavor flourishes (Couscous berber vegetarien aux herbes sauvages) 
Clay pot
Ingredients:
To serve 4 as a main dish.
For the lentils:
2 c. small greenish-black lentils, such as French lentils
1 large onion, cut in half and then into lenthwise slivers
2 stalks of very fresh, bright green celery, cut in 1/4" cubes
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground sweet red pepper, Moroccan if possible
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
2 large ripe tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, seeds scooped out, and grated down to the skin
2 tsp. coarse sea salt
1/2 lb. mixed wild greens (mallow leaves, lamb's quarter, and/or Silene vulgaris leaves) or substitute baby spinach leaves, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped
For the couscous:
3-4 c. couscous, according to appetites
1 T. butter
1-1 1/2 t. salt
For the final flavor flourishes:
1 lemon cut lengthwise into wedges, in a pretty bowl for the table
At least 2 cups combined chopped celery leaves, parsley, cilantro, Moroccan (spear) mint, dill, and 1-2 small fresh 'bulb' onions or other sweet onion, chopped, all combined and piled in a bowl
1 small garlic clove (degermed if necessary) mashed in a mortar with a pinch of sea salt and a generous pinch of Turkish or Aleppo hot pepper flakes
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
4 T. sea salt flakes mixed with some Turkish Maraç or Aleppo red
pepper flakes, divided into 4 tiny bowls, one for each diner
I make this entire dish in a clay couscousière. You can also cook the lentils in any clay cooking pot, or in a heavy cast iron pot, and steam the couscous in a conventional couscous pot, or in a clay strainer or colander set over the lentil pot.
Rinse, thoroughly drain, and spread out the couscous in a wide bowl to swell.
Heat the 2 T. olive oil in the pot of your choice over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and half the spices and cook until translucent. Add the grated tomato and 6 cups water and bring to a gentle boil.
Oil the inside of the top of your couscousière or clay colander and place it over the boiling sauce. Fan in the couscous and steam uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove the couscous to the same wide bowl, sprinkle it with about half a cup of cold water, the salt, and add the butter. Toss with your fingers, raking and separating the couscous until the butter is melted and the grains are fluffy. Allow to rest while you continue with the lentils.
Add the lentils to the sauce along with the rest of the spices. Bring to a boil and add a bit more water if the mixture seems too thick. Replace the top of the couscousière or the colander to the lentil pot and gently pile in the couscous for its second steaming. Check the lentils from time to time to see if you need to add a bit of water. The mixture should be thick but never dry. Steam the couscous for 20 minutes, then remove it to the wide bowl and keep warm. Check the lentils for doneness and cook a bit longer if necessary. When the lentils are done, stir in the greens, bring back to a simmer and immediately turn off the heat. Taste and correct the seasoning with more salt, cumin, red pepper, and/or black pepper to your taste.
Serve the lentils directly from the bottom of the couscousière or from the clay pot they cooked in. Mound couscous onto each of 4 warmed plates, then pass the lentils. Instruct your diners to first douse the lentils with lemon juice, then spoon over some of the garlic-red pepper oil from the mortar, sprinkle with the sea salt-red pepper mixture to taste, and lastly to shower their plates with plenty of the fresh chopped herb-onion mixture.
Note: This rustic and satisfying dish was inspired by a recipe given by Tareq Youssefi on Paula Wolfert's Moroccan Cooking Facebook group. It makes for a great opportunity for vegetarians to enjoy Moroccan flavors, and for meat eaters to lighten up. Whatever you do, don't omit the flavor flourishes at the table!
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Tuscan marmitta
Provençal mortar and pestle
Provençal ceramic colander
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Pea 'Douce Provence'
Tuscan poêlon
Average to dry soils--Perennial blue flax