mattersoftaste.com.au

Ras el Hanout Chicken Couscous Soup

ingredients for eight

450gm boneless skinless chicken thighs
2½ tsp Ras el hanout
1.5 L chicken stock
⅔ cup toasted Israeli
couscous
200gm stringless beans
200gm silverbeet
200gm ripe tomatoes
salt

Harissa to serve

method

1. Trim excess fat from chicken and cut into 1cm pieces. Toss with Ras el hanout and ½ teaspoon salt. Refrigerate for 30 to 40 minutes to allow flavours to develop if time allows.
2. Bring stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add couscous with salt if necessary (taste stock before adding) and simmer for 6 minutes, until nearly tender.
3. Meanwhile, prepare vegetables.
4. Cut beans into 1cm lengths, discarding stalks.
5. Remove stalks from silverbeet and cut into roughly 1cm chunks. Finely shred leaves and measure out two good handfuls.
6. Remove seeds from tomatoes and cut flesh into 1cm dice.
7. Add chicken with beans, silverbeet stalks and diced tomato to soup in pan.
8. Bring to the boil and simmer for 2 minutes.
9. Just before serving add silverbeet leaves and briefly cook until wilted. Check for salt and adjust if necessary.
10. Ladle into individual bowls and swirl in ¼ teaspoon, or amount to your taste of harissa.
11. Serve.

cooks notes

• Free-range chicken will give the best flavour to this soup.
• Ras el hanout is a highly regarded middle eastern blend of spices. Literally translated it means “top of the shop”. Up to twenty spices can be blended to showcase the skill of the spice merchant to create a balanced full-bodied mixture. We recommend Herbies Spices brand.
• Harissa is a North African chilli paste. There are varying degrees of heat in different brands, so add with caution! We use and love Chris Manfields Harissa.
• Replace couscous with orzo or other small pasta shapes.
• Serve with crusty bread if liked.