Tunisia

 Welcome to Tunisia!  Tunisia is a small country - the smallest in North Africa! - that borders the Mediterranean Sea.  According to Google, their population is 11.69 million people and their capital is Tunis.  And their national food is...

 

Couscous! 

Again?!  It is interesting that many of the African countries have some sort of grain as their national dish.  But once again, I have to get creative with the dish, because couscous is a gluteny thing I cannot eat.  I also needed to find something that I could make involving couscous that was native to Tunisia.  I think I found it, and it didn't disappoint!  For this meal I made Harissa-Lime Chicken and Couscous Skillet.  I also made my own Harissa sauce.  It was a fun meal to make.  Here's what I did:

HARISSA-LIME CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS SKILLET

1/4 C Harissa paste, plus 2 tbsp

2 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Coriander

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper

2 lbs Chicken Thighs, cut into 2-inch chunks

2 tbsp Avocado Oil

1 Onion, chopped

6 Cloves Garlic, chopped

3 Limes

1 tbsp Butter

1 2/3 C Chicken Broth

1 (15 oz) can Chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 1/2 C Dry Couscous

1 C Golden Raisins

1/3 C Pine Nuts, toasted

1 container Plain Chiobani Greek Yogurt

Chopped Cilantro, for topping

1. Combine 1/4 C Harissa paste, cumin, salt, coriander, cinnamon, and black pepper in a gallon zip lock bag and mix well. 
2. Add the chicken, toss to coat, and let sit in refrigerator overnight.
3. In a large skillet over medium high, heat the avocado oil.  Add the chicken and cook until browned.
4. Slice two of the limes into four pieces and add them to the skillet with the chicken.  
5. Add the garlic and onions as well.  Stir and continue to cook until the chicken is cooked through.
6. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside, under a tinfoil tent to keep warm.
7. Add the butter and chicken broth to the pan and bring it to a boil.  
8. Stir in chickpeas, raisins, and couscous.
9. Cover the skillet and remove from heat.
10. Let the skillet sit for about five minutes.
11. Mix the yogurt with 2 tbsp Harissa paste and set aside.
12. Fluff the couscous with a fork.  Add the pine nuts and juice from the third lime.
13. Top with chicken, drizzle with the yogurt mixture, and top with cilantro.
14. Enjoy!

(Source: https://hostthetoast.com/harissa-lime-chicken-and-couscous-skillet/?utm_source=Host+The+Toast&utm_campaign=ad72409bdb-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_5dd4aff302-ad72409bdb-93061793)  

HARISSA

2 Red Bell Peppers, whole and roasted

2 Ancho Chilies, dried

2 Chile de Arbol, dried

2 Chipotle Chilies Adobo

1 C Boiling Water

2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and smashed

Juice of half a Lemon

Salt to taste

2 tbsp Avocado Oil

1. Roast the bell peppers under a broiler for about 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.  Do this until all sides are charred.
2. Place the bell peppers in a zip log bag immediately, and let them sit for about 10 minutes.
3. Slice the bell peppers and take out seeds and stem.  Peel the blackened skin off the pepper.
4. Place skinned and de-seeded pepper in a food processor.
5. Place the dried chilies in a heatproof bowl and pour the boiling water over them.  
6. Let the chilies sit for 30 minutes until they are soft.  Save the chili water.
7. Once the chilies are soft, take off the top and take out the seeds.
8. Place de-seeded chilies in the food processor.
9. Add the garlic, chipotle chilies in adobo, and lemon juice.
10. Slowly puree the chilies and peppers until you have a thick sauce.  
11. Slowly add the olive oil to thicken the sauce, if needed.  Likewise, you can add 1 tsp at a time of the chili water to thin out the sauce.

(Source: https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/homemade-harissa-spicy-red-pepper-sauce/) 

 

 

The verdict?  Well, I'll have to let Handsome Husband tell you about the dish as a whole.  I used rice for my "couscous," and the combination of flavors was very good.  I really did enjoy the meal!  This recipe makes A LOT of food.  We will have leftovers for days!  I would suggest using half the chicken, and half the couscous.  The marinade wouldn't need to be adjusted at all, and you'd need to cut the chicken broth in half, but I think that would make a more reasonable amount of food...especially for two people!

Here's what Handsome Husband had to say: 

It was a very tasty meal, especially the flavoring on the chicken - a bit of a kick but not too spicy, and good flavor to go with it. The golden raisins added tiny pockets of sweetness, which was really nice, and along with the chickpeas, added a good texture to go with the couscous base. The couscous was, well, couscous, but picked up some nice flavors from being cooked with everything else. I think using rice as an easy substitute would be just as good.

So the rating.  We are all going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME

Taste of Harissa-Lime Chicken WITHOUT Couscous (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):  7

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Harissa-Lime Chicken WITH Couscous (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 6

 

So there you have it!  Join us next time in China!  This one will be intimidating...