Timbuktu Couscous

Couscous de Tombouctou : instructions

• Preparing the shoulder
  • 1
    Trim off the fatty edges for the sauce. Place in the oven over very low heat, brushed with a little sunflower oil and without salt, for 1 hour. Turn the shoulder halfway through cooking. When it is almost done, sprinkle with chicken seasoning and salt, and let it brown. Flip it over and repeat the process on the other side to achieve a golden crust.
• Preparing the broth
  • 2
    Rinse all the vegetables and cut them into 1.5-cm rounds. Place each vegetable on a separate plate. Cut the bell pepper into strips and the potatoes into large cubes. Cut the onion in half and slice it into half-moons. Peel the garlic cloves, remove the germ, and crush them lightly. Peel the tomatoes, remove the seeds, and mash them.
  • 3
    Soak the chickpeas in a pot for 30 minutes, without adding salt. Then bring to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Rinse under cold water, and repeat this process two more times.
  • 4
    Pour a little sunflower oil into the pressure cooker, heat over high heat, and add the following ingredients one at a time, stirring between each addition: the shoulder fat trimmings, onions, garlic, leek, and beef.
  • 5
    Reduce the heat and add the zucchini, carrot, cucumber, eggplant, potatoes, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Do not add salt if you are using a bouillon cube.
  • 6
    Add the diluted bouillon cube and fill with water until it almost covers the ingredients; close the pot and cook for 15 minutes starting from the moment the pressure valve begins to hiss.
  • 7
    Toward the end of cooking, add the whole chili pepper, the drained chickpeas, and a pat of butter to the hot broth. Give it a stir. Remove the chili pepper just before serving.
• Preparing the Sauce
  • 8
    Sauté a finely chopped onion; when it’s golden brown, add the tomato paste and a bit of meat from the broth. Once it’s cooked through, add 1/2 ladle of broth along with some vegetables and stir everything together.
• Seed preparation
  • 9
    To prepare the couscous, you can refer to the recipe for Moroccan couscous.
• Service
  • 10
    Depending on the size of your table and your couscous, leave the large pot of broth in the kitchen. Bring only a serving dish with some of the broth to the table so as not to clutter it up.
    Serve the couscous at the table, along with the meats and vegetables in one or more serving dishes.
    Set out the sauces on the table, and enjoy your meal!