Video Recipe: Orange Couscous - Perfect Summer BBQ Accompaniment

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab

This recipe is simple and fast to make and with its fresh orange flavour it is a nice surprise on the plate. The most complex step is the almonds, and you can skip the egg coating. Simply roast them add a touch of salt and oil and they'll work perfectly with this recipe:

video post

How To Cook Couscous

This is the first recipe video I was ever in please forgive the green : )

ingredients (serves 4)

for the couscous

Rather than pause and copy things down you can get a list of ingredients from a previous post here.

We all learn as we go - life would be pretty boring otherwise - and since this video was made I've adapted this recipe a little to make it lighter. Instead of adding the O.J. to the onion and fruit mix, put it in a large, shallow pan that has a lid, then add the couscous, making sure it's evenly spread, then cover with a lid or cling film. Leave to soak 15mins. Mix everything together once the couscous is ready. The ratio of OJ to couscous should be 1.25 : 1 NOT 2 : 1

My version . . . .   : )

Mum's looks a lot nicer!!! (of course)

in the lab

How much water do I need to use to cook a cup of dry couscous?

Test done with 2 types of couscous: Belazu barley and Sainsburies semolina

So what's the ratio required to avoid sloppy couscous! 

Short answer 1:1.25 - semolina 1:1.75 - barley (by weight)

I know what you might think but I don't care - this kind of thing bugs me, and it really does make a difference to the final result!

After a couple of tests these are the conclusions that I came to:

RATIO grain : liquid	1:1	1:1.5	1:2
Barley	Too Dry	Passable Dry	Passable Wet
Semolina	Passable Dry	Passable Wet	Too Wet

general rules to remember . . .

Ratio of couscous to liquid should be  1 couscous : 1.25  boiling stock/juice.

If using a barley couscous 1:1.75.

When leaving the couscous to absorb the stock, favour a wide shallow vessel to a tall narrow one. This will give you more even absorption and texture.

apparatus / equipment

Kettle or saucepan,

Frying pan

Scibblings in the lab . . . 

thinking ahead

You can eat this hot or at room temp. Once made, store in the fridge covered with cling film. Remove from the fridge and let it warm up to room temp for an hour before you need it, then remove the cling film and serve to the delight of you guests!

what could go wrong? 

Why is my couscous rather dry and hard in places, and soggy in others? Mix the couscous gently half way through he soaking period at about 7mins!

variations

Given the absorbing nature of couscous it's open to being flavoured in all sorts of ways, roast veg in the winter, to fruit, tomatoes, basil and mint in the summer!!

Behind the scenes!!

The set @ferdiesfoodlab

Recipe - Leftover Challenge: Chicken Croquettes

by Simon Fernandez of ferdiesfoodlab  
Croquettes are something very dear to my heart. As a kid we'd get them once a year! They were like absolute gold dust, which is sort of ironic because they were made from leftovers! Turkey, to be precise! And bloody good they were too. 

 








I have no idea how my mum used to make them! The other day I was faced with some leftovers, and it had been so. so long since I'd had one, that I thought - why the hell not?!! In fairness, they took about 2hrs to make, which is probably why we only got them once a year!! But I made enough to keep me in frozen croquette for a while . . . . reeee..sult!!

Here's how . . .

ingredients (makes 16-18)
for the croquettes
150g left over roast chicken 
     (about 1/4 - 1/3 of a roast chicken)
150g mushrooms
250ml pint chicken stock
1 tbsp gelatine powder
     or 2 sheets gelatine (optional)
80g flour
80g butter
50ml milk
4 egg yolks
1 egg (whisked with a touch - 10ml - of milk)
old/toasted bread / bread crumbs(for coating)
oil for frying (veg/sunflower)

for the coleslaw
1/3 cabbage (finely sliced)
12 black olives (stoned, quartered)
50g pea shoots or other green leaf
8 cherry tomatoes (quartered)
1 tbsp mayonaise
500ml 5% brine (boiling)

croquettes
Clean the mushrooms, then add them to the chicken stock and leave to simmer.
Debone the chicken and dice it: medium small dice. If you like your croquettes super smooth, you can blend it! Personally, I like a bit of texture in my creamy croquettes. Also nice to be able to identify what you're eating, neigh-ce pas? (Boom boom!)
Make a roux by melting the butter in a pan, then adding the flour and mixing until a smooth paste is formed. Remove from heat.
Remove the mushrooms from the liquor with a slotted spoon and place them onto a cutting board to cool down.
 
Mix the gelatine powder into the hot liquor until completely dissolved. If you're using sheets soak them in cold water for 5 mins first, squeeze any excess water from them and add them to the liquor, mixing in until dissolved.
Add about 3 tbsp of the liquor to the chicken and mix until well coated and glossy.

Add the milk to the roux and loosen it. (Mix in until smooth)
Add the remaining liquor to the roux and mix until smooth, put it on a gentle heat until the flour is cooked out. (10-15m) A little more stock and this would be a velouté. Take off the heat.




Chop the mushrooms to a similar size as the chicken.
Add the chicken and mushroom to the creamy mix, then add the egg yolks and mix in with a wooden spoon, stir until the mix is thick and silky, season if required.
At this point the classic route would be to pour the mix into a tray and let it cool for 2hrs until it's set, then coat in bread crumbs.

But I was absolutely starving at this stage so I took matters into my own hands:
Run the cold tap until you have an inch (2.5cm) of water in the sink, then place the pan in and keep stirring, this will quickly lower the temperature of the mix. Once it's cold the mix will be thick enough to quenelle.

Quenelle the mix with table spoons onto a tray of flour, roll to coat in flour.
Coat in egg wash, (the whisked egg) then bread crumbs, and place onto a tray lined with bread crumbs.

Once you have enough to fill your frying pan, heat your oil to a medium temp (160C for deep fat fryers - 4mins) and place the croquettes into the oil with a pair of tongs, fry them until golden brown turning occasionally so they are evenly cooked.

Once they're ready, remove them and place in a sieve (green option) or onto kitchen towel to drain.


At this point it's important not to let the little blighters get the better of you by having a sneaky taste, you will burn your mouth!
Let then drain for a moment, then place on a hot serving tray and serve immediately!

coleslaw
Prep the ingredients as listed.
To make the brine weigh out 25g of salt and add 500ml of boiling water, stir and dissolve the salt.
Add the sliced cabbage to the brine and leave for 30mins, then rinse under cold water and drain. This will have 2 effects: it seasons the cabbage and parboils it, softening it slightly for the coleslaw.
Once the cabbage is completely drained, mix the ingredients together and put aside until required.

thinking ahead
Croquettes freeze very well so you can make a big batch - 'cos let's face it, they take a while! - and bust 'em out of the freezer when the mood takes you!

what could go wrong?
When dicing the chicken and mushrooms, if you dice them too big it will be difficult to roll them into croquettes. 4mm chunks max!

to serve
Place a healthy portion of coleslaw onto a warm plate, add the croquettes and dress with a sprig of parsley if you're feeling like the '70s. Alternatively, you can load a serving dish with croquettes and large bowl with the coleslaw, place them on the table, and let folks help themselves!
 
variations
The list is endless, but here are a few: Ham, lamb, potato, beef, cheese, rice, salted cod and mussels. They can also be of the sweet variety, for example, made from rice pudding thickened with egg yolk then coated and fried!!