Farfoucha

Name: Farfoucha
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 people
Ingredients: 3 cups Fennel leaves; 1 medium onion; 2½ cups fine semolina couscous; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 large onion; 10 cloves garlic; 2 large tomatoes; 4 dried peppers; 3 tablespoons tomato paste; 1 teaspoon harissa paste; 2 cups vegetable stock; 3 teaspoon tabil; 1½ teaspoon sweet paprika; 2 cups hot water; ½ teaspoon sea salt; 2 large fresh mild green chilli peppers; 2 large fresh mild red chilli peppers; 1 large potato; 15 green olives; Couscous steamer

User Reviews

5.0

3 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
55 mins
Servings
4 people
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
Tunisian, North African, Vegan

Farfoucha

Barrett Guerrero

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Tunisian farfoucha is a deliciously hearty dish of fragrant steamed couscous and fennel leaves with a rich and spicy tomato-based vegetable stew.

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Ingredients

Servings

For the couscous

3 cups Fennel leaves , washed and roughly chopped
1 medium onion , coarsely chopped
2½ cups fine semolina couscous (not instant)
1 teaspoon sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil

For the vegetable stew

4 tablespoons olive oil , divided
1 large onion , coarsely chopped
10 cloves garlic , minced, divided
2 large tomatoes , roughly diced
4 dried peppers (ideally Aleppo peppers), rehydrated with boiling water
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon harissa paste
2 cups vegetable stock
3 teaspoon tabil
1½ teaspoon sweet paprika
2 cups hot water
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 large fresh mild green chilli peppers , quartered (lengthwise and widthwise)
2 large fresh mild red chilli peppers , quartered (lengthwise and widthwise)
1 large potato , peeled, and quartered (lengthwise)
15 green olives

Equipment

Couscous steamer

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Instructions

Couscous

Mix the couscous with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ¼ cup (60 ml) warm water.
Half fill the bottom of a steamer pan with water, and bring the boil.
Place the chopped fennel into the steamer insert, along with one of the chopped onions, couscous, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1 teaspoon sea salt.
Mix well, set the insert over the pan of boiling water, cover with a lid, and steam for 30 to 35 minutes, until the couscous is light and fluffy. Stir with a fork a couple of times during steaming, to prevent it clumping together.
Turn off the heat, and remove the steamer insert from the pan, fluff up the couscous, then place back on top of the pan to keep warm.

Vegetable stew

While the couscous is steaming, sauté the remaining onion, 1 clove garlic, and the chopped tomatoes in the rest of the oil over a medium-high heat for around 2 minutes.
Remove the Aleppo peppers from their soaking water, add to the pan, and stir well.
Add the tomato paste and harissa, mix well, and then stir in the cup of vegetable stock.
Mix everything together well, and add the tabil and paprika. Stir well, reduce the heat to medium, and cook for 2 minutes, until you have a thick, almost paste-like consistency.
Mix in the hot water and salt, and add the potatoes to the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, then stir in the rest of the garlic and the quartered chili peppers. Cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked, then turn off the heat.

Put the farfoucha together

Fluff up the couscous again, and turn out onto a warmed serving platter.
Take a cup of the sauce from the vegetable stew, pour it over the couscous, and mix well, working the couscous into the sauce from the outside into the middle. Repeat until almost all the sauce is mixed into the couscous.
Form the couscous into a mound, and arrange the potatoes and chillies in a star pattern on top. Pour the rest of the sauce over the vegetables, decoratively arrange the green olives, and serve immediately.