MOROCCAN SKEWERS WITH COUSCOUS AND YOGHURT SAUCE

This recipe is so easy to make and turns out so amazingly tasty that you have to stop yourself from eating more. You can cook the skewers in the BBQ but if you don't feel like it or you don't have one, they are equally delicious when made in a grill pan. I used veal and pork mince, but they are also beautiful with beef or lamb mince. It's an adaptation of a recipe from Curtis Stone cookbook.

INGREDIENTS
Yoghurt sauce
1 Lebanese cucumber
1 cup plain yoghurt
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Beef skewers
8 (30cm) branches of fresh rosemary
500g lean veal & pork mince 
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh coriander
1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp olive oil
Cumin-coriander couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups plain couscous
2 Tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 Tbsp olive oil
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
freshly ground black pepper

 

METHOD:

To make the yoghurt sauce: 
Halve the cucumber lengthwise and use a small spoon to get rid of the seeds.

Grate the cucumber into a small bowl. 

Squeeze the grated cucumber to extract as much liquid as possible, then put in a small bowl.
Mix in the yoghurt, lemon juice and dill. 

Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you are making it ahead,  keep in the fridge until you start cooking the skewers.

To make the beef skewers: 
Remove most of the leaves from the rosemary branches, leaving about 5 cm of leaves at the tip of each one. Soak the stems in cold water to cover while you prepare the meat.
In a large bowl, mix the beef mince, breadcrumbs, coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, allspice, salt and pepper thoroughly with your hands. 

Mix in the egg.

Divide the mince mixture evenly into 8 balls.

Place a meatball on the bottom end of each rosemary skewer and gently mould it into a sausage shape along the stem, packing it tightly.
The meat mixture on each stem should be about 10 cm long, 4 cm wide and 2.5cm thick. 

Rub the olive oil over the meat.
Prepare an outdoor grill for medium-high cooking over direct heat. If you don't have one, preheat a grill pan over the stove.
Arrange the skewers on the grill, with the leafy ends positioned away from the heat source to prevent burning. (Don't worry if the rosemary chars a bit). 

Grill the skewers, turning occasionally, for about 8 minutes or until the beef is thoroughly browned and crusty on the outside and the centre shows no sign of pink when pierced with the tip of a knife.

Transfer the skewers to a plate and let rest for 3 minutes.

To make the couscous:
In a medium saucepan, bring the stock, cumin and salt to a boil over high heat. 

Put the couscous in a big bowl. Add the stock and cover the bowl tightly  with a plate. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender.

Fluff the couscous with a fork, then mix in the coriander, olive oil and lemon zest.
Season to taste with pepper. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

To serve, spoon the couscous onto dinner plates.
Top each serving with 2 skewers and the sauce and serve immediately.

Serves 4