preface – Many if not all of MeatHenge’s postings include yummy shots of the meal in question. Well, I got pictures this time, but the final shot (for me anyway) didn’t look all that enticing. However, all my fears disapeared when I took my first bite. The brother/sister taste of the Merquez sausage and the Kalamata olives was outstanding. As you dug through the bowl you got something warm and happy each time. I’m a big fan of the couscous, so I figured I’d eat it no matter what it looked like. I’m tellin’ ya, if you enjoy couscous write down this recipe and make damned sure you follow my wife’s changes, they’re necessary.
May 6th UPDATE: Well, it’s been a few days and we had our second round of leftovers last night. As long as you don’t store the couscous with the stewy portion of the meal, it keeps VERY well and tastes wonderful days later. XO
Here is Mama:
When Biggles introduced merguez to me several weeks ago, I became an instant fan of these flavor-packed little bundles of love. They are spicy, yet not hot, and they remind me of one of my all time favorite dishes — couscous. The rumor was Taylor had merguez available this week, I knew what I had to do…

The following recipe was adapted from Copeland Mark’s recipe for “Keskou
Merquez” out of _The Great Book of Couscous_:
2 tablespoon peanut oil + 1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
3 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups water
3 medium carrots, cut diagonally into thirds
2 white turnips, cut into 8 quarters
2 potatoes, cut into 8 quarters
2 medium zucchini, cut into thirds
8 Merguez sausage
couscous (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
….
1/2 cup kalamata olives (I use Trader Joe’s brand)
1/2 cup good red wine
2 cloves garlic, crushed
I heated the oil and butter in a large pot, added the onion and
chickpeas; then saut