North African Meat Sauce with Saffron Couscous
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Author:
Jill O'Brien
Recently, a chef friend of mine sent me a recipe she came across in the New York Times. She did a riff on it using Wild Idea Buffalo meat and said that it was fabulous! Being in the middle of nowhere is a lot like social distancing, so I modified the recipe with what I had on hand as well as changed the structure based on the time that I had.
But that is the great thing about a recipe: it can be used as a guideline, and then you can riff away and make it your own! This recipe is filled with a bunch of aromatic spices that are great for both digestion and the taste buds. Win-win!
Ingredients
- 2 – tablespoons oil
- 1 – onion, chopped
- 1 – teaspoon salt
- ½ - teaspoon black pepper
- 1/3 – teaspoon allspice
- 1 – teaspoon ginger
- 1 – teaspoon turmeric
- 2 – teaspoons paprika
- ¼ - teaspoon cayenne
- ½ - teaspoon cumin
- ½ - teaspoon coriander
- ¼ - teaspoon cinnamon
-
1 – pound Wild Idea Premium Ground Buffalo
- 4 – cloves garlic (2 tablespoons), chopped
- 3 – tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 – cups organic chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 3 – tablespoons chopped parsley
- 3 – tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 2 – green onions, chopped
- 1 – tablespoon olive oil
- 2 – cups couscous
- ½ - cup chopped apricots
- 2 – cups water or broth
- .01 oz. – saffron*
Ingredients (Serves 6):
For the Sauce:
For the Couscous:
*This is expensive, so if you don’t have it, no worries.
Directions
North African Meat Sauce with Saffron Couscous
For the sauce: In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the oil, onion, and dried spices. Sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Crumble in the Ground Buffalo and chopped garlic, stir to incorporate, and brown, about 7 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste and chicken broth. Bring to a boil and then reduce and simmer for 15 minutes or until desired consistency is achieved.
Add half of the fresh chopped herbs before serving.
For the couscous: Heat the oil and the couscous in a pot over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the apricots, water, and saffron. Stir and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer with the lid on, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes.
Serve the meat sauce over the couscous and garnish with remaining chopped herbs.
7 comments
This has become one (of many) of our favorite recipes. We love these North African spices and I always try any recipes that include these wonderful flavors. The ground buffalo is the perfect match, making a flavorful, fun meal.
Hi Susan – yes – that is what I used, but I think others would work too, or rice. I hope you enjoy it! jill
This recipe sounds wonderful and I’m looking forward to trying it. The picture looks like Israeli couscous – could you clarify? Thanks you!
I tried this recipe last night and it is awesome! Substituted red pepper flakes for the cayenne as we don’t care for super-spicy food. It took a whlle to get all the spices assembled and measured, but that’s the learning curve.
Thanks so much for a new standby recipe when I want to prepare dinner quickly.
This is a recipe that I will make often. It’s an interesting use of spices and an economical use of the ground buffalo at only one pound . It happily feeds quite a few.
Hi Nancy. The recipe called for golden raisins – so try those, or leave out. Here is the link to the recipe that was featured in the NY Times. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12763-north-african-meatballs
jill
What else would work well other than apricots? I am NOT a fan of fruit mixed in savory dishes. :-P
Other than that, it sounds fantastic! :)