Couscous, we used to think, was a strictly Maghrebi (North African) preparation, an iconographic dish from the Berbers of Morocco and Algeria. But we were wrong. It turns out that couscous is ubiquitous all over the Islamic part of the Mediterranean, including Anatolian Turkey, Lebanon, and Palestine, and even beyond, in Sicily, Sardinia, and Greece. (Of course, couscous is now a favorite dish in southern France and Israel too, but in these cases it was either brought in by North African immigrants or adopted from the indigenous population, hence not truly a national tradition.) The couscous made in the Middle East is often a little different from the tiny, delicate grains produced by the most adept Moroccan cooks. Palestinian couscous, called maftoul, is the most untypical of all since it is made from durum wheat bulgur, or burghul, the staple processed wheat—cooked, sun-dried, and cracked—of the Levant. Because it is entirely hand-made, maftoul has a delightfully erratic construction, a mixture of small grains and larger ones, which means that in the cooking, some grains are thoroughly cooked, even overcooked, while others retain the al dente texture that Italians demand from their pasta.
The following is a simplified adaptation of Palestinian maftoul, which you can find, made by hand and sun-dried, at www.canaanfairtrade.com. You may be surprised to find cinnamon, allspice, and star anise among the spices, but these are quite typical of certain areas of the Middle East.
Please don’t use canned chickpeas in this. It’s so easy to cook and freeze chickpeas that we wonder why people don’t do it. A cup of dried chickpeas, simmered with a few bay leaves in boiling water to cover for 30 to 50 minutes, will make 3 cups cooked. Use what you need in the maftoul recipe and freeze the rest. You’ll be glad you have them next time you make a hearty winter soup.
SERVES 6 TO 8
One small fresh chicken (2½ to 3 pounds), preferably free-range, cut into 8 pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, unpeeled
4 allspice berries
One 2-inch cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
2 star anise
Pinch ground turmeric
½ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1½ cups cooked chickpeas (see headnote)
1 red sweet pepper, trimmed and sliced thin
½ medium red onion, sliced into moons (longitudinally)
2 cups maftoul
¼ cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds
3 picked sprigs cilantro, for garnish
Rub the chicken pieces all over with salt, pepper, and the cardamom. Heat ¼ cup of the oil in a heavy- bottomed stockpot over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown thoroughly on all sides. Remove the chicken pieces and set aside. Remove the pot from the heat and when the oil is cool, tip it out and wipe out the pot with paper towels to remove all traces of burned oil.
Return the pot to medium-low heat and add the chicken back along with 8 to 10 cups of water, enough barely to cover the chicken. Do not peel the onion, but rub off any loose papery peel, then cut the onion in half and add to the pot along with the allspice, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, star anise, turmeric, and cumin. Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, at which point the chicken should be done and very tender.
Remove the chicken from the broth and set aside. When it is cool enough to handle, set the pieces in an oven dish, preferably one with a lid.
Strain the bits of spices and bay leaves from the broth and discard. Once the broth has cooled down a bit, transfer it to a cool place or the refrigerator to let the fat rise and congeal. When the fat is solid on the top, skim it off with a slotted spoon and discard. (The recipe can be made ahead of time up to this point, even a day or two ahead of time, but the broth and the chicken should be refrigerated.)
When ready to proceed, set the oven on low, 200º to 250ºF.
Return the defatted broth in the stockpot to medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, until the broth has reduced by half, that is, to about 4 cups.
Remove 1 cup of the broth and pour it over the chicken pieces in the oven dish. Cover the chicken with a lid or a sheet of aluminum foil and transfer to the oven to warm while you make the maftoul.
Warm up the cooked chickpeas, if necessary, adding a few tablespoons of broth or plain water. Bring to a simmer over low heat, just enough to warm them through. Keep warm while you finish the maftoul.
In a small skillet, combine the sweet pepper and onion slices with the remaining ¼ cup oil and gently sauté until the slices start to soften. Add the maftoul and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes just to lightly toast the maftoul grains and bring out their wheaten flavor. Bring the broth back to a simmer, if necessary, and add the maftoul and vegetables. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, or until the grains of maftoul are tender.
Arrange the maftoul on a platter, then set the chicken pieces on top, spooning any residual broth over the maftoul. Finally, spoon the chickpeas over the top and garnish with the toasted almonds and cilantro.
Serve immediately.