A recipe from the cookbook “Eat Like A Sardinian” by Francesco Mattana brings a taste of Mediterranean cooking to the home kitchen. The dish is a couscous from Carloforte, a small town on the island of San Pietro, off the southwest coast of Sardinia.
The recipe reflects a blend of cultural influences. The area’s cuisine was shaped by Arab cooking from Tabarca, near the coast of Tunisia. People from Liguria, in northwest Italy, moved to the area for fishing and later settled in Carloforte. They brought couscous and spices from that region.
The dish combines seasonal vegetables with couscous and a mix of spices. It can be served warm or cold the next day.
Ingredients
1 lemon
4 artichokes
250g (9oz) couscous
2 courgettes (zucchini), thinly sliced
1 small aubergine (eggplant), chopped into 1cm cubes
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into 1cm cubes
1/2 cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 Savoy cabbage, sliced lengthways and then into small chunks
150g (5 1/2oz) cooked chickpeas
2 1/4 teaspoons La Saporita spice mix (or homemade mix, see below)
extra virgin olive oil
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
First, prepare the artichokes. Fill a bowl with water and squeeze in the juice from the lemon halves. Drop the squeezed halves into the bowl.
Hold an artichoke firmly. Use a small, sharp knife to remove the tough, dark green outer leaves at the base. Cut off the top 1 to 2cm of the artichoke, where the leaves are still tough. Leave about 2.5cm of the stem attached. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the tough outer layer of the stem. Cut the artichoke in half. Use a teaspoon to scoop out the fuzzy choke in the middle. Cut each half again to get quarters.
Place the artichoke quarters in the lemon water to prevent browning. Repeat with the remaining artichokes.
Put the couscous in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil. Cover with boiling water to 1cm above the couscous. Stir quickly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a plate and set aside.
Thinly slice the artichokes. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the courgettes, artichokes and aubergine. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in another large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots, cauliflower, onion and cabbage. Stir both pans often.
After 5 minutes, add the chickpeas to the pan with the courgettes, artichokes and aubergine. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until all vegetables are cooked but still have some crunch.
Once the vegetables are cooked, divide the spice mixture between the two pans. Season with salt and pepper. Stir together. Cook for another minute, then remove the pans from the heat.
Transfer the cooked couscous to a large bowl. Fluff it with a fork. Stir in the cooked vegetables and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away or at room temperature.
Homemade Spice Mix
Mix 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon ground caraway seeds and 1/2 teaspoon aniseed or ground star anise.
Nutritional Information
Per serving: 350 calories, 13 grams protein, 60 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams fat. Nutritional info is an estimate and may vary.
