Couscous alla trapanese "
Instructions
INGREDIENTS for 4 PEOPLE 500 g coarse semolina, 500 g fine flour, 2 onions, olive oil, salt, pepper, chilli, 1 kg of mixed fish soup, 300 g of prawns, 2 kg of mussels, 300 g Octopus and cuttlefish, 1 kg of ripe tomatoes, a head of garlic, 150 g of ground almonds, parsley, Bay leaves.
Kouskous preparation at home is a daunting task, because it requires experience and suitable equipment and involves several phases in his long preparation.
The first phase is the incocciata, i.e.
the transformation of semolina, adding water, small balls: this is done by using a special dish terracotta low and broad, the mafaradda, where, with his hands, transforms, with a continuous motion and adding every now and then a trickle of water, semolina, which in turn will spread on a cloth to dry.
The second phase consists in merging pepper kouskous, Bay leaves, salt, oil and a little chopped onion, in the mafaradda.
At this point, the whole must be poured in another special earthenware pot that is shaped like a colander: la pignata.
It should be placed over a pot of the same size in diameter, filled with water and a few Bay leaves for flavoring.
The kouskous is cooked to steam for about 2 hours on low heat, and to prevent the steam flows out from the sides, prepares a mixture of water and flour, and you go to cuddura seal the seam of the two pans.
When cooked, remove from the heat and kouskous let rest for 2 hours, covered with a wool blanket.
Meanwhile, he goes to prepare a fish soup: then FRY the chopped onion with plenty of olive oil, add the tomatoes peeled and chopped, salt, pepper, chili, garlic, chopped, parsley, previously the almonds and half a liter of water and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.
In a saucepan over low heat then open the mussels, remove from valve but lasciatene what a garnish; along with the shrimp, mix in the pot for the broth.
Clean the fish soup (Scorpion fish, Grouper, crab and others) and add them to the broth along with the Octopus and cuttlefish.
Boil for 20 minutes and pour the broth into the mafaradda of kouskous, taking care to leave a little aside to get it wet.
