Make cous cous, not war...Fish cous cous

I copied this nice slogan from the Cous Cous Fest, the international festival of cultural integration featuring cous cous recipes  from all over the world, which will be held from 20th to 25th September 2011 in San Vito Lo Capo (province of Trapani, Sicily). For the 14th year, a panel of expert judges will declare the "best cous cous 2011" among a multitude of cous cous dishes from Algeria, the Ivory Coast, France, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Palestine, Senegal, Tunisia, etc., all those countries where cous cous is considered part of the culinary tradition. Cous cous (kind of steamed granules of semolina) is  native of North Africa, the name deriving from Berber seksu, meaning "well rolled", "well formed", "rounded". In most African countries, like Libya, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, it is traditionally served with a meat or vegetable stew, while in Italy is a staple  food particularly of the western Sicily's province of Trapani where it is served with a mixed fish soup (usually poor fish of the area, like hogfish, grouper, etc. with some shrimps and scampi).  The "Cuscusu di pisci al Siciliano", so called in the dialect language from Sicily,  distinguishes itself also for the use of cinnamon and almonds and for the long traditional cooking method of the semola, which is incocciata, that means worked in a terracotta recipient, called mafaradda, and then steamed. I would really love to attend the Cous Cous Fest to learn everything about this delicious dish, which can be prepared in so many different ways, each way telling a story of different colors, people, places, cultures. I like that food can bring people together in a peaceful competition full of values...Yes, make cous cous, not war! 

The fish cous cous I made was part of a "fast cooking" lesson I recently attended.  I used the precooked cous cous, very easy and quick to prepare. The recipe includes a mix of spices, which gives the cous cous  a wonderful exotic aroma. The wine to pair should be a dry, fruity, fresh white wine, with a mild structure, in order not to predominate over the delicacy of fish.  I would suggest a wine from Donnafugata, one of the most appreciated Sicilian wineries located in the province of Trapani, that it's a must to visit if you travel to that part of Sicily. My favorite Donnafugata whites are Lighea, a dry version of Zibibbo (Moscato d'Alessandria), and Vigna di Gabri, a blend with base Ansonica, both very elegant, fruity, with a nice mineral finish. This second wine was indeed suggested me as a perfect match for the Siciliano cous cous from Baldo Palermo, Marketing Manager at Donnafugata, whom I interviewed at the recent Vinitaly fair in Verona. Read the interview in Just a Good Little Wine...stay tuned!

Fish cous cous

(the recipe is taken by my class cookbook written by Roberta Molani, makes 6 servings)

1/2 chopped red onion

1 finely chopped clove or garlic plus one to flavor oil

hot pepper

ground cinnamon, cumin and coriander (I used a organic mixed of spices ready for cous cous)

250 g precook cous cous

30 g butter

vegetable (or fish) broth

mixed fish fillets (I used cod, salmon trout and bass)

a small sack of clams (to clean clams, put them in a terrine with salted water for at least 1 hour) 

1 lemon

extra-virgin olive oil

chopped parsley 

salt

pepper

Cook the cous cous as indicated on the package using vegetable (or better fish) broth. Stew the onion with hot pepper in a pan with two tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic. Add spices (pepper, cinnamon, cumin and coriander) and toast them. Add a knob of butter, the precooked cous cous and the juice of 1/2 lemon. Aside cook the fish fillets in a pan with some olive oil flavored with a clove of garlic for 3/4 minutes. Salt and pepper. To open the clams cook them in a covered pan. Place the cous cous on a big dish, lay over the fish fillets and the clams (I preferred to cut the fillets into little pieces and mix them in the cous cous). Dress with extra-virgin olive oil and some chopped parsley.