The ultimate winter couscous from Plenty (page 262) by Yotam Ottolenghi

Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

  • megan_cw348y on April 04, 2026

    Good not great. Came out quite sweet for me, wish I had added more harissa.

  • jess_na6y7k on March 04, 2026

    Super Tasty! I loved the spice mix and the carrots, parsnips, and squash. I personally didn’t need so many shallots, when I make it again I will use less!

  • stacylynnwinnie on February 01, 2026

    Tagine vibes! This was delicious!! The photo in the cookbook didn't look appealing to me but after reading reviews I decided to give it a try, and it did not disappoint. It's very colorful and appealing and the aroma is so comforting. I made the recipe as is with no modifications, except that I only used 1 TBSP of Harissa my first go around, wasn't feeling up for too much heat since we were eating dinner late. Next time I'll likely add both tbsps. of Harissa. I asked my husband if he would change anything and he said the shallots were too big. Some were really big and I cut them in half to try and at least get the pieces all the same size, but they were still too big. He thought I should add the other tbsps. of Harissa as well. We have plenty of leftovers for dinner tonight with a fresh batch of that yummy saffron couscous.

  • bbbtravels on September 20, 2025

    The first time I made this, I couldn't find preserved lemons at nearby grocery stores so bought Indian lemon pickle instead. Wow! Delicious - both this recipe and the lemon pickle, which is now a staple condiment.

  • ParsleySue on November 11, 2023

    Loved this! So much rich, interesting, varied flavor and texture. I will try it next time with less oil and butter, though - yikes - but I think it will still hold up. Two changes I had to make - I had no preserved lemon, so I added more salt, plus lemon juice and zest. And I also had to cook my couscous more.

  • JLDuck on June 28, 2022

    This recipe is delicious. Once the vegetables were prepared it was just a matter of putting them into the oven in the recommended order. I did not follow the couscous recipe but stirred in the saffron and lemon skin with hot water.

  • michalow on December 26, 2019

    I've made this enough times now that I think I've settled on the optimal modifications to suit my taste. Since I like a less sweet mix of vegetables, I use: onion (1/2 large), carrots (3), potatoes (6 baby), celery root (1 small), and fennel (1 bulb, added when the recipe calls for squash). I skip the star anise, reduce the cinnamon to one stick, and use golden raisins instead of apricots. Good with or without the harissa.

  • Dannausc on December 16, 2018

    Quite hearty and good.

  • dinnermints on October 29, 2018

    This was good, but not astoundingly so. Then again, I decreased the oil and didn't use the butter, so there you go. My veggies were all a bit undercooked except for the shallots; next time I'd cut the carrots, parsnips, and squash smaller and increase the heat to 400. And I used whole wheat Israeli couscous, so followed the instructions for that. Aha, and am seeing now that I forgot the saffron....

  • debkellie on June 13, 2017

    I loved this .. it is an explosion of flavour as Bwolfe2 says ...and that was using my home made (read mild) harissa.. excellent - and so easy .. looks complex from the ingredients but please do give it a try!

  • Bwolfe2 on January 26, 2017

    I was given this cookbook when it was first published. It was beautiful and I read all the recipes but thought of it as more coffee-table book than workhorse recipe book. The aclaim on this site provoked me to prepare a recipe so I pulled it out and tried this one. I was blown away. A friend shared it with me and replied on first bite "it's an explosion of flavors." Yep. And all unique but beautifully blended. This was my first experience using preserved lemons and harissa. Both were easy to find. The harissa I used in moderation based on reviews of the recipe. This will become a family favorite as well as a company-best!! Delightful.

  • Delys77 on October 11, 2013

    Pg. 262 Followed as written except that my Israeli Couscous was bigger than average so I cooked it according to the package directions, and I left out the apricots as I don't usually like sweet and savoury together. The roasted vegetables are lovely with the buttery couscous, and there is a slight heat and lovely preserved lemon flavour which makes the dish that much more interesting. I would actually up the harissa and the lemon a bit next time.

  • annapanna on February 24, 2013

    The list of ingredients is quite long and this made me put off trying this recipe for a while. I don't usually have cinnamon sticks, star anice or preserved lemons at home so I had to buy them especially to make this dish. Still, I figured I could use the rest in some other Ottolenghi recipe. We really enjoyed this, I followed the recipe to the letter except that I couldn't find parsnips, so I used celeriac. The result was a bit too spicy for my taste (although my husband thought it was ok) so next time I'll add less harissa. Also, I will leave out the dried apricots as I don't like their consistency. Maybe I'll try using cranberries as someone else suggested.

  • Emily Hope on December 15, 2011

    This recipe was quite simple and tasty--I like the approach of cooking it in the oven, makes it easy and flexible. The end result was a bit on the sweet side, even with the parsnips left out and swapped for turnips (didn't have parsnips). A dollop of yogurt on top helped. The couscous was a bit dry as written--a bit more liquid needed (I used whole wheat, don't know if that would make a difference). I put some harissa in the veg stock to be used for the harissa--tasty. Also melted the butter in the boiling water before pouring over couscous.

  • Laura on December 12, 2011

    Pg. 262. This is a really luscious dish. I made it exactly as written with the one exception that I substituted dried cranberries for the apricots because that's what I had. We really enjoyed this dish and look forward to leftovers tomorrow.

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Reviews about this recipe

  • Lisa Is Cooking

    I think this is the ultimate winter dish because it really couldn’t go wrong. It was full of warm spice flavors, sweet roasted charm, and perky acidity and heat.

    Full review
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