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Einat Admony, an Israeli chef celebrated for her modern takes on Middle Eastern cuisine, shifts focus at her Manhattan restaurant, Kish-Kash, to traditional Jewish North African dishes, with hand-rolled couscous as the centerpiece. Unlike the quick supermarket variety, authentic couscous involves a labor-intensive process rooted in North African traditions. Berber women historically spent hours rolling semolina by hand, sifting, and steaming it in a special pot called a couscousière, a method that creates light, airy granules.

Couscous preparation varies regionally: Moroccans serve it with stews in tagines, while Tunisians separate broth, meat, and couscous into different bowls. In Sicily and Livorno, couscous accompanies fish or lamb, introduced by North African Jews in the 13th century. Varieties like Palestinian maftoul and Lebanese moghrabieh use larger granules, while Israeli couscous (ptitim), invented during the 1950s austerity, resembles pasta more than traditional couscous.

In North African Jewish culture, couscous is a staple of Shabbat and holiday meals, symbolizing prosperity and good luck. For Rosh Hashanah, it’s topped with sweet tanzia, while Shavuot versions mix milk and cinnamon. Desserts like Tunisian farka highlight couscous’s versatility. Admony’s homage to this dish reflects its deep cultural significance, bridging everyday sustenance with celebratory tradition.

The Recipe

Butternut Squash, Chickpea and Turmeric Couscous
Serves 6

This simple Tunisian dish is served with a stew of butternut squash or pumpkin, potato, carrots and chickpeas and cooked with a little turmeric. It’s fat free, the vegetables are high in carbs, the chickpeas provide protein and the whole wheat couscous is full of fiber. The combination helps you stay full for a long time, making it an ideal dish for the seudah mafseket, the pre-fast meal of Yom Kippur.

Stew Ingredients
2 quarts vegetable stock
2 potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch cubes
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch sections
1 yellow onion, quartered
 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
1 butternut squash, peeled, cut into large chunks
2 zucchinis, cut into 2-inch sections
3 celery stalks, cut into 2-inch slices
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon grated fresh turmeric root or 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
salt to taste

Couscous Ingredients
1 ½ cups whole wheat couscous
1 ½ teaspoons salt

Directions

1| In a large pot over medium-high heat, bring vegetable stock to boil. 2| Add the rest of the ingredients, except for salt, bring to boil, then reduce heat to low. 3| Cover and cook for 1 hour, until all vegetables are tender. Add salt to taste. 4| Prepare couscous according to package directions. 5| In each bowl put a few tablespoons of couscous, top with vegetables and chickpeas with some of the stock and serve.