Couscous!

Ymen, a Biology teacher at Evariste Galois from Tunisia, offered to cook me a traditional Couscous meal. Refusing such an offer is punishable by death so I quickly consented and invited her "chez moi." She had made some comments about the size of her place and I thought it would be fun to have some company. I invited Uri and Nina and we made a double date of it. She arrived with a "chariot d'epicerie" loaded with food! We chatted while she cooked and had a great time speaking Franglish (we met in the teacher's lounge when she approached me with the proposition of practicing her English.) She made a wonderfully simple salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions with a bit of olive oil and mint leaf dressing. We ate this with a loaf of traditional North African bread. Next was the couscous. She had stewed a few large cuts of beef with tomato sauce and some special spices. When the meat was nearly done she threw in a heap of vegtables including carrots and potatoes. This was ladled over the couscous, a small neutral tasting grain. It had been a very long time since I had eaten couscous and I did not remember it being this good. The beef was fall off the bone tender and the vegtables were cooked to perfection. We finished up the meal with some traditional Tunisian gateaus, little delicious sweets, and tea. Conclusion: Ymen is welcome back anytime!