Nearby, in Trapani, we discovered something the Arabs brought to Sicily—or so they say,
when they occupied the island more than a thousand years ago.
This is couscous.
Pino Maggiore, chef and owner of the Trattoria Cantina Siciliana
in the heart of Trapani’s old ghetto,
showed Steve Jilleba, Certified Master Chef and Executive Chef at Unilever Foodsolutions,
how it’s done.
And Mary Taylor Simeti, helped us to understand it.
Trapani couscous is quite different from the more familiar North African version....
But, like pasta, no matter where it’s made,
it starts with hard durum wheat called semola or semolina.
Pino uses cool water, unsalted, to mix with the semolina.
Like other couscous makers, Pino does it in batches, one after the other.
You can’t make it in large quantities, he says, because it gets gummy,
you don’t get the same fine quality that you get with a small batch.
Mary says that there are records of couscous being sold in the markets of Palermo going back to the 14th century.
So we know it was around then and probably earlier too.
But today, it’s really only associated with this western coast of Sicily around the fishing port of Trapani.
This business of seasoning the couscous grains before cooking
is something you’d never see in North Africa.
It’s one of the biggest differences in style.
Pino uses basil in the couscous now, because it’s still basil season.
But in the winter, he seasons it with parsley and bay leaves.
Now comes the olive oil. . . and finally the whole is tossed and mixed thoroughly together.
Next stop—the kitchen.
But first, we asked Mary Simeti about the differences between Trapani couscous
and the kind of couscous we find in North Africa.
[Mary Simeti speaking] Well, I think the basic difference is that the North Africans cook an unflavored, unsalted couscous
over salted and flavored broth and spices, and fish broth, or a vegetable broth.
Whereas, here, the Sicilians put oil and spices in the couscous,
in the raw couscous.
But they don't put anything at all in the water on which they....
It's not broth, it's water. It's just plain boiling water that cooks the couscous.
[Narrator] And do you have to make couscous from scratch to enjoy this iconic Sicilian dish?
No, says Mary.
[Mary Simeti speaking] I sometimes use the pre-cooked couscous exactly as if it were the raw.
I would horrify the Sicilian housewife, but....
[Narrator] Back in his small, crowded restaurant kitchen,
Pino shifts the seasoned couscous into the top part of his big couscoussiere
—the size of the pot gives you an idea of how much couscous he prepares at any one time.
And here’s a major difference that Mary pointed out....
Here in Sicily, the couscous steams over plain water
—boiling water, of course, but not even any salt in the water. . . .
The couscoussiere is never covered because the steam has to escape out the top.
Every 20 minutes or so, he gives the couscous a stir so it cooks evenly.
Then, when the couscous is done, it’s served, almost like pasta,
with a fish sauce or broth that dresses it.
Pino starts the broth, of course, with olive oil,
PLENTY of extra-virgin olive oil,
to which he will add lots of whole peeled cloves of garlic,
a generous amount of tomato concentrate, salt and pepper,
and lots of fresh basil and some broken cinnamon sticks.
The sauce for Trapani couscous is almost always made from fish.
And the fish is cooked in its broth at the same time as the couscous itself....
So, at the end of an hour and a half, or two hours,
you’ve got light, fluffy grains of couscous
and a deeply savory fish sauce or broth
to pour over the top.
All kinds of fish go into the broth
—shellfish, squid, octopus, whatever’s available.
With larger fish sometimes, Pino just uses the heads
and puts the bodies aside to be cooked later.
Like so many of these fish soups all over the Mediterranean,
this started out as a dish of the poor — "cucina povera,"
a way of using up leftovers, trash fish that the fisherman couldn’t sell.
And now, with the price of fish skyrocketing,
it has become an opulent dish for rich people to dine on.
Once the couscous and its fish broth are done, Pino combines them.
Ground almonds go on top of the couscous,
along with some bits of the cooked fish,
then another scoop of the brothy sauce and it’s time for a taste.
[Chef Steve Jilleba] That's fantastic, huh?