MARILU'S COUS COUS DESSERT

Place half the durum wheat in a large bowl. Add splashes of water, salt, cinnamon and extra virgin olive oil, while stirring/raking the durum wheat in a circular motion with your hand. You should use approximately half the quantities of water, salt, cinnamon and extra virgin olive oil at this point. Continue working in a circular motion, constantly stirring to moisten the grains evenly. Rub the mixture between your hands to remove any lumps that may form. If the mixture becomes too wet, add some more durum wheat, if it becomes too dry, add some more water. The mixture should form into small pellets. If you have not achieved this, rub and rake some more.

Add the remaining durum wheat, salt, cinnamon and extra virgin olive oil and repeat the process above. Transfer the cous cous to a colander and embed the zest of 1 lemon in the cous cous. Rest the colander over a pot of boiling water, (the pot should be tall enough so that colander is not immersed in the water). Use *dough as a seal to prevent steam from escaping between the colander and the pot. Let the cous cous steam for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. Serve with seafood, stewed meats and/ or vegetables, or use as a base for Maril·'s cous cous dessert.

* Cous cous is cooked in a special double boiler called a couscousiera. A makeshift couscousiera can be made by placing a colander over a similar sized pot and sealing the two together with a simple dough to prevent steam from escaping. To make the dough, just combine 1 cup of flour with enough water to create a dough. Roll the dough into a long rope and use as a seal.