Whole wheat Moroccan couscous (Friday tradition)

Peel and roughly chop two onions, blend raw with two tablespoons of water until smooth. Score a cross at the base of four tomatoes, blanch sixty seconds in boiling water, peel, halve and scoop out all seeds (Attaybatte preparation: peeled, deseeded, cooked).

Cube the lamb shoulder. Heat ghee in the bottom pot of the couscoussier, sear the cubes ten minutes until deeply browned. Add the blended onion purée, simmer ten minutes for the water to evaporate. Add the peeled tomatoes, salt, saffron, two litres of water. Cover and simmer sixty minutes.

Place whole wheat semolina in a wide bowl, sprinkle with a glass of water, mix with hands until evenly moistened. Transfer to the upper basket of the couscoussier (the part with holes). Steam uncovered twenty minutes over the simmering broth. The semolina should swell visibly.

Cube the pumpkin into four-centimetre pieces, add to the broth around the lamb. Lift the basket, return the semolina to the bowl, sprinkle a second glass of water, mix and rub with hands to break clumps. Return to the basket, steam another twenty minutes.

Repeat the wetting-rubbing-steaming cycle a third time. The traditional Berber rule is three steam cycles minimum for a perfectly aerated grain. After the third cycle, take the basket off, fluff with a wooden spoon, drizzle three tablespoons of olive oil over the semolina.

Mound the steamed couscous on a wide round platter, hollow the centre. Arrange the lamb cubes and pumpkin pieces in the hollow. Spoon a generous ladle of broth over the entire dome to moisten without flooding. Serve a separate bowl of broth for adjustment. Eat with the right hand traditionally, or with a spoon.