tangy mushrooms with Couscous

I like dishes with a lot of odours and surprising flavours. When I first read this recipe in Ottolenghis blog (british cook with some resaturants in London). I was astonished about the combination of the ingredients. What would you say when you read a recipe where mushrooms are combined with cinnamon? I was curious to try this recipe and my imagination was not disappointed: it is a festivity for the palate and the nose. It starts with the odour in your kitchen during the preparation and then you savour a flavourful, unconventionel but easily done dish.

You need (serves 4 persons):

500 g mixed mushrooms

1 Bunch of parsley and 1 Bunch of fresh thyme

4 Cloves of garlic

1 - 2 Lemon
2 Cinnamon sticks

1/2 Tsp. ground cinnamon

2 cups of couscous

4 cups of hot vegetable stock

3 Tbsp. salted butter

3 Tbsp. heavy cream
Olive oil, salt and pepper
How to prepare:

1. Roughly chop the parsley and the thyme

2. Cut the mushrooms in halves or quarter (depending on the size of your mushrooms) and the garlic in slices
3. Squeeze the lemon and reserve the juice
4. Heat up 4 good lugs of olive oil in a large flat pan until smoking
5. Toss together the mushrooms, herbs (use only 2/3 of the parsley), the cinnamon sticks and garlic. Pour in the hot oil and leave on a hot flame. Do not stir or shake

6. Meanwhile prepare the couscous: pour him on the hot stock and let rest for about 5 minutes

7. Now stir in the butter and the heavy cream. Adjust to your taste with salt and pepper.
8. After 7 - 9 minutes stir the mushrooms and pour in the lemon juice, the ground cinnamon and salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and remove the cinnamon sticks

9. Stir in the rest of the chopped parsley and serve with the creamy couscous