Cathy, if you'd like to try smen, it's easy. Start by making ghee (that's all clarified butter is). Salt it. Then put it in a closet for six or eight months.
I don't think blue cheeses are at all rancid tasting. Trust me, you've obviously never had rancid.
In Morroco, couscous is not served as a side dish, as we use it. It is a separate---usually last---course. And it's mostly done a lot heavier than we do, with the inclusion of all sorts of ingredients---ranging from meat to fruit.
It is traditionally made in a couscousier, which is like a double boiler. The top half is perforated, like a colander. The stew or whatever is cooked in the bottom compartment, and the steam from it cooks the couscous in the top section.
Couscousier are, unfortunately, very expensive. The cheapest one I've seen is 49 bucks, and I wouldn't have that one in my kitchen. You're more likely to spend a hundre dollars or more; an awful lot of money for something used only occasionally.
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