Mediterranean couscous salad

Ingredients

(serves 4)

250 g couscous
250 ml vegetable stock , boiling
400g can chickpeas , drained and rinsed
1-2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
300 g courgettes , sliced on the slant
300 g small vine-ripened tomatoes , halved
250 g pack halloumi cheese , thickly sliced and then halved lengthways

Dressing

125 ml olive oil
3 tbsp lime juice
2 large garlic cloves , finely chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
½ tsp sugar

Method

1. Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour the boiling stock over and mix well with a fork. Cover with a plate and leave for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, tip all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in the chickpeas and follow with half the dressing. Mix well and pile on to a large serving dish.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the courgette slices over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until dark golden brown. Lift out on to kitchen paper. Now put the tomatoes cut-side down into the pan, and cook for another couple of minutes until tinged brown on the underside. Top the couscous with the courgettes and then the tomatoes.

3. If the pan is dry, pour in a little more oil and heat it up, then add the halloumi strips and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning them over from time to time, until crisp and sizzled brown. Pile on top of the tomatoes, and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve as soon as possible.

Saffron couscous, chickpea and lentil salad

(Serves four)

225g couscous
½ tsp saffron strands
Salt and black pepper
260ml boiling water
150g cooked chickpeas (tinned are OK)
150g cooked Puy lentils (follow the cooking instructions given on the packet – they can vary)
80g dried cranberries
1 red endive, cut into 1cm-thick slices
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tbsp chopped mint
3 tbsp chopped coriander
3 tbsp chopped parsley
Grated zest of 2 lemons
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp nigella seeds
4 tbsp olive oil

Put the couscous in a shallow bowl. Add the saffron and a pinch of salt to the boiling water, and pour this over the couscous to cover. Wrap the bowl in clingfilm and set aside for 15 minutes, so the couscous soaks up the liquid. Remove the clingfilm, fluff up the couscous with a fork, then set aside to cool down.

Transfer the cold couscous to a mixing bowl, add the chickpeas, lentils and cranberries, and toss. Add the endive, spring onion, herbs, lemon zest, garlic and nigella seeds, stir gently to combine, then stir in olive oil and season to taste.

Serve this salad straight away, or chill it for up to 24 hours; the flavours actually improve over time. Before serving, bring back to room temperature and add more olive oil or seasoning as necessary.

Lemon couscous

1,5 dl couscous
finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
small rosemary sprig, leaves stripped and finely chopped
1,5 dl boiling chicken stock
seasoning

125 g peas
lemon juice
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
parsley chopped

1. Add first five ingredients together, stir and leave to stand for 5 minutes covered
2. Mix the dressing from lemon juice and olive oil and add to couscous along with the parsley and peas.

Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing

Serves 4 as a main course or 8 as a starter

For the roasted vegetables:

1 small aubergine
1 medium courgette
200 g cherry tomatoes, skinned
1 small red pepper, de-seeded and cut into 2.5 cm squares
1 small bulb fennel, chopped
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 2.5 cm squares
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves, torn so that they stay quite visible
1,5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
25 g pitted black olives, chopped
1/2 tablespoon capers, drained
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the couscous:

150g medium couscous
250 ml vegetable stock
50 g firm goats' cheese
salt and freshly milled black pepper

For the salad:

75 g packet mixed salad leaves (such as lettuce, coriander leaves, flat-leaf parsley, rocket)

For the dressing:

50 ml extra virgin olive oil
1/2 r teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 level tablespoon ground cumin
1 heaped tablespoon tomato purée
2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 lime)

To garnish:

1 level tablespoon black onion seeds

You will also need a large, shallow roasting tin.

First prepare the roasted vegetables: prepare the aubergine and courgettes ahead of time by cutting them into 2.5 cm dice, leaving the skins on. Then toss the dice in a level teaspoon of salt and pack them into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour so that some of the bitter juices drain out. After that, squeeze out any juices left, and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth. Preheat the oven to 240°C.

Now arrange the aubergine, courgettes, tomatoes, pepper, fennel and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the crushed garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating and season with salt and pepper. Place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges.

When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir in the chopped olives and the capers then remove them to a plate to cool.

When you're ready to assemble the salad, first place the couscous in a large, heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over it, add some salt and pepper, stir it with a fork, then leave on one side for 5 minutes, by which time it will have absorbed all the stock and softened.

Meanwhile cut the cheese into sugar cube-sized pieces. Make up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a serving jug. To serve the salad, place the couscous in a large, wide salad bowl and gently fork in the cubes of cheese along with the roasted vegetables. Next arrange the salad leaves on top and, just before serving, drizzle a little of the dressing over the top followed by a sprinkling of onion seeds and hand the rest of the dressing around separately.

Kahviherne-couscous

5 dl valmista couscousta
4 dl kahviherneitä
200 g tulista chorizo-leikkelettä ohuina siivuina
1 punasipuli
1 ruukku piparminttua tai tavallista minttua
Kastikkeeseen: 1 dl oliiviöljyä 1 sitruunan mehu 1 punainen chili hienonnettuna 2 rkl hunajaa

Leikkaa chorizo-leikkele suikaleiksi. Siivuta sipuli ja hienonna yrtit. Sekoita salaatin ainekset keskenään. Valmista kastike sekoittamalla sen ainekset. Pirskottele kastike salaatin päälle.