I felt ready for a break from Indian cuisine and this was the result. I got French whole wheat couscous from the bulk section at Whole Foods. Of course, onion and garlic can also be roasted and added for further flavour for those who like it. Mushrooms are also optional. B and Kuttan don't care for them, Manikutti loves them and I like them. So I grill them, slice them up and keep them in a bowl on the side for those who like it.
Couscous
1 cup couscous
A pinch of turmeric
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp olive oil
Roasted Vegetables
1 big zucchini sliced into fairly thin rounds
1 big yellow pepper sliced into fairly thin strips about an inch long
2 big portobello mushrooms
about 3 tbsp olive oil for coating the vegetables for roasting
Tomato vinaigrette
1 cup grape tomatoes (sliced) or equivalent amount of regular tomatoes finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil for the herb tomato dressing
2 tsp red wine vinegar (If you like the taste of vinegar, you can add more. I don't add much since I prefer not to drown the taste of the vegetables)
1 tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme and sage that I got in a poultry blend. Too much of these herbs are quite overpowering for me.)
1/4 cup pine nuts (These are quite expensive and you can use less if you like. The kids and I like them, B prefers less of them, so I toast them and put them in a separate dish and add as topping according to people's preference.)
Method
Boil 1 1/2 cups of water. Add olive oil, turmeric and salt. Put the baby spinach in the water. Once the spinach has gone into the water and the water is boiling, add the couscous. Turn of the heat, cover and let sit.
Place the sliced bell pepper on your roasting pan, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into your hand and apply them all over the peppers. Spread them out on the pan and broil/grill them for about 10- 15 minutes till they are brownish. Put them in a big serving bowl.
Now put the sliced zucchini on the pan and follow the same procedure till they are browned. Add them to the bowl.
Meanwhile, remove the stalks from the mushrooms, turn the mushroom over and remove the gills with a spoon. DO THIS BEFORE WASHING THE MUSHROOM OTHERWISE THE GILLS CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM A WET MUSHROOM. Then wash the mushroom, rub olive oil and a little salt on them, keep them upside down on the pan and grill them for 10-15 minutes. Then turn them over and grill them for a further 2 minutes. Take them out, chop them up and put them in a bowl.
While the vegetables are roasting, heat a pan on medium heat and toast the pine nuts till light brown. Keep in a bowl.
Heat the same pan on the stove, add olive oil. Add the herbs immediately to the warm oil and don't heat more than about 15 seconds, the herbs should still be fresh. Then add the tomatoes, the vinegar, black pepper powder and salt. Boil for about a minute. (It is not necessary to boil this if you don't mind the smell of raw vinegar.) Pour this on the roasted vegetables. Add the couscous to this and mix well. You can keep the mushroom and nuts separate or mix them in as well.
Couscous
1 cup couscous
A pinch of turmeric
2 cups baby spinach
1/2 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp olive oil
Roasted Vegetables
1 big zucchini sliced into fairly thin rounds
1 big yellow pepper sliced into fairly thin strips about an inch long
2 big portobello mushrooms
about 3 tbsp olive oil for coating the vegetables for roasting
Tomato vinaigrette
1 cup grape tomatoes (sliced) or equivalent amount of regular tomatoes finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil for the herb tomato dressing
2 tsp red wine vinegar (If you like the taste of vinegar, you can add more. I don't add much since I prefer not to drown the taste of the vegetables)
1 tsp black pepper powder
2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs (I used rosemary, thyme and sage that I got in a poultry blend. Too much of these herbs are quite overpowering for me.)
1/4 cup pine nuts (These are quite expensive and you can use less if you like. The kids and I like them, B prefers less of them, so I toast them and put them in a separate dish and add as topping according to people's preference.)
Method
Boil 1 1/2 cups of water. Add olive oil, turmeric and salt. Put the baby spinach in the water. Once the spinach has gone into the water and the water is boiling, add the couscous. Turn of the heat, cover and let sit.
Place the sliced bell pepper on your roasting pan, pour 1 tbsp of olive oil into your hand and apply them all over the peppers. Spread them out on the pan and broil/grill them for about 10- 15 minutes till they are brownish. Put them in a big serving bowl.
Now put the sliced zucchini on the pan and follow the same procedure till they are browned. Add them to the bowl.
Meanwhile, remove the stalks from the mushrooms, turn the mushroom over and remove the gills with a spoon. DO THIS BEFORE WASHING THE MUSHROOM OTHERWISE THE GILLS CANNOT BE REMOVED FROM A WET MUSHROOM. Then wash the mushroom, rub olive oil and a little salt on them, keep them upside down on the pan and grill them for 10-15 minutes. Then turn them over and grill them for a further 2 minutes. Take them out, chop them up and put them in a bowl.
While the vegetables are roasting, heat a pan on medium heat and toast the pine nuts till light brown. Keep in a bowl.
Heat the same pan on the stove, add olive oil. Add the herbs immediately to the warm oil and don't heat more than about 15 seconds, the herbs should still be fresh. Then add the tomatoes, the vinegar, black pepper powder and salt. Boil for about a minute. (It is not necessary to boil this if you don't mind the smell of raw vinegar.) Pour this on the roasted vegetables. Add the couscous to this and mix well. You can keep the mushroom and nuts separate or mix them in as well.
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