I made this recipe up and I, therefore, am as awesome as I have always said I am.
However: when you get right down to it, very few recipes are actually original. Recipes are mostly derivative, right? Doncha think? For example: calzone is a pizza derivative; pancakes are a cake derivative (or vice versa, not sure yet); ravioli is a lasagne derivative; sandwiches are calzone derivatives — and so we are all connected in the delicious circle of life [citation needed].
That’s just a little diversion for ya. A little philosophy to help you ease in to the awesome stupendo-genius of my couscous.
Baby capsicums were abundant at the farmers’ markets on the weekend: I bought many. Tonight, we roast! If I could rebuild the food pyramid (and I hear they have), roast capsicum would definitely get a category all of its own. (So would hummus.)
Enough chit-chat! Here’s how to make Super Genius Awesome Couscous! Quantities are pretty flexible: go with what feels right.
What You Need:
- 6 baby capsicums
- 1 large zucchini, roughly chopped
- 1 small eggplant, roughly chopped
- 1 large brown onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium-sized tomato, roughly chopped
- 4 cloves of garlic (roasted is best, if you’ve got the inclination), finely chopped
- Olive oil
- ½ cup dried couscous
- 1 cup water
- Splash of white wine
- Chilli flakes
- Cumin seeds
- Salt and pepper
What You Do:
- Drizzle the baby capsicums with olive oil and put them in the oven at about 200°C to roast. They’ll need about fifteen to twenty minutes, depending on how big they are.
- Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a deep saucepan: add the onion and garlic and fry until they start to go golden, then add the zucchini and eggplant. Keep frying! Add the chilli flakes and cumin seeds, and a generous dash of salt; keep frying, stirring frequently, until they start to soften. Once they start to brown, add the tomato and the dry couscous and stir quickly. Deglaze with a splash of white wine, then add the water. Put a lid on that sucker and turn the heat off.
- Check the capsicums. They’re probably fine. You want them slightly shrivelled, a little blistery on the outside, but not black.
- Don’t take the lid off the saucepan! Keep it there for at least fifteen minutes to steam the couscous.
- Take the capsicums out of the oven; the couscous should be plump and soft by now, mingled with all those awesome rockstar veggies.
- Time to serve.
- Why are you still here? Go eat!
Et voila:
This is seriously good eatin’. Serve with cracked pepper. If you were feeling particularly saucy, you could throw in some chickpeas or grilled haloumi, but this dish stands alone.
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