Couscous is a Maghrebi dish of small steamed balls of crushed durum wheat semolina that is traditionally served with a stew spooned on top. Filling, fast, cheap and healthy, what’s not to love about couscous? This Mediterranean grain has become a popular side dish but with a bit of creativity also allows for delicious summer salads.
Ingredients
- 150 gr of couscous
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
- 1 tablespoon of strong curry
- 3 dl of vegetable broth
- 2 small melons (eg Cavaillon)
- olive oil for cooking
- 600 gr lamb chops, in cubes of approx. 2cm (optional)
- pinch of salt
- freshly ground pepper
For the sauce:
- 4 tablespoons of lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil
- melon juice (reserved)
- 1 tablespoon of lemon verbena leaves, cut in thin strips
- freshly ground pepper
Directions
- Place the couscous in a salad bowl.
- Heat the oil in sauce pan and brown onion and garlic.
- Add curry, sauté approx. 3 minutes.
- Add the broth, bring to a boil, add the couscous, let sit approx. 20 min covered
- Half the melon, unseed, hollow with a spoon leaving approx. 1 cm of pulp.
- Collect the melon juice, reserve 6 teaspoons for the sauce and add the melon balls to the couscous.
- Heat the oil in a skillet, cook the meat in portions approx. 3 min, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in meat with couscous.
- Mix all ingredients well, add to couscous. Arrange the couscous in the half melons.
This dish is delicious without the meat and makes for an excellent vegetarian option.
