Melon with curried couscous

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

  1. Place the couscous in a salad bowl.
  2. Heat the oil in sauce pan and brown onion and garlic.
  3.  Add curry, sauté approx. 3 minutes.
  4. Add the broth, bring to a boil, add the couscous, let sit approx. 20 min covered
  5. Half the melon, unseed, hollow with a spoon leaving approx. 1 cm of pulp.
  6. Collect the melon juice, reserve 6 teaspoons for the sauce and add the melon balls to the couscous.
  7. Heat the oil in a skillet, cook the meat in portions approx. 3 min, add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Stir in meat with couscous.
  9. 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.

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