Roast veg with limey couscous
- Preparation and cooking time
- Total time
- Easy
- Serves 2
Ingredients
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 1 red or orange pepper, cut into large chunks
- 1 small courgette, thickly sliced
- 1 red onion, cut into large chunks
- Approx 10 asparagus spears, if in season
- 2 large vine tomatoes, cut into quarters
- garlic, finely chopped, to taste
- olive oil
- maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the couscous
- couscous - as much as you think you'd like to eat with the veg (I use approx 4 tbsp of dry couscous per person)
- marigold vegetable stock powder
- few spring onions, finely chopped
- fresh coriander, finely chopped
- fresh lime juice, to taste
- 1 pack of goats cheese, crumbled or cubed - either the soft kind in a log or the type that comes in large discs with rind - whichever you prefer
NOTE: all the above quantities are approximate, and will depend upon how hungry you are! I sometimes add some small waxy potatoes cut into small cubes as well - but cut them smaller than the sweet potato as they take longer to cook.
- NOTE: all the above quantities are approximate, and will depend upon how hungry you are! I sometimes add some small waxy potatoes cut into small cubes as well - but cut them smaller than the sweet potato as they take longer to cook.
Method
- STEP 1Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7
- STEP 2Begin by roasting the veg. Put all the prepared veg except for the tomatoes into a large bowl and add the garlic. Add enough olive oil to finely coat the veg when its all mixed together. Season to taste - bear in mind the goats cheese you will be adding later is quite salty. Tip the veg onto a large roasting tray/shallow baking dish. If you want crispy, slightly chargrilled veg make sure you spread them all out in 1 layer only - if they are piled into a dish that's too small they will become soggy as they create lots of steam. Roast for 30 minutes, then give them a good turn and add the tomatoes. Roast for another 15 mins or until the veg are cooked to your liking.
- STEP 3Once the veg are done, keep them warm in the oven. Now prepare the couscous. You may have your own foolproof method for perfect coucous, but here is mine: put the dry couscous into a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of marigold powder (according to taste). Pour over enough freshly boiled water to just cover the grains. Give it a stir quickly, before the grains start to swell. Cover the bowl and leave it for 5-10 minutes until all the water has been absorbed and the grains are soft. NOTE: if you are making this for lots of people, I find that cooking the couscous this way is much more successful if you do it in several smaller batches, rather than one large one - I've found large quantities of couscous clump together and the amount of water needed is more difficult to judge.
- STEP 4Once the couscous is cooked, fluff it up with a fork to separate the grains and stir in the spring onions, coriander and lime juice to taste. Remove the veg from the oven and sprinkle over the crumbled/cubed goats cheese. Return the tray of veg to the oven briefly to melt the goats cheese slightly, then you are ready to serve.
- STEP 5Serve however you like - I like to serve the couscous and veg in separate warmed large bowls at the table so everyone can help themselves, with some thick, aged balsamic to drizzle over.
