Jewelled Couscous

Jewelled Couscous

Back (L-R) Dried cranberries, dried cherries, pistachio nuts
Front (L-R) Diced cucumber, spring onion, pomegranate seeds 

Jewelled Couscous

A truly beautiful and delicious side dish that will goes with just about any thing. It is also yummy on it's own as a light lunch. The combination of ruby red pomegranate seeds, together with the brittle and crunchy nuts and the fresh perfumed herbs just make this an explosion of flavours and textures. On top of that, this is also incredibly easy and quick to prepare. No cooking involved, just some chopping and a gentle click on the kettle's button. What could be more simple than that?!

Any other combination of nuts and dried fruits such as figs, raisins, dates, almonds, hazelnuts can be used for this .

(Serves 4)


Ingredients


zest and juice of 1 lemon
zest and juice of 1 orange 
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sesame oil
250g couscous
1 tbsp dried cherries
1 tbsp dried cranberries
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
75g pistachio nuts, lightly toasted in a dry hot pan and roughly chopped
seeds of 1 pomegranate
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1/2 cucumber, deseeded and diced
a handful fresh mint leaves, roughly torn
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper


Method


Bring a kettle to the boil. Pour 450ml into a jug and add in the lemon and orange juice and the oils and mix well.


In a large bowl, combined the couscous with the dried fruits and the zests. Pour the hot liquid over and season with salt and pepper. Add the ground cinnamon and mix well. Cover with clingfilm or a large plate and leave for about 5 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous has swelled up, soaking in all the flavours. Fluff up the couscous with a fork to break up any stuck together clumps.


Add all the remaining ingredients to the couscous and mix well. Season to taste and serves.