Couscous With Lamb, Chilli, Cumin and Dates

I love couscous! Couscous is little grains of dried semolina coated in flour. You can create so many different flavours by adding whatever takes your fancy. Today I'm going with a Moroccan theme but my couscous paella is also a favourite.

It's very simple to prepare and a great side dish or light lunch.

Weight out 100g of couscous per person in a large bowl. Drizzle with some good quality olive oil and mix the grains around to prevent it all sticking together.

Now, this is where I add all my flavours so that when I add the water, all the flavour is absorbed into the grains.

For this recipe, add about half a teaspoon of cumin (remember, add as much or as little as you like - it's entirely up to you), a good pinch of sea salt, plenty of ground black pepper, a pinch of dried chilli and a squeeze of lemon juice. This is also were I add a handful of frozen garden peas.

Give it all a good mix then add the water. You could measure the water if you could be bothered but I can't. Pour over boiling water to just cover the couscous, give it a good stir and leave it for a couple of minutes. The boiling water should be enough to defrost the peas and leave them lovely and sweet.

Next, chop some cooked lamb into bite-sized pieces. Today I'm using a left-over lamb shank but any off-cuts of leg, shoulder or neck will do just as well. Roughly chop some dates and a big handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Check on your couscous. Give it another stir and it should start breaking up into tiny, plump grains. Once cooled, add your lamb, dates and parsley and mix it all together.

That's it! It couldn't be easier and there's really no cooking involved.

For the paella version, I substitute the cumin for smoked paprika and a pinch of turmeric and the lamb and dates for pieces of cooked chicken and prawns but as I mentioned, you can pretty much just make it up as you go along!

As always, any questions - just ask!


The Bloke