Mediterranean couscous, simple and ready in 10 minutes.

For this simple recipe there’s no need for gas. Or a stove. But I do hope that you have a kettle at home. Or boiling water on tap, even better. The small grain couscous doesn’t need any cooking, just a 10 minute soak in boiling water. That’s all the cooking you need here. The rest, is chopping, and mixing it all together.

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Author: Intrepid Eats

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 cup (240g) couscous
1 red pepper
2 spring onions
1 large tomato
24 black Kalamata olives
1 lemon
2-3 leaves Swiss chard (optional)
100ml extra virgin olive oil
salt&pepper
fresh parsley and coriander

Instructions

Put the couscous in a bowl, add double the amount of boiling water (so about 500ml), or you can use vegetable stock for an even better taste, cover with clingfilm and leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Deseed the tomatoes by cutting them in quarters and removing the seeds and core. Only the flesh is good here. Clean and deseed the red pepper. Chop all into dice.
Slice thinly the spring onions and the Swiss chard if used. Spinach can also replace the chard.
Mix it all together, vegetables, fluff the couscous with a fork before. Add the oil and squeeze lemon juice over. Don't forget the Kalamata olives.
Add lots of freshly chopped herbs on the top and mix well. Serve warm.

If you want an even better flavor and taste, then a little fire is required. To roast the pepper on an open flame, then peel and add to the Mediterranean couscous salad.

Also, you can soften the whites of the spring onions in a small pan with a drop of oil, even better. But you’d lose the crunch. Up to you really…