Autumnal Roasted Veg & Pearl Couscous With Crushed Pistachio Salad
Make the most of the last days of summer with this nutritious couscous dish, which will have you dreaming of the warmer climates of the Mediterranean.
Ingredients
250g pearl couscous
300g baby rainbow carrots (if you can’t find use normal size and cut them up)
200g baby courgettes
1 Red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
200g baby aubergine
300g baby parsnips
100g pistachio nut kernels
200g pomegranate seeds
Drizzle of olive oil
Drizzle of honey
Pinch of rock salt
For the dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup balsamic
1 Lemon
Salt and pepper
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Wash all the vegetables and place onto a large baking tray. Drizzle with olive oil, honey and sprinkle with a pinch of rock salt. Allow to bake for around 20 minutes then toss and turn the vegetables so they cook evenly. Bake for a further 20 minutes or until the vegetables are soft.
While they are cooking, you can make the couscous. Boil 1 ½ cups of water in a pot. Add a drop of olive oil, a little bit of salt and then add 3 cups of couscous to the pot. Cover and allow to simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the couscous is cooked, drain the remaining water and place into the serving dish.
Add pomegranate seeds (keep a few back to add to the very top as a garnish) and 100g of pistachio nut kernels into the couscous.
Allow the roasted vegetables to cool a little then place on top of the couscous mixture. Chop the remainder (100g) pistachio nuts and sprinkle on top. Drizzle the dressing and garnish with pomegranates.
Icing
650g icing sugar
250g butter
1 tsp vanilla essence
These quantities will make the right amount of icing to ice one of your 23cm cakes or two of your 15cm cakes, so remember alter appropriately if you need less or more. If you end up with too much you can always freeze it.
Preparation
Cream the butter in your mixer and then slowly add the icing sugar until it is a smooth texture, which you can be easily spread. You don’t want it to become too stiff. If you think it has become to stiff you won’t be able to spread nicely, you can add a bit of milk and mix it up. Lastly, add the vanilla essence and your icing will be ready!.
