fruit and vegetable bouillon

Vegetables for desert? Here is a surprising combination of fennel, parsnip and pineapple that works beautifully. Fennel, quince and pear are an alternative combination that is equally great.

couscous variations

Couscous is a great fast food. The variations below are nearly a meal in itself but get yourself some spicy sausage or lamb chops to go with it and you have a great lunch. You can vary the ingredients indefinitely.

Basic couscous

1 cup couscous (precooked)
1 cup strong broth, vegetable or chicken
1 tsp smoky harissa paste or smoked paprika powder (pimento de la vera)
2 tbsp olive oil

Bring the stock to a boil, dissolve the harissa or pimenton, stir in the couscous, cover and let sit for 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Stir to break up, add the olive oil.

Fennel, pear and nuts couscous

1/2 fennel bulb
1 pear
100g brown mushrooms or oyster or fresh shiitake
2 cloves of garlic
1 Orange
almonds or hazelnuts
chopped mint, and/or coriander and/or parsley

Toast the hazelnuts in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius, when browned put them in a cloth and rub the skin off. Cut the fennel and mushrooms into strips, cut the garlic into thin slices. Fry the garlic with the mushrooms and fennel, salt. Cut the pear into cubes, juice the orange. Add the orange juice, mushrooms and fennel to the couscous and finally the chopped herbs and pear.

Some yoghurt with roasted and ground coriander and cumin seeds goes well with this.

lemon & pomegranate couscous

1 large pomegranate
1 lemon, juice and zest
chopped mint, and/or coriander and/or parsley

Zest the lemons, blanch the peel a couple of times. Scoop out the pomegranate seeds and remove the white membrane around the seeds. Add the lemon juice to the couscous, then the other ingredients.

warm chickpea salad

Another dinner out of a can, but deceptively delicious.

1 can chickpeas, drained

1 celery stalk, finely sliced

1/2 cup fennel, finely sliced

1 garlic clove, crushed with some salt

2 tb lemon juice

2 tb olive oil

3 tb parsley, torn

Boil a kettle and pour the water over the chickpeas in a bowl. Combine the other ingredients, then drain the chickpeas and throw them in as well. Stir and sit a little. Suits grilled lamb.

Possible additions: sliced black olives, canned tuna if you want a meal in itself.

Source: Bill’s food

braised fennel

Chop fennel into chunks, not too small. Fry with olive oil in a very hot cast iron pan until translucent and charred edges appear. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.

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