Roast Vegetables with Couscous
It's ridiculously quick and easy to make, healthy, delicious, and has the capacity to soak up flavours, making it extremely versatile. This is a vegetarian version, which can be enjoyed entirely on its own, or as an accompaniment to a meat or fish dish, or with a salad. Try it with a handful of raisins and chopped apricots, and plenty of chopped fresh mint.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil plus a little extra to serve
- 2 onions peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 shallots peeled
- 3 carrots cut into chunks
- 2 parsnips cut into chunks
- 3 cloves of garlic crushed, peeled and chopped
- 1 red chilli finely sliced (seeds included if you like the heat)
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds crushed
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds crushed
- 4 cardamom pods crushed large pinch of saffron
- 2 courgettes thickly sliced
- 1.1 lb plum tomatoes skinned sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lb couscous
- 2 1/2 oz butter
- a bunch of flat-leaf parsley chopped
- a bunch of coriander chopped
- a dash of balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 190°C/gas 5.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based roasting tin directly over a medium heat. Add the onions, shallots, carrots and parsnips and cook for about 10 minutes until golden, stirring frequently.
- Add the garlic, chilli, paprika, cinnamon, coriander, cumin and cardamom and stir well, coating the vegetables in all the spices. Cook for a further 4 minutes then remove from the heat and stir in the saffron, courgettes, tomatoes and seasoning.
- Transfer to the oven to roast for 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes, adding a little water or vegetable stock if desired.
- Place the couscous in a large bowl and cover with boiling water to a level of 2.5cm above the grains.
- Mix well and leave to stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the chopped herbs and cook for 1 minute. Pour over the couscous, mix well and season it.
- Take the vegetables out of the oven, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and serve with the couscous.
Calories: 561 kcal
Carbohydrates: 83 g
Protein: 13 g
Fat: 20g
Saturated Fat: 8 g
Trans Fat: 1 g
Cholesterol: 25 mg
Sodium: 132 mg
Potassium: 921 mg
Fiber: 10 g
Sugar: 10 g
Vitamin A: 6315 IU
Vitamin C: 50 mg
Calcium: 93 mg
Iron: 2 mg