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Posts Tagged ‘Harissa’

Barbecued Prawns with Harissa Mayonnaise

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 11 October 2025| Leave a Comment »

We couldn’t get enough of these smoky, juicy barbecued prawns — a real highlight from one of the many clever ideas in Tom Kerridge’s excellent new barbecue book (which we highly recommend). This recipe is quick, full of flavour, and seriously satisfying.

We’ve thrown in a little tip to make peeling the prawns less of a faff — but if you can find shell-on, deveined prawns, with that handy slit down the back, you’re golden.

Wine Suggestion: A fun starter deserves a wine to match — enter the Umani Ronchi Centovie Rosato. Fresh, dry, and deliciously savoury, the kind of rosé that knows how to keep up with smoky prawns and spicy harissa.

Barbecued prawns with harissa mayonnaise – serves 6

  • 1kg raw prawns in shells (we buy frozen prawns which already have the heads removed and are slit down the back for easy peeling when cooked)
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds, lightly crushed
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa paste
  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • finely grated zest of 2 limes
  • lime wedges, to serve

FOR THE HARISSA MAYONNAISE:

  • 150g mayonnaise
  • 2 tsp rose harissa paste
  • juice of 1 lime
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped dill

Get your barbecue ready for direct cooking.

Twist the heads off the prawns if needed. Then use a pair of scissors to make a shallow cut along the belly of each prawn, leaving the tail shell intact. This will make them easier to peel.

Put the prawns into a large bowl and add the crushed cumin, harissa paste, extra virgin olive oil and lime zest. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. Spoon into a serving bowl and set aside.

Place the prawns in a single layer on a very hot part of the barbecue and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side. You want them to be lightly charred.

Transfer the prawns to a serving platter with the bowl of harissa mayonnaise and serve lime wedges alongside.

(Original recipe from The BBQ Book by Tom Kerridge, Bloomsbury:Absolute, 2025.)

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Spicy Roast Potatoes with Tomato, Pepper & Harissa Sauce

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Side dish, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 4 November 2024| Leave a Comment »

A tasty side dish that is similar to Spanish Patatas Bravas but with the flavours changed up. Usefully you can make the sauce in advance and re-heat just before serving.

Spicy Roast Potatoes with Tomato, Pepper & Harissa Sauce – serves 6

  • 1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into 2.5cm chunks
  • 2 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 tbsp garlic oil
  • a handful of fresh coriander leaves, chopped, to serve
  • crumbled feta, to serve

FOR THE SAUCE:

  • olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, bashed and thinly sliced
  • 250g (drained weight) roasted red peppers from a jar, roughly chopped
  • 400g tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 heaped tbsp rose harissa
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar

Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/Gas 7.

Line a baking tray with paper. Mix the spices with the garlic oil. Put the potatoes into a large bowl, pour over the spice mixture and toss to coat. Spread them out evenly on the tray, season with some salt and pepper and roast for 30 minutes or until crispy and cooked through.

To make the sauce, drizzle some olive oil into a saucpean, add the garlic and cook over a medium heat for a couple of minutes. Add the peppers, tomatoes and harissa and season well with salt. Cook for another couple of minutes. Stir in the sugar and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from the heat and whizz until smooth, then taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve the potatoes on a platter with the sauce poured over and feta and coriander scattered over the top.

(Original recipe from Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster*, 2023.)

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Spicy Prawn Spaghetti

Posted in Food, Pasta, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 8 October 2024| Leave a Comment »

We’ve had mixed success with these all-in one pot pasta dishes with some working really well and others not quite! We were pleased with this one which worked out really well. Delicious sauce and lovely fresh flavours.

Spicy prawn spaghetti – serves 2

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 courgette, diced quice small, about 1cm pieces
  • 165g pack raw peeled prawns
  • zest and juice of ½ lemon, plus wedges to serve
  • 2 cloves of garlic, sliced
  • 1 tbsp harissa paste
  • ½ tbsp tomato purée
  • 2 tbsp vodka
  • 2 biggish tomatoes, roughly chopped
  • 600ml hot veg stock
  • 150g spaghetti
  • ½ tsp fine sea salt
  • 75g feta, crumbled
  • a handful of rocket, to serve

Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large sauté pan, then add the courgette and cook for a few minutes, until just starting to colour. Add the prawns and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Stir for a couple of minutes until the prawns are pink and just cooked. Squeeze in some lemon juice, then tip into a bowl and set aside.

Add another tbsp of oil to the pan and cook the garlic until it sizzles. Add the tomato purée and harissa and cook for 30 seconds, before adding the vodka, followed by the tomatoes. Pour in the stock and add the spaghetti, the salt and some black pepper. Bring the boil, mixing well. Cook at a brisk bubble, without a lid, for 15 minutes or until the pasta is al dente and is coated in the sauce. You can add extra water at any point if needed.

Tip the courgettes and prawns into the pan and toss until piping hot. Taste and add more lemon juice if you like. Serve in pasta bowls with the feta and lemon zest scattered over and a pile of rocket on top.

(Original recipe by Tasmin Burnett-Hall in Sainsburys Magazine, September 2024.)

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Harissa, Tahini & Lamb Spaghetti

Posted in Food, Lamb, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 10 February 2024| Leave a Comment »

Bags of flavour in this one and not the flavours you would usually associate with spaghetti and mince.

Wine Suggestion: we like a crisp, clean and dry lager with this, partly because it reminds of a warm summer evening, of which we’re craving at the moment.

Harissa, tahini and lamb spaghetti – serves 4

  • vegetable oil
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 6 fat garlic cloves, finely sliced
  • 500g lamb mince
  • 1 tbsp garlic granules
  • 1 tbsp curry powder
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa
  • 3 tbsp tahini
  • 3 tbsp light soy sauce
  • 300g spaghetti
  • 4 scallions, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Put a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and add a splash of vegetable oil. Add the onion and cook until soft and transparent, then add the garlic and continue cooking for a couple of minutes. Add the lamb mince to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. When it has broken up and lost it’s pinkness, add the garlic granules, curry powder and ground cumin. Stir to mix well through, then add the harissa, tahini and soy sauce. Season with salt and black pepper and mix together well. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, while you cook the spaghetti.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pan of salty water, then drain and reserve a good mugful of the cooking water.

Add the spagehtti to the lamb mince and mix well, then pour in enough pasta cooking water to loosen it. Add the scallions and sesame seeds and mix together, then serve.

(Original recipe from Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster*, 2023.)

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Spicy Coconut and Chicken Noodles

Posted in Asian, Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 23 January 2024| 2 Comments »

We made these noodles on the day we got our new puppy, Remy. We can barely remember what they tasted like as we were too busy congratulating ourselves on picking the best little dog ever. However we wrote, usefully, on the recipe that they tasted very good indeed … so we’ll go with that.

Wine Suggestion: The coconut and turmeric elements to this dish work really well with an off-dry Riesling, like those from the Mosel in Germany. The Dr Loosen “L” Riesling is an inexpensive, but very well made option with charming fruit and a very good balance, finishing clean and fresh.

Spicy Coconut and Chicken Noodles – serves 4

  • vegetable oil
  • 2 onions, roughly chopped
  • 600g boneless and skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
  • 1 tsp cumin seeds
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa
  • 400ml tin coconut milk
  • 300g medium egg noodles

TO SERVE:

  • a handful of bean sprouts
  • lime wedges
  • coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Put a large saucepan over a medium-high heat, drizzle in some vegetable oil and fry the onions until soft. Add the chicken and dry spices along with lots of salt and pepper and stir to coat the chicken in the mixture, then stir-fry for a few minutes. Add the harrisa and stir-fry for a few more minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium, then pour in the coconut milk and some water so that the chicken is just covered. Stir, then cover the pan with a lid and cook gently for an hour, stirring now and then to make sure it hasn’t stuck. You can top up the liquid a little if needed.

Cook the noodles according to the pack instructions, then drain and divide between 4 bowls.

Pour the chicken over the cooked noodles, then add the bean sprouts, lime wedges and coriander.

(Original recipe from Flavour by Sabrina Ghayour, Aster*, 2023.)

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Harissa Mussels

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 14 July 2023| Leave a Comment »

There’s no better holiday dish than a big bowl of mussels. Serve with crusty bread to mop up all the juice.

Wine Suggestion: A fruity, fresh and vibrant white is what we wanted here so we opened the Katxina Txakoli from the Basque country. We know it might be harder to find something made from Hondarribi Zuri but this grape is a great accompaniment to the local tapas, shellfish and pimenton.

Harissa Mussels – serves 2 to 4

  • olive oil, for frying
  • 50g salted butter
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced
  • 6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
  • 2 heaped tsp rose harissa
  • 1 kg mussels, scrubbed and beards removed
  • 300ml white wine
  • 1 heaped tsp clear honey
  • ½  tbsp sea salt flakes
  • about 15g dill, fronds finely chopped

Heat a large saucepan over a high heat.

Add enough olive oil to cover the base of the pan, then add the butter and onion and cook until just starting to colour. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, keep stirring so it doesn’t burn.

Add the mussels to the pan and stir in the harissa to coat the mussels. Add the wine, honey and salt and mix well. Cover the pan with a lid and allow the mussels to cook until all the shells have opened – about 4 minutes.

Remove the lid, stir the mussels and mix in the chopped dill.

Serve in a large warm bowl.

(Original recipe from Sirocco by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2016.)

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Tagliatelle with Mushrooms and Harissa

Posted in Food, Pasta, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 16 December 2022| Leave a Comment »

Perfect dish for nights when you’ve little energy – dinner for two in ten minutes and lots of flavour.

Wine Suggestion: A warmer climate Shiraz/Syrah is our choice as you need the juicier fruit, but nothing too jammy please. Tonight a glass of the Wolftrap Red from Boekenhoutskloof in South Africa. Mostly Shiraz but with a touch of Mourvèdre and Viognier it has the fruit to counter the harissa heat, and a balance that doesn’t overwhelm the food.

Tagliatelle with mushrooms and harissa – serves 2

  • 150g tagliatelle
  • 300g chestnut mushrooms
  • 4 scallions
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 6 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp harissa paste
  • grated Parmesan, to serve

Bring a large pan of very salty water to the boil, then cook the tagliatelle according to the timings on the pack.

Warm the olive oil in a large frying pan, then add the mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook for a minute, then add the scallions and continue to cook for a couple of minutes or until softened. Stir in the harissa paste.

Drain the pasta quickly and not too well, then tip into the pan with the mushrooms. Toss everything together, then serve in warm bowls with the Parmesan sprinkled over.

(Original recipe from A Cook’s Book by Nigel Slater, 4th Estate, 2021.)

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Harissa Chickpeas with Flaked Cod

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 16 February 2021| Leave a Comment »

This is really a dish for sharing but we ate the lot with some crusty bread. Fabulous and intense flavours of lemon and harissa.

Wine Suggestion: Given this dish has a lot of strong, savoury flavours, including heat from the harissa and sour from the lemon, we had to choose Grüner Veltliner. Tonight’s choice is by Höpler from Burgenland in Austria and it was a pure and elegant wine with an appetising freshness and zesty finish. This stood it’s own ground against the big flavours in the food, was nice as an apertif and a wonderful palate cleanser after we’d finished; versatile indeed.

Harissa chickpeas with flaked cod – serves 4 as a starter

  • 200g skinless cod, remove the bones and cut into 3cm pieces
  • olive oil
  • 1/3 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 cloves of garlic, one crushed and one finely sliced
  • ½ an onion, finely sliced
  • 2 cardamom pods, bashed
  • 1 tbsp harissa, rose harissa if you can get it
  • 2 tsp tomato purée
  • 1½ small preserved lemons, skin finely chopped (discard the flesh)
  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 200ml vegetable stock
  • 5g coriander, roughly chopped

Put the cod into a bowl with 1½ tsp of olive oil, the cumin, crushed garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix gently, then set aside for 15 minutes.

Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large sauté pan, then add the onion and fry for 4-5 minutes, until soft and golden-brown. Add the sliced garlic and cook for another minute over a gentle heat. Add the cardamom, harissa, tomato purée, preserved lemon, chickpeas and ¼ tsp of salt. Stir for a minute, then add the stock and heat for a few minutes, crushing some of the chickpeas with the back of a spoon to thicken the sauce.

Add the fish and gently stir, then cook for 3-4 minutes, turning half-way through, until cooked and easy to flake. Discard the cardamom pods, sprinkle with the coriander and serve.

(Original recipe from Ottolenghi Simple by Yotam Ottolenghi, Tara Wigley & Esme Howarth, Ebury Press, 2018.)

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Barbecued Prawn Kebabs with Harissa & Couscous

Posted in Barbecue, Fish, Food, Prawns, Shellfish, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 16 June 2020| Leave a Comment »

Barbecued Prawn Kebabs with Harissa & Couscous

A healthy, weeknight dish with lovely flavours. Another recipe for using up bits and bobs you may already have which is our primary motivation for cooking mid-week.

Wine Suggestion: a fresh white or a crisp, dry rosé would be our choice for this dish. We had a glass of the Chateau Pesquie Terrasses Rosé from Ventoux (and quite Provençal in style) and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Barbecued prawn kebabs with harissa & couscous – serves 4

  • 2 ½ tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, halved lengthways, then each half quartered into 4 chunks
  • 1 ½ tsp cumin seeds
  • 3 carrots, coarsely grated
  • 200g couscous
  • 400g raw prawns
  • 16 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp harissa
  • 2 tsp tahini paste
  • 2 tbsp low-fat natural yoghurt
  • 1 small garlic clove, crushed
  • juice ½ lemon, plus wedges, to serve
  • handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

Put 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil into a large sauté pan over a medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened but not coloured, they’ll fall apart and that’s fine. Scoop them out of the pan and set aside.

Heat the remaining tbsp of oil in the same pan, add the cumin seeds and toast for a few minutes until they smell good. Tip the carrots into the pan and season, then cook for a few minutes or until tender. Transfer to a bowl, then pour over the couscous and 400ml hot water. Cover with cling film and leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, get your barbecue going. Put the prawns, cherry tomatoes and softened onions in another bowl, season, then stir in the harissa. Thread the prawns, tomatoes and onions onto metal skewers (you can use wooden ones either but you need to soak in water for 20 minutes first). Barbecue the kebabs for a couple of minutes on each side, or until the prawns are cooked through.

Mix the tahini, yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and seasoning to make a sauce. Fork the mint though the couscous, transfer to a platter and place the skewers on top. Serve with the sauce and lemon wedges.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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A Toastie Idea

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , on 28 April 2020| Leave a Comment »

Halloumi Toastie

We plan every evening meal but tend to wing it during the day, using whatever happens to be lying around. Occasionally though we plan a weekend  breakfast or lunch and are generally very pleased with ourselves for doing so. No less so this weekend when we discovered this amazing toastie combination suggested by Sabrina Ghayour in her vegetarian book, Bazaar.

A Toastie Idea – serves 2

  • 250g halloumi cheese, cut into 6 slices
  • 4 slices of good bread
  • 2 tsp rose harissa
  • 2 tbsp clear honey
  • 2 tomatoes, sliced
  • 2 tbsp quick-pickled onions (see below)
  • 40g butter

Heat a splash of oil over a medium heat and fry the halloumi slices for a couple of minutes on each, until crusty and brown.

Meanwhile, very lightly toast the bread.

Remove the halloumi from the pan, and wipe it out with some kitchen paper.

Divide the halloumi slices between two slices of bread. Spread over the harissa, and drizzle over the honey. Lay the tomato slices on top and finish with a spoon of pickled onions and season well with pepper and a little bit of salt. Top with the remaining slices of bread and press down.

Put the frying pan back over a medium heat and add a quarter of the butter. When the butter has melted put one of the toasties into the pan and press it down by putting a small saucepan with a tin or two inside on top. Cook for a couple of minutes, then add another know of butter and cook on the other side. Remove from the heat and repeat with the other toastie.

FOR THE QUICK PICKLED ONIONS:

  • 1 large red onion, halved and very finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp pul biber chilli flakes
  • a generous sprinkling of Maldon sea salt flakes

Combine the ingredients in a plastic container with a lid. Close the lid and shake vigorously for a couple of minutes until the onions soften, then serve or keep for a couple of days in the fridge. Serve with almost anything but particularly good in a toastie.

(Original recipe from Bazaar by Sabrina Ghayour, Mitchell Beazley, 2019)

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Harissa Potato, Halloumi & Asparagus with Coriander and Lemon Oil

Posted in Barbecue, Food, Gluten-free, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 24 April 2020| 1 Comment »

Harissa Potato, Halloumi & Asparagus with Coriander and Lemon Oil

Genevieve Taylor has written a delicious book of vegetarian recipes for the barbecue, and the season has arrived to spend more time outdoors! This is the first recipe we’ve tried and it was really good. Serve with a green salad on the side or as a veggie side with barbecued meat.

Wine Suggestion: A light red wine is what you need here; think a Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir or something similar. Tonight our choice was an Aussie Pinot, from Pike & Joyce in the Adelaide Hills. Delightful fruit, an earthiness and hints of smoke that compliment the cooking process.

Harissa potato, halloumi and asparagus with coriander and lemon oil – makes 6 skewers

  • 500g salad potatoes e.g. Charlotte, sliced in half lengthways
  • 250g asparagus, snap off the woody end, then cut each spear in 3
  • 2 x 250g packs of halloumi, cut into finger-thick wedges
  • 2 tbsp rose harissa paste

FOR THE CORIANDER AND LEMON OIL:

  • 75ml extra virgin olive oil
  • a small bunch of coriander, leaves finely chopped
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • ½ – 1 tsp caster sugar

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the potato halves and cook until just tender – about 10 minutes. Add the asparagus pieces for the last 30 seconds, just to blanch.

Drain the potatoes and asparagus and return to the pan. Add the halloumi and harissa and stir gently until everything is evenly coated.

Thread onto metal kebab sticks (wooden ones will do but you need to soak them for 20 minutes before using and don’t overload them as these are heavy).

Cook the kebabs on the barbecue over a medium-high heat for about 15 minutes, turning once.

Make the coriander and lemon oil by whisking all the ingredients together with some seasoning.

When the kebabs are cooked transfer to a plate and drizzle over the oil.

(Original recipe from Charred by Genevieve Taylor, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2019.)

 

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Harissa & Goat’s Cheese Buns

Posted in Food, Vegetarian, tagged , , , , , , , , on 14 March 2019| Leave a Comment »

Harissa & Goat's Cheese Buns

Try these at the weekend, they’re a good accompaniment for drinks, something fizzy perhaps. They taste best hot but you can have them all prepped on trays in the fridge ready to slide into the oven as people arrive. A nice idea from two of our very favourite cooks – Sarit Packer & Itamer Srulovich of Honey & Co.

Wine suggestion: a good crémant. For fun we opened the Taille Princess Blanc de Gérard Depardieu by Bouvet-Ladubay, a Chenin Blanc-Chardonnay sparkling from Saumur. We chuckle every time with the liberal use of Gérard’s branding and his portrait on the label and on the capsule. That said it is an excellent crémant and a good match to savoury cheese bites like these.

Harissa & Goat’s Cheese Buns – makes about 20 

  • 175g self-raising flour
  • 100g butter (at room temperature), diced
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked and divided into 2 small bowls
  • 60g grated pecorino or Parmesan
  • 125g ricotta
  • 125g soft, young, rindless goat’s cheese
  • 30g rose harissa paste
  • 1 tsp sea salt
  • 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

Put the flour and butter in a mixer bowl with a paddle attachment and combine to a crumb-like consistency.

Add half the egg and half the grated pecorino or Parmesan, along with the ricotta, goat’s cheese, harissa paste and salt. Mix together to form a soft, pliable dough.

Divide the dough into two pieces and roll each one into a log about 20cm long. Brush each log all over with the other half of the egg.

Mix the rest of the cheese with the cumin seeds and sprinkle over the work surface. Roll the logs in the mixture until coated all over. Put the logs on a try in the fridge to rest for at least an hour or up to 48 hours.

When ready to bake, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.

Cut each log into about 10 slices, about 2cm thick, and lay them on a lined baking tray. Bake for 13-15 minutes until teh cheese is golden but the buns are still soft. Serve hot.

(Original recipe from Honey & Co. At Home by Sarit Packer & Itamar Srulovich, Pavilion, 2018.)

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Merguez with Couscous

Posted in Chicken, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 17 September 2018| Leave a Comment »

Merguez pot au feu with couscous

A dish of Merguez sausages and couscous from Marseilles. Like a Pot au Feu with flavours of the Maghreb. So delicious!

Wine Suggestion: French meets the Mediterranean, meets the Middle East – the Massaya le Colombier is a Cinsault, Grenache, Syrah and Tempranillo blend. Made in stainless steel to preserve the fruit we love to chill this for 30 minutes, but you don’t have to.

Merguez with Couscous – serves 6 to 8

  • 2 tbsp ras el hanout
  • 1 tbsp paprika
  • 700g skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 courgettes, thickly sliced
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 red pepper, halved and sliced
  • 2 dried red chillies
  • 1 pinch of saffron
  • 1 large piece of orange zest (use the juice to soak the raisins)
  • 400g merguez sausages
  • 1 x 400g tin chickpeas
  • 2 tbsp harissa

FOR THE COUSCOUS:

  • 450g couscous
  • 100g raisins, soaked in orange juice
  • 50g butter

Put the spices in a large wide pan with 2 tbsp of olive oil and heat until sizzling. Add the chicken, vegetables, chillies, saffron and orange zest with 1 litre of cold water and slowly bring to a simmer. Season well and continue to cook uncovered for 10 minutes.

Add the merguez sausages to the chicken, then cover and cook for 15 minutes. Stir in the chickpeas.

Meanwhile, put the couscous into a bowl and cover with the same volume of boiling water. Cover with cling film and leave to steam for 5 minutes, then fork through.

Tip the couscous into a serving bowl and add the raisins, butter and plenty of salt and pepper.

Add 4 tbsp of the chicken cooking liquid to the harissa to make a sauce.

Serve the chicken & sausages with the couscous and harissa sauce on the side.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes IN: Olive Magazine, September 2013.)

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Spicy Merguez & Cod tray-bake

Posted in Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , on 13 May 2018| Leave a Comment »

Spicy Merguez & Cod tray-bake

We really loved this dish and it works really well with Golden Couscous. Simple and super tasty.

Wine Suggestion: We opened a delightful Grenache from the south of France, the Les Paiens Paria made by Domaine Ventenac. As it wasn’t too tannic it didn’t fight with the spicy sausages and harissa.

Spicy merguez and cod tray roast – serves 6

  • 8 merguez sausages, cut into chunks
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2-3 tbsp harissa, depending on how spicy you like
  • 2 x 400g tins cherry tomatoes
  • 100g Nocerella green olives
  • 800g cod loin, cut into 6 pieces
  • a bunch of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Heat the oven to 200C/fan 180C/Gas 6.

Put the sausages in the bottom of a roasting tin and bake for 10 minutes, then stir in the onions and bake for another 10 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and harissa and put back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

Stir in the olives and sit the cod pieces in the sauce, drizzle them with a little olive oil and season. Put back into the oven for 10-12 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

(Original recipe by Janine Ratcliffe IN: BBC Olive Magazine, April 2017.)

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Pomegranate & Slow Cooked Lamb Couscous

Posted in Food, Lamb, Roast, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 24 February 2017| 2 Comments »

Pomegranate & slow cooked lamb couscous

This makes such a lovely weekend dish and looks really attractive served on a large platter in the middle of the table. It requires a few hours in the oven but is hardly any work at all and uses just a few ingredients.

Wine Suggestion: this dish cries out for a Moorish influenced wine and nothing quite achieves this more than a Spanish Tempranillo. Our choice of the evening was the Carmelo Rodero Ribera del Duero Crianza which is juicy, powerful and also manages to achieve a perfumed elegance with exotic eastern spice hints.

Pomegranate & slow cooked lamb couscous – serves 6

  • 2kg lamb shoulder (or get your butcher to give you a forequarter if the lambs are small)
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses, plus extra to serve
  • 300g couscous
  • butter
  • 1 tsp harissa
  • a small bunch of mint, leaves roughly chopped
  • seeds from 1 pomegranate

Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Put the lamb into a roasting tin with the fatty side facing up. Scatter the onion around the lamb. Score the lamb with a sharp knife and rub in the pomegranate molasses with your hands. Season well. Add 2 mugs of water to the tin, then cover with foil and roast for 4 hours. Rest for 15 minutes before pulling chunks of the lamb off the bone with 2 forks.

While the lamb is resting, put the couscous into a large bowl with a large knob of butter, the harissa and seasoning, then add enough boiling water to just cover. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave for 5 minutes before fluffing the grains gently with a fork. Put the couscous onto a platter and arrange the shredded lamb on top. Pour off any fat from the roasting tin and pour the juices over the lamb and couscous plus a little more molasses. Scatter with the mint and pomegranate seeds.

(Original recipe by Lulu Grimes IN: BBC Olive Magazine, February 2014.)

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