This particular salad is full of vegetables and contains plenty of herbs. And couscous is so easy to make and great in combination with vegetables and herbs. It is truly a beautiful summer salad.
Great for picnics, barbeques, dinner, lunch, snack…you name it. It is served at room temperature, so it can be prepared in advance.
I recommend grilling, steaming or braising vegetables – always! I never, ever boil my vegetables, because then you are simply better off drinking the water they were boiled in, because the vegetables themselves will hardly have any nutritious values left in them. However, if you grill/steam/braise your vegetables they will have a fuller and better taste and above all – you do not kill as many vitamins and other nutrients.
I recommend grilling, steaming or braising vegetables – always! I never, ever boil my vegetables, because then you are simply better off drinking the water they were boiled in, because the vegetables themselves will hardly have any nutritious values left in them. However, if you grill/steam/braise your vegetables they will have a fuller and better taste and above all – you do not kill as many vitamins and other nutrients.
300 grams of couscous
3 red peppers
2 handfuls of green beans
A bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
3 good handfuls of mixed fresh herbs, roughly chopped (basil, coriander, mint, flat-leaf parsley)
Lemon juice from 1 lemon
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper
How to make it
Prepare the couscous according to the instructions on the packaging. I always place the couscous in a large bowl and pour boiling water over it, until the water level is 1 cm above the couscous level. You will see the water disappear as it soaks in. While the couscous is softening, we need to blacken the peppers. I did this by placing the peppers directly on to the naked flame of my gas hob, but you can also do this under the grill. Either way, you need to blacken the peppers on all sides. Once they’re blackened, put them in a plastic sandwich bag or place them in a bowl with a lid on, for 5 minutes until they turn cold and the skins get steamed. This will make the peeling much easier! Remove the skins and seeds and cut the peppers into thin, long strips.
Meanwhile, clean and cut the beans in half and then either braise or steam them until soft, but still slightly crunchy.
Once the couscous has cooled down, add the red peppers, spring onions, beans and herbs. Mix everything well, preferably with your hands!
Make a dressing from the lemon juice and olive oil (2:1 ratio olive oil - lemon juice).
Mix, taste and season with salt and pepper and a couple of dribbles of balsamic vinegar.
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