Israeli Couscous Salad

-Serves 5

I love Israeli couscous not just for its deliciously chewy texture but also its versatility. These glossy pearls may be bland by themselves but soak up different flavors beautifully. Here is one of our favorites at home - spicy pearl couscous with lemon-harissa dressing. Charred spring onion, sweet and tangy cherry tomatoes, and salty feta all come together, making couscous the hero of this dish. Enjoy the recipe!

Ingredients for Israeli Couscous salad

2 stalks tomatoes on the vine (or 30 sweet cherry tomatoes)
1 red pepper
1 cup spring onion, cut into match sticks
3 tablespoons Papa’s grove extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 garlic cloves, whole
1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 sprigs oregano or rosemary
3 cups or 750ml vegetable or chicken stock
A few sprigs of chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon ground cumin
300g pearl couscous
1 (400g) can chickpeas, drained
1 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, for garnish

For dressing:
Juice of half a large lemon
2 teaspoons rose harissa
2 tablespoons Papa’s Grove extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Recipe

Heat your oven to 180°C. Line a baking dish with parchment paper or tin foil, toss together tomatoes, spring onion, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and oregano/rosemary sprigs. Alongside the tomatoes, place halved red bell pepper and brush sparingly with olive oil.
Roast tomatoes, garlic and spring onion for about 20 minutes until tomatoes are tender; remove from the oven and set aside to cool. Once cool, squeeze garlic out of its peel and set aside. Continue to roast peppers for another 20 minutes until charred. Once done, cover peppers with a tea towel until cool; discard skin and chop pepper into strips.
Next, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add couscous and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly brown. Add stock and bring to the boil. Add salt to taste. (add enough as you want to flavor the couscous from within.) Add ground cumin, cover, and cook on low flame until the couscous has absorbed all of the water, about 10 minutes. Fluff it up using a fork. Stir in coriander, and lemon zest along with most of the feta, reserving some for garnish. Stir well.
Add roasted tomatoes, spring onion, garlic, peppers, most of the feta (leaving some for garnish), and chickpeas followed by the juice of half a large lemon, rose harissa, more extra-virgin olive oil and a generous sprinkling of black pepper. Taste for salt and add more if necessary.
To serve, pull out and discard herb sprigs, and spoon couscous into bowls. Top with remaining feta, and some toasted pine nuts for crunch.