Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing

I’ve adapted this fantastic salad which Christine shared with me from deliaonline.com. It combines roasted vegetables with goat cheese on a cool bed of couscous mixed with salad greens and a spicy harissa-style dressing. Feel free to sub whatever veggies you like. Yuuuum.

If you’ve got a go-to recipe you love, please email it to me so I can share with our IOY community!

INGREDIENTS

For the Roasted Vegetables:

  • 1 small eggplant, skin on, cut into 1-inch dice

  • 2 medium zucchini, skin on, cut into 1-inch dice

  • 1 lb cherry tomatoes

  • 1 small red pepper, de-seeded and cut into 1-inch dice

  • 1 small fennel bulb, chopped

  • 1 large onion, sliced and cut into - inch dice

  • 2 fat garlic cloves, crushed

  • 2 Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn so that they stay quite visible

  • 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • salt & pepper to taste

For the Couscous:

  • 10 oz medium couscous

  • 2 ¼ cups vegetable or chicken stock

  • 4 oz firm goat cheese, cut into sugar-cube sized dice

  • salt & pepper to taste

  • For the Salad:

  • 3 oz mixed salad greens

For the Dressing:

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

  • 2 Tablespoons ground cumin

  • 2 Tablespoons tomato puree

  • 4 Tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)

PROCEDURE

  1. Toss the diced eggplant and zucchini in a teaspoon of table salt and pack into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Let sit for about an hour so to release some of the bitter juices. Squeeze out any remaining juices, then dry the vegetables thoroughly in a clean cloth. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 475°.

  2. Arrange the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, fennel and onion in a roasting pan or on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the crushed garlic, basil and olive oil, toss to get a good coating and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the pan on the highest oven rack and roast for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges. Remove and keep warm in a low oven or let cool.

  3. Meanwhile, combine the dressing ingredients into a lidded jar and shake vigorously until emulsified. Bring to a boil the vegetable or chicken stock.

  4. Place the couscous in a large, heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over it, adding salt and pepper to taste. Combine with a fork, then let sit until broth is absorbed and couscous is softened.

  5. To serve the salad, place the couscous in a large, wide salad bowl, gently fork in the cubes of cheese along with the roasted vegetables, then top with the salad leaves. Just before serving, drizzle a little of the dressing over the top, then pass the remaining dressing separately.

RecipesSusan JohnsonComment