Cooking in: Couscous is quick, easy and versatile
Light, nutty and moist, couscous is an ideal partner for lamb and summer vegetables. It is so versatile that it works with numerous other foods, too.
You used to have to steam it, stir it and steam it again - traditionally in a couscoussier, which enabled the grains to cook over a broth. These days it's easy-cook, so that equal volumes of couscous and boiling water will give you a mound of fluffy grains.
In summer I lace them with diced radish and cucumber, or courgette, and mounds of chopped chives, parsley, mint and tarragon. In winter the vegetables are more likely to be roots, such as diced carrots and parsnips. Olive oil is certainly Mediterranean, but so is fermented butter. Try using Irish farmhouse butter for a strong flavour.
Serves four
GRILLED TUNA, COUSCOUS, AVOCADO AND TOMATO
bunch spring onions
3 lemons
1 avocado
leaves from a generous bunch of thyme
olive oil
2 mugs couscous
450g tomatoes
1 cucumber
3 tbsp chopped mint
2 tbsp chopped parsley
450g French beans
4 tuna steaks
Finely chop the spring onions and put in a bowl with the juice of one of the lemons. Roughly chop the avocado and put in the bowl, along with the thyme and a generous seasoning of pepper, and cover with olive oil. Set aside. Combine the couscous with an equal quantity of boiling water, set aside for three minutes, then fluff up with a fork. Deseed the tomatoes and roughly chop. Peel and deseed the cucumber and add with the mint and parsley to the couscous. Add the zest and juice of the remaining two lemons, plus 125ml of olive oil, and toss, seasoning as you do. Cook the beans until just tender, drain and refresh under cold water. Toss the beans with the spring-onion-and-avocado mixture. Divide the couscous mixture between four plates, then add the green beans. Season and lightly oil the tuna and grill or barbecue for a few minutes on each side. Set on top of the couscous mixture and serve with a final drizzle of olive oil.