A rather long name for this recipe but 'couscous salad' just didn't seem to do it justice. Whether you're a veggie or an omnivore heading for a BBQ this weekend, this salad ticks all the boxes - not only does it taste fantastic but can be made a day ahead and is easily transportable, making it a perfect recipe to do in advance of a weekend picnic or party.
Inspiration for this came from a free cookery card I snaffled at my local Waitrose (well worth picking up BTW, brilliant + quick recipes for summer) which originally called for almonds and beetroot. You can of course add both of those ingredients to this, I just used what I had to hand which were unsalted pistachios and a bag of dried apricots languishing in my cupboard. If you're vegan, simply leave out the feta cheese, the salad is just as tasty without cheese.
Serves 5-6 as a side dish, 4 as a main:
250g couscous
100g feta cheese (usually in packs of 200g, if you're a cheese fiend, use the whole shebang)
handful dried apricots, chopped
handful mint, chopped
handful pistachios, no need to chop!
2-3 tbsp olive oil
zest and juice of 1 orange
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
salt and pepper
Prepare the couscous according to the instructions, make sure you're fairly accurate with the water as soggy couscous is no fun. Add a few good pinches of salt to the couscous too otherwise it will be quite bland, especially if you leave out the feta.
While the couscous is absorbing the water, whisk together the orange juice, zest, cinnamon, coriander seeds and chilli flakes. Chop or simply crumble the feta cheese. When the couscous is ready, drizzle in the olive oil, stir through with a fork to fluff the couscous and add the orange dressing. Keep forking through to distribute the dressing, then add the apricots, pistachio and the feta. Leave the chopped mint out until just before serving as it oxidises and goes black very quickly.
That's all there is to it. Serve with some barbecued meat such as burgers, chicken or sausages or eat on its own with a green salad.
* If you live near or have access to a middle-eastern foodstore, it's worth investing in spices, and more unusual ingredients such as pomegranate molasses (I didn't have any but imagine it would go well with this spicy orange dressing), preserved or dried lemons. Herbs tend to come in much bigger bunches than the puny ones we get in supermarkets and essences such as orange blossom and rose are also worth investing in - their versatility means you can use them for both sweet and savoury dishes.
