The Men in the family start talking about Butchers Grade Sausages, Steaks and how many small Chickens they can fit in the gas-fired beast of a bar-b-que.
The Women in my family start talking about "who is bringing which salad"....
I'm not a person who generalises about the sexes too much, but.... Men just don't 'do' salad. It is their prerogative and we need to allow them that independance. We need to nod a small approval when there is the tiniest something 'leafy' or 'green' on their plate. It is a sign they at least know the women are either a) watching or b) approving.
SO... Cous-Cous Salad, for the ladies.If you are a Cous-Cous Virgin, you need to know the following:
Cous-Cous tastes rubbish without a shed load of stuff putting into it.
Cous-Cous is high in Protein - essential for me, as i am a vegetarian (please don't recoil in horror) Cous-Cous is low in fat and high in fibre.
Cous-Cous is very cheap and very easy to prepare. It is a cupboard essential in my kitchen as it can be flavoured in a million different ways and goes with any meal.
STEP ONE: pour some Cous-Cous into a bowl / dish for which you have a LID. I always make up more Cous-Cous than i need as i can eat it again the next day. ONLY keep it for 24 hours once made (and keep in a fridge) it is like rice and can breed bacterias very quickly.
Pour over some stock made with just boiled water **200g Cous-Cous = 250ml stock** approx serves 4 people. Put the lid on and leave it to soak up all the liquid, till you are ready - 20 mins minimum.
p.s THIS is the stock i use in EVERYTHING. It is the worlds greatest stock and even my meat loving friends enjoy this stock.
Whilst the Cous-Cous is 'swelling' fry up half an onion and some courgettes in a saucepan with a knob of butter. Till they are soft and browned. At the last minute add a generous helping of peas from the freezer. Never cook peas - they are too nice to ruin by boiling in water for an age.Pop this veg into the serving dish you'll use for the salad.
Add 3/4 block of crumbled Feta Cheese (it needs to be a hard, crumbly, salty cheese for this dish)
Add the Cous-Cous and 'fluff' the the little grains with a fork. It tends to clump whilst swelling so separate it with fork and mix it all very well.
THEN - it's up to you... but I added a good splash of soy sauce to mine and a drizzle of Olive Oil, plus a sprinkling of Celery Salt and some Black Pepper
Honestly - yum yum! and i ate the leftover portion for my lunch on the following day. So tasty x
