Couscous Salad

Couscous is a great collector of flavours, and yet adds its own nuttiness to almost every recipe it’s used in. This is a spicy salad, great with barbecues but is also nice with a snappy little tagine!

Ingredients

• 500ml chicken stock
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 250g chicken breast, chopped
• 200g couscous
• 1 medium carrot, diced
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1/2 cucumber, diced
• 1 green apple, diced
• 50g currants
• 1 can chick peas, drained & rinsed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ½ tsp salt

Whisk together the chicken stock, cinnamon, ginger, cumin, turmeric and two tablespoons of olive oil. Bring this mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a low simmer, adding the chicken breast. Poach the chicken breast until white throughout, for about 5-8 minutes, then remove the chicken using a slotted spoon, and reserve.

Return the stock mixture to a boil, and add the couscous slowly, stirring it into the mixture thoroughly. Boil for one minute, then remove the pan from the heat, cover tightly and stand for 15 minutes.

Break up the couscous grains using a fork, and then place the mixture in a mixing bowl, breaking up any remaining lumps as the mixture cools. It may be necessary to rub the grains with your fingers to remove lumps.

Add the diced ingredients to the couscous, and toss it thoroughly to mix. Mix together the remaining olive oil and the lemon juice, and season with plenty of black pepper and salt, until it forms a vinaigrette. Pour this over the salad, and leave it to stand for a while, three to four hours if you can, before serving.