Susie Drage
Music, Art & Cookery
The Cookery Book
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Couscous




Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables with Couscous
Serves 2-3
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: Approx 40 minutes
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This is an unexpectedly tasty dish and inspired by my wonderful daughter, who is an adventurous and excellent cook!
This was one of our early introductions to Vegan cookery and as she frequently reminds us, these vegetables can be substituted with no end of delicious alternatives, like white Sweet Potatoes and Heritage Beetroots
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My family enjoy various versions of this and we sometimes serve it with cauliflower couscous or just the traditional couscous.
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I mix in a stock cube and herbs with the boiling water when
preparing traditional couscous to give it more interest.
As with the cauliflower version, I also add toasted flaked almonds to
give it that extra crunch.
Ingredients
For the Dressing
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6 - 8 tablespoons olive oil
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3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
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2 - 3 tablespoons tomato puree
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For the Vegetables
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Large Aubergine
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Two Sweet Potatoes
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Two large red onions
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Yellow Pepper
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Red Pepper
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One Fennel bulb
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2 Courgettes
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4 - 6 fat cloves of garlic, finely sliced
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Sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano (dried will do)
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Small pack Cherry Tomatoes
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For traditional Couscous
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150g Couscous plus boiling water, according to manufacturers instructions
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Handful of fresh herbs, chopped
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Sea Salt
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Freshly ground black pepper
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Stock cube, chicken or vegetable
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Small pack of cashew nuts, or toasted flaked almonds (lightly toasted)
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For the Cauliflower Couscous
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1 extra large or two medium Cauliflower, retaining florets only.
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Olive Oil
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Seasoning
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Generous handful of flaked almonds
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Handful of fresh herbs, chopped (or dried herbs will work just as well)
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Jar Anchovy Olives to garnish, finely sliced (optional)
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Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 5
2. Take a bowl and mix together the oil, balsamic vinegar and tomato puree with a small whisk until smooth.
3. Chop all the vegetables into small chunks.
4. Place all the vegetables and the garlic into a roasting tin, mixing them all up, apart from the cherry tomatoes (these will be added later).
4. Now pour over the dressing to cover the vegetables and mix thoroughly.
5. Place the roasting tin into the oven and after intervals of 15 minutes, remove and turn the vegetables over and cooking them until they are soft and very slighly starting to caramelise.
7. 15 minutes before the end of cooking the vegetables, place the cherry tomatoes on top of the vegetables, when they start to split, they are cooked.
8. For Cauliflower Couscous - Meantime, as soon as the vegetables start cooking, put cauliflower florets (just a few at a time) into a food processor and whizz until it resembles couscous or semolina.
9. Pour couscous into a separate roasting tray and add a little olive oil and season, stir well and place on top shelf. At this stage, you can mix in flaked almonds and herbs if you wish. Keep checking it frequently and stir to stop the top browning.
10. The cauliflower should still be creamy looking but a little golden as well - do not burn!!
11. For Traditional Couscous - Meanwhile, pour boiling water over the couscous as according to manufacturers instructions.
12. To make the couscous more interesting, you can mix in a crumbled stock cube, mixed herbs, and some cashew nuts. You can either dry fry these in a pan for a few minutes or place them in a roasting tin into the oven for about 5 minutes.
13. Mix the ingredients well into the couscous and then spoon into a large serving dish and top with the roasted vegetables.