And here we are midway through a heatwave! It has been too hot to move for weeks and that includes cooking and baking, of which I have done very little. I was meant to going on a picnic this afternoon but for one reason or the other, it is not happening, or at least if it is happening, I am no longer able to go because I have quickly  committed myself to something else.  I had offered to make cous cous for the picnic but up until this morning, I did not really have an idea of what I was going to add to the cous cous except for feta. So as usual I found a recipe on the internet. This one used giant cous cous, which I have been a fan of for some time (Sainsbury’s do a lovely giant cous cous and feta salad that was my lunch many a time when I used to work in Ealing) so I thought this might be a something interesting to experiment with.

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup giant cous cous

• 1 lemon, zested

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 large lemon)

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 cups arugula (rocket)

• 1 medium English (seedless) cucumber, sliced and quartered

• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1/2 cup crumbled reduced fat feta cheese

• 1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, chopped

Methods

1. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the couscous, return to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let cook until the liquid is absorbed, about 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

2. In the bottom of a large bowl, whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, mustard, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Taste and add additional seasoning as desired. While the couscous is still warm, add it to the bowl and toss to coat. Place in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes to allow the couscous to cool.

3. When read to serve, add the remaining ingredients: arugula, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, and mint. Toss to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature