michelle picker cooks

A great way to eat your greens. Slightly adapted from a recipe in PLENTY by Yotam Ottolenghi.

Soak 150g (5⅓ oz) of couscous in 160ml (5½ fl oz) 0f boiling water or stock. While it’s soaking, heat some olive oil in a frypan. Fry 1 finely sliced onion and ¼ of a teaspoon each of ground cumin and salt until browned. Set aside. Make a paste of 90ml (3 fl oz) of olive oil, 2  tablespoons of fresh tarragon, 2 tablespoons of fresh dill, 2 tablespoons of mint and 20g (¾ oz) each of fresh parsley and coriander (cilantro). When the couscous has soaked for at least 10 minutes, thoroughly mix in the herb paste. Add the fried onions, a couple of handfuls of chopped spinach or rocket, 3 finely sliced spring onions, 1 finely sliced fresh green chilli and 50g (1¾ oz) of toasted and roughly chopped pistachios.

For contrast try these sweet and sour roasted tomatoes, adapted from a recipe in NEW FEAST by Greg and Lucy Malouf.

Cut your tomatoes in half or in quarters for larger ones. In a bowl mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 teaspoons of sherry vinegar, 2 teaspoons of pomegranate molasses, ¼ if a teaspoon of sumac and some fresh or dried thyme. Toss the tomatoes gently in this mixture then arrange them in one layer in an ovenproof dish, the cut side facing up. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper and roast in a medium oven until browning around the edges.