Pumpkin Cous Cous Salad
Pumpkin Cous Cous Salad. Most of us have heard of Cous Cous and have eaten cous cous prepared one way or another. Have you actually ever wondered what is cous cous? We buy a box of it in the shop, follow instructions and voila! We’ve got cous cous. But, what actually is it? Cous Cous doesn’t grow in a field, arriving magically packaged in a box; it doesn’t fall from the sky and conveniently land on your table. In fact, cous cous originated in North Africa, some time between the 11th & 12th centuries in what is today Algeria, Tunisia , Morocco and Libya. It was originally made with semolina and rolled by hand with water into the fine grains of cous cous we are familiar with today. There are still people who prepare the very labour intensive cous cous the old fashioned way, and for good reason. The taste and texture are far superior and well worth the work involved. However, in the real world, most of us don’t have the time or the patience to hand roll cous cous, so we use a store bought product.
Due to the movement of people and the colonisation and conquering of countries throughout millenia, cous cous is also a very popular dish worldwide, particularly in France and Sardinia, whilst Sicily hosts a week long Cous Cous Festival annually.
Cous Cous can be served hot, in a tagine for example or in a seafood dish [think of it as the alternative to rice] and as the base for a chilled salad. Today, we’re going for the chilled salad. This vegetarian salad uses the firm fleshed Turks Turban squash/pumpkin that grows in the fields around where we live. You can use Butternut or even Sweet Potato in this recipe; they are all Superfoods and contribute to an amazingly healthy, tasty and very easy salad.
The addition of the chick peas [garbanzos] contributes another shot of superfood nutrition and adds bulk and texture to the salad. Finished with crumbled feta cheese [use vegan cheese and this salad is vegan], fresh herbs and toasted pumpkin seeds, this salad rocks. Serve Pumpkin Cous Cous Salad as a light lunch, as an accompaniment to a barbeque spread, as part of a picnic or in your lunch box.
Enjoy!
Pumpkin Cous Cous Salad
Equipment
- 1 Electronic digital scales
- 1 Roasting Tin
Ingredients
- 1 Small-medium firm fleshed pumpkin [Note 1] You want 185 grams for this recipe [6 1/2 ounces]
- 125 grams Cous Cous, raw [ 4 1/2 ounces]
- 50 grams Raw Chickpeas [or 100 grams from a tin or jar, drained and rinsed Garbanzo
- 80-100 grams Feta Cheese, crumbled [3 1/2 ounces] or whatever amount you prefer. I generally like loads of Feta and go for the full 100 g.
- 80 gram Minced Spring Onion [ 3 ounces ] 2 large
- ½ teaspoon Salt to taste
- Generous pinch Ground White Pepper to taste
- Handful Washed Rocket Leaves
- Handful Fresh Coriander Leaves [Cilantro] minced [Note 2] Leaves only. I usually like to save some whole leaves for garnish
- 20 grams Raw pumpkin Seeds, toasted [ 1 Tablespoon] use as much or as little as you like
For the dressing
- 1.5 Tablespoon Pomegranate Molasses
- ½ teaspoon Roast Sesame Oil
- ½ teaspoon Organic Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Prepare the Pumpkin
- Using a good sharp, heavy knife, cut the pumpkin in half, vertically from the stem. Lay one half down, cut side on the work surface, and using a sharp filleting knife, cut away the peel, in sections until all the peeling is removed. Repeat on the other half and remove the seeds and string from the cavity.
- Weigh the two halves of the cleaned pumpkin. You will need 185g for this recipe. If you have more than that, you can either prep the amount you require and save the remaining for another use, or use the amount required and roast the remaining [Note 3]
- Cut the pumpkin into 2 cm dice (1 inch) and place in the bottom of a medium saucepan. Cover the pumpkin with water, allowing just a little extra water to cover. Simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until soft with a little bite [do not overcook, as the texture will be too mushy] drain - reserving the cooking liquid, refresh and set aside.
For the Cous Cous
- Gather and weigh your ingredients
- Place the dried Cous Cous in a medium bowl. Measure out 125ml of the hot reserved cooking liquid to the dried Cous Cous. Cover with a lid [I use a plate if the bowl doesn't have a proper lid] and set aside for at least 15 minutes.
- Cook the chick peas to packet instructions. Drain and refresh NOTE: Skip this step if you are using pre-prepared chick peas.
- Toast the pumpkin seeds in a hot, dry fry pan until toasted and starting to "pop"- shaking the pan frequently; about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the hot pan and allow to cool [Note 4 ]
To assemble the salad
- Fluff the cous cous with a fork- if it is a bit lumpy, use your fingers to break up the lumps.
- Add the Sweet Potato, Chick Peas, Spring Onion, Salt & Pepper. Mix through and adjust the salt & pepper if needed.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the dressing, and drizzle over the salad and mix thoroughly and stir through the feta cheese and the coriander [if using]
- If serving in a bowl at a buffet or on individual plates, mix through the rocket, sprinkle the toasted pumpkin seeds on top and arrange extra Coriander leaves on top as a garnish.
