Tunisian Couscous Salad With Grilled Sausages Food

TUNISIAN COUSCOUS SALAD WITH GRILLED SAUSAGES

Steps:

• In a large frying pan with a lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic, couscous, cumin, cayenne, and ½ teaspoon of the salt to the pan.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until the couscous starts to brown, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in tomato juice and water. Bring to a simmer.
• Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Transfer the couscous to a platter or large glass bowl to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Coat the sausages with ½ tablespoon of the oil.
• Broil the sausages, turning occasionally, until completely cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into thin slices.
• Toss the cooled couscous with the lemon juice and the remaining oil, salt and tomato. Top with the sausages and cilantro.

TUNISIAN GRILLED SALAD

Steps:

• This dish can be made on the BBQ or on the Gas Hob, or using a kitchen blow torch. The method I will refer to uses the gas hob.
• Wash all the vegetables well leaving the skin on. Place inside the BBQ wire grilling cage or if you're feeling adventurous directly onto a wire cake rack set over the largest burner of your gas hob set at a medium flame.
• You may have to do this in batches but basically you want to blacken and blister the skin on the vegetables, charring them. Once they are evenly charred/blackened all over remove them from the heat and place them inside a ziplock bag. Leave them in there until all the vegetables have been charred. This makes the skins of the tomatoes and chillies slip off easily.
• Take the vegetables out and slip of the skins of the tomato and place them into a bowl, do the same for the green chillies. Remove the papery skin from the garlic and onion and then roughly chop the vegetables before either blitzing them together in a food processor, being careful not to do this too finely or using a hand mouli push them through to get a nice even consistancy. Alternatively you can do this using a large chopping board and good sharp knife, running your knife through them and mixing as you go on the board until it all comes together evenly
• Next add the turmeric, salt and ground black pepper to taste and a squeeze of lemon and a couple of tablespoons of really good olive oil. Mix well and taste. Adjust seasoning if required. Maybe more oil, maybe more lemon - the oil has to be good and this is an oil salad. If its too think you can add a little cold water but I never need to as I always leave the tomato seeds in giving more flavour and more juice.
• To serve add optional tuna or boiled egg and lots of crusty bread which you dip and scoop the yummy salad with. Fantastic with grilled lamb chops, chicken, or fish. Excellent spread onto a baguette and then loaded with cooked leftover roast chicken. Fab as a relish with burgers and however else you fancy it. I use mild large green chillies but you could always use a couple of fat green chillies and temper the flavour with a red/green or orange sweet pepper to add a more subtle note of heat.

TUNISIAN GRILLED PEPPERS AND TOMATOES WITH COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Grill peppers over a hot grill or a gas flame, or under a broiler, until charred. Place in a bowl and cover with a plate or with plastic. Allow to cool.
• Grill tomatoes over a hot grill or under a broiler for about 3 minutes, until skins split and char. If tomatoes are large, turn over and grill on the other side. Small tomatoes needn't be turned. You do not want to cook them until they're overly soft. Remove from heat, place in a bowl and allow to cool until you can handle them.
• When peppers are cool enough, stem and peel. Holding them over the bowl to catch juices, seed and cut in 2-inch long strips. Transfer to another bowl and strain in juices. Peel, core and slice tomatoes. Cut slices into strips and transfer, with juices, to bowl with peppers.
• In a mortar and pestle, purée garlic with a generous pinch of salt. Add caraway, coriander and cayenne if using. Work in the lemon juice and olive oil and toss with vegetables. Add half the parsley and toss together. Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Warm couscous if desired and divide among plates or wide bowls. Spoon on pepper and tomato salad with juices in bowl. Sprinkle more parsley on top and serve.