...inspired by the many cultures and cuisines around the world

Wednesday 2 November 2016

CHICKEN WITH HARISSA served with COUSCOUS, BABY SPINACH & ROAST RED PEPPER SALAD

This is my new favourite at the moment! The Greek guy loves it too - even though he is still trying to stay away from carbs, he is happy to eat a bit of couscous in a salad. Click on 'harissa paste' and go straight to my homemade recipe for it...
  • 8 x boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 2 x tblspns ILIADA Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 x tblspns harissa paste
  • 1 x tblspn honey
  • 4 x tblspns lemon juice
  • 1 x tsp ground cumin
  • 1 x tsp ground coriander
  • 1 x tsp paprika
  • S & P

Mix olive oil, harissa, honey, lemon juice, cumin, coriander and paprika. Pour the marinade over the chicken pieces, massage well and leave to marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge. Place marinated chicken pieces in a single layer in a baking dish, season well with salt and ground black pepper, cover with foil and bake in a pre-heated oven @ 200oC for 20 minutes. Remove foil and return to oven to bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes, until chicken has a lovely colour and cooked through. 
Remove from oven and leave to rest 5 - 10 minutes.

COUSCOUS, BABY SPINACH & ROAST RED PEPPER SALAD

  • 200g couscous
  • 250ml boiling water
  • 100 g baby spinach leaves, cut into strips
  • 1 x Makedoniki Roast Red Pepper, sliced into strips
  • 2 x spring onions, chopped finely
  • handful fresh mint leaves, chopped finely
  • handful of crumbled Dodoni feta
  • handful of sliced almonds


Place couscous in a bowl, pour boiling water over, cover and leave to absorb for 10 - 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Place spinach leaves, roast red pepper, spring onions and mint leaves in a serving bowl. Add cooled couscous and mix everything gently with your fingers. Just before serving, pour over the dressing, toss lightly, crumble the feta and scatter the almonds on top. Best served at room temperature.
This is my absolute favourite salad at the moment!!!   Mmm mmm

Dressing


Place all ingredients in a screw top jar and shake well until thoroughly mixed.

Tuesday 1 November 2016

HARISSA (Hot Chilli Paste)

I used stored bought harissa the other day - it was unbelievably hot!!! Way too hot for us to eat, so I decided to make my own (and way cheaper too)

  • 100g dried whole red chillies  
  • 1 x tblspn dried mint
  • 1 x tblspn ground coriander
  • 1 x tblspn ground cumin
  • 1 x tblspn ground caraway seeds
  • 5 x garlic cloves chopped
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/3 - 1/2 cup ILIADA Extra Virgin Olive Oil


Remove the stems from the chillies, roughly chop the chillies and place in a bowl, cover with boiling water and soak for about an hour.
Drain, then place chillies in a small food processor along with the spices, garlic and salt. Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and process everything for 15 seconds, scrape down the bowl and process again. Add the rest of the olive oil and process until the paste reaches a chunky consistency. 
Put paste in a sterilised jar, cover with a thin layer of olive oil and store in the fridge for up to 6 months. 


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