Mediterranean cous cous salad

Its the most delightful weather here, with winds, rains and the earthy scent of wet soil and blooming flowers. Most pleasant to the eye and to the soul. It makes me want to put the kettle on, bake scones and muffins, sit down with a Brontë, and harp about the weather saying 'how delightful' with a stiff upper lip and a crisp English accent!

 

Most of my lunches this week have been salads and soups, experimenting with fresh produce that I buy in the local market and gourmet ingredients that I indulge in every once in a while. Cous cous is a very versatile ingredient. It is not easily available in India yet, but it sure is a nice change for the palate. Best of all, it tastes wonderful with raw vegetables and fresh herbs. 

This salad was a very spontaneous one. I just seemed to have everything Mediterranean at home and wanted to go light on lunch. So, I did a salad version of cous cous with some simple Indian raita. Just like the weather outside, it was most pleasant to the eye and to the soul.

Ingredients

Cous cous

200g cous cous, cooked with 400 ml of water

Red and yellow bell peppers, chopped

Fresh mint, chopped

Fresh coriander, chopped

Cherry tomatoes, halved

Boiled and drained chick peas

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of cumin powder

Juice and rind of 1 lime

20 g feta cheese, cubed

Raita

Plain yogurt/curd

Pinch of red chilly powder

Pinch of cumin powder

Pinch of salt

Pinch of sugar

1 chopped green chilly

Fresh coriander to garnish

Method

Place the cous cous in a non-stick pan and add boiling hot water to it. Cover it and set it aside for 15 minutes. The cous cous should have absorbed all the water and should have become plump and cooked.

For the raita, beat the curd in a mixing bowl with a fork. Add the rest of the ingredients and chill till serving time.

Place the cous cous with all the salad  ingredients in a large mixing bowl (except the feta). Mix gently with the tips of your fingers. Spread the feta cubes on top of the salad and set aside. Your salad is now ready.

Bread rolls with tomato, basil, feta and caramelised garlic

Greek salad is one of my favourite salads and this bread is inspired truly and completely from this salad. Cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh basil and garlic, all common and signature ingredients of a classic Greek salad. The good bit about these rolls is the absence of any fat to soften the dough; the only fat content is the small amount of olive oil and its hardly anything. The show stopper ingredient in these simple, earthy rolls is the caramelised garlic. I have a separate blog entry for this recipe and strongly recommend that you try it at least once. For garlic devourers, this is a must-have.

The bread speaks for itself: soft, moist and high on the flavour quotient. Enjoy baking it and eating it!

Portions: Makes 18-20 rolls
Ingredients
Dough
1.5 tsp of instant dry yeast
1.5 to 2 cups of lukewarm water
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
4 cups flour
1/4 tsp dried oregano
15 g freshly grated cheddar cheese
 
Filling
125 g  cherry tomatoes or 3 large tomatoes, cubed
1 pod garlic (caramelised); for recipe and details see here
100 g feta cheese, cubed
bundle of fresh basil leaves

Method

First rise

Place the flour, oil, salt, grated cheese, dried oregano and yeast in a bowl. Add lukewarm water and knead till you get a soft dough. Place it in a bowl, covered with a wet cloth such that the cloth does not touch the surface of the dough. Place in a warm place for one hour and allow the dough to double in size. 

Filling and second rise

Now the dough is raised and ready to be rolled. Roll the dough into a flat rectangle about 5 mm thick. Place the tomatoes along with the feta and caramelised garlic cloves, on the flattened dough. Now, place the fresh basil leaves on top of the tomatoes. Fold the dough, placing one short side inside till midway. Now fold the other short side slightly beyond midway such that there is a small overlap between the two folds. Make sure the filling is secure within the roll, without any cracks or tear. Cut thick slices from the roll, about 2.5 cm thick. Place them on a greased baking tray and cover with a clean, wet kitchen towel; allow them to rise for about 30-45 minutes. Place in a preheated oven at 225 degrees Celsius for 15-20 minutes or until golden.

Once they are out of the over, brush them with some olive oil (use the oil floating on top of the caramelised garlic sauce).

Serve warm with coffee or a soup and salad. 

Greek Salad

Greek salad or horiatiki salata is a lovely Mediterranean salad made with fresh crunchy country vegetables. It’s a textural delight for every palette with its combination of juicy cherry tomatoes, crisp red onion, crumbly feta cheese and plump kalamata olives. Greek salad can be served as a starter, a side dish or even as a small snack with some crusty bread.


Serves: 4
Prep time: 10min
Cooking time: 5min

Ingredients
Veggies
100g cherry tomatoes, halved
½ red onion, sliced and ringed
½ cucumber, deseeded and sliced into thick half moons
¼ green bell pepper julienned
¼ red bell pepper julienned
¼ yellow bell pepper julienned
100g feta cheese, cut into small cubes
10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
Purple lettuce, whole leaves
Green lettuce, whole leaves


Dressing
3tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
½ tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp sea salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper


Method
Place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Place the salad veggies in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine just before serving. Garnish the Greek salad with a little freshly ground black pepper.


Bench notes
Place all the chopped veggies a large bowl and cover with cling wrap. Refrigerate until serving time.


Pour the dressing on the salad just before serving; this will prevent the veggies from sweating and making the salad soggy before serving.


To obtain neat onion rings: Peel a whole onion, cut into thin slices. Place the slices in a bowl of ice cold water. Open up the slices gently with your fingertips allowing the rings to separate. Retain in ice cold water until use (keeps the onions crunchy and fresh).