Couscous pilaf

This anytime recipe is a great one to have in your arsenal, as most of the ingredients can be found in the pantry. Whether it's served as a quick midweek dinner or as an accompaniment to a fancier feast, I think you'll find that it's a handy dish to keep up your sleeve. Winner winner, midweek dinner!

Serves 3-4 as a main and up to 6 as a side.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely diced
2 tsp ground cumin 
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
Pinch ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 2/3 cups water
1 tsp veg stock powder 
2 tsp dried currants
1 cup wholemeal couscous
 Handful chopped fresh mint or coriander
3-4 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

Method:
In a medium saucepan, dry-fry the almonds for 1 min over a medium heat until they just start to turn golden. Tip the almonds immediately into a bowl and set aside. Put the saucepan back on the stove.

Heat the oil and butter* in the saucepan over medium-low heat until the butter melts. Add the onion and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is very soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add couscous and stir for 1 minute.  Add the water and stock powder, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Add the currants, cover pan with a lid, remove the pan from the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes with lid on so the currants can plump and the couscous can absorb all the stock. 

Remove the lid. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the fresh herbs, dates, lemon juice and almonds and fold them into the couscous. Serve immediately or pop in the fridge to enjoy as a salad the next day.

*Why use a combination of butter and oil? 
When you want that unbeatable, fried buttery taste but want to cook at higher temps, adding a glug of oil will help prevent burning, as oil has a higher smoke point! 

Pimp My Recipe
*Add some cooked chickpeas or lentils at the end of cooking time
* Try adding a tsp or 2 of our Falafel Mix to rev up the flavour 
* Toppings - sprinkle on some Dukkah just before serving. Or, for a truly top-shelf finish, crumble some of our Rose, Pistachio and Orange Buckinis over the top - so good!