RE ingredients for meditteranean cous cous: Instead of sock try chicken stock – it’s much taster and far more fragrent! LOL

My fave quick meal this summer is a meditteranean couscous

2 cups of cous cous
1 teaspoon oregeno
700 ml (2 1/2 cups) of chicken stock
1 teaspoon of olive oil
half cup of sun dried tomatoes
2 slices of marinated eggplant (in olive oil or balsamic vineger)
1 red capsicum sliced
1 large zuchinni sliced
4 mushrooms
200 grams of haloumi cheese

Method
Place cous cous, oregano seasoning and sock in a sauce pan – bring to the boil and then put on lid and turn off the heat leave for about – 5 – 10 mins.
In a seperate pan using some oil from the sun dried tomatoes toss in the s/d tomatoes, eggplant, capsicum, zuchinni and mushroom and cook on high heat for about 5 mins tossing/ stirring frequently.
On a griddle pan or fry pan cook haloumi cheese for about 2 minutes on each side until soft to touch. Transfer to a chopping board and dice haloumi into 1-2 cm pieces.
Place cous cous into a large serving bowl/dish and place the cooked vegies and haloumi on top, and mix through. I often substitute haloumi for feta (but not cooked of course).
S & P to taste

A non veg variation is to cook some thin slices of lamb, or chicken prior to cooking the vegies and then mix it in with all ingredients at end.

Enjoy.
Carolyn x

Oven-baked risotto
This risotto is as easy as can be, and can be made with any variety of vegetables or meat of your choice. The quantities below comfortably serve a family of 2 adults and 2-3 children, and it is easy to upsize for more people.

My family’s two favourite variants are Pumpkin, Sweet Corn & Bacon and Mushroom & Spinach, so those are the ones I’ve included instructions for. All you need to do to change it is to stick to the basic ratio of 1 unit rice + 2 units other fillings + 3 units stick (where “units” usually equals cup measures).

Ingredients – Risotto Base
1 large onion
1 cup arborio rice
3 cups well-flavoured chicken or vegetable stock
40g butter or margarine
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese

Pumpkin, bacon & corn variant
1 cup pumpkin, cut into medium-sized cubes (Kent or Butternut)
1 cup sweet corn kernels
250g bacon

Mushroom & spinach variant
1 cup mushrooms (any variety – shitakes give a stronger taste than field or button mushrooms)
1 cup baby spinach leaves

Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
- Place cup of rice, 3 cups of stock, and butter in a casserole dish large enough to comfortably hold all ingredients
- For mushroom & spinach variant – add washed spinach leaves and sliced mushrooms to dish
- For pumpkin variant – add diced pumpkin and meausured sweet corn to dish
- Chop onion finely and lightly fry in a frypan until clear in a teaspoon of olive oil. If making the pumpkin variant, dice the bacon and add to the onion in the frypan, cooking until just beginning to brown.
- Add onion (and, if relevant, bacon) to casserole dish, including the “juices” (remaining oil).
- Put lid on dish and cook in oven for 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and stir in the parmesan cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!

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