Serving: 4

Ingredients

• 15ml/ 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 5ml/ 1 tsp ground cumin
• 5ml/ 1 tsp paprika
• 400g/ 14oz can chopped tomatoes
• 300ml/ 1/2pint/ 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 cinnamon stick
• generous pinch of saffron strands
• 4 baby aubergines, quartered
• 8 baby courgettes, quartered
• 8 baby carrots
• 225g/8oz/1 1/3 cups couscous
• 425g/15oz can chick peas, drained
• 175g/6oz/ 3/4 cup prunes
• 45ml/ 3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• 45ml/ 3 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
• 10-15ml/2-3 tsp harissa sauce salt

    Directions

• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and garlic and cook gently for 5 minutes until soft. Add the cumin and paprika and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

• Add the tomatoes, vegetable stock, cinnamon stick, saffron, aubergines, courgettes and carrots. Season with salt. Bring to the boil, cover, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.

• Line a steamer, metal sieve or colander with a double thickness of muslin. Soak the couscous according to the instructions on the packet. Add the chick peas and prunes to the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Fork the couscous to break up any lumps and then spread it in the prepared steamer. Place on top of the vegetables, cover, and gently cook for 5 minutes until the couscous is hot.

• Stir the parsley and coriander into the vegetables. Heap the couscous on to a warmed serving plate. Using a slotted spoon, arrange the vegetables on top. Spoon over a little sauce and toss gently to combine. Stir the harissa into the remaining sauce and serve separately.

  Nutritional Information

• Per portion

• Energy                      474Kcals/198kj

• Fat, total                   13.3g

• saturated fat              1.7g 

• Protein                       17.1g

• Carbohydrate              75.9g

• sugar, total                28.7g

• Fibre                        12.3g

• Sodium                     485mg

Vegetable  Couscous