Harissa explosion salad

What I really love about this salad is that each mouthful is an adventure in texture, conducted while taste buds are thoroughly stimulated.

You need:

·         One pickled red pepper, diced

·         As many jarred mushrooms as you can handle (the ones in oil)

·         A sprinkling of toasted sunflower seeds, then some more

·         Two handfuls of lettuce, finely shredded

For the dressing:

·         An almost empty jar of harissa – about a teaspoon left

·         Olive oil to fill the jar (about a tablespoon and a half)

·         A dash of vinegar (about a dessert spoon and a half)

Serve with:

·         Cous cous bake

·         Hardy bread

Ok, so here’s what you do – spread the lettuce over a plate and add mushrooms, pepper, and most of the seeds. Add the liquids to the harissa and shake up. Pour some dressing on it and mix it up well. Sprinkle the remaining seeds over the salad, serve with cous cous bake and bread and enjoy!

~Gwen

Harissa Cous Cous

This is some sort of harissa paste:

Mix LOADS of tomato paste with a good deal of paprika, chilli powder, ground cumin, coriander powder, black pepper and olive oil. Taste it and do what you want to it, then stir it into a big bowl of cous cous that's just been covered with boiling water. Leave it to sit for about three minutes then add more harissa or water as necessary.

Chickpeas and cous cous are a marriage made in culinary heaven. They are made for each other. This lot had courgette, onion, garlic and sweetcorn as well, and most veg will be pretty tasty fried up and served on top of this tasty goodness.