Le Zucchine

Method:

A simple couscous that tastes of the oven

This is the kind of easy, generous dish that is useful all year round: colourful vegetables become sweet and lightly charred in the oven, ready couscous drinks in hot stock while they roast, and Kalamata olives bring their salty, wine-dark sharpness at the end. There is no need to make couscous from scratch here. Use the quick kind from the packet, cover it with hot stock and let it do its quiet work while the oven does the rest.

It is a lovely vegetarian meal on its own, especially with a spoonful of yoghurt or a crisp green salad alongside. It is also an excellent base for roasted chicken breast or a couple of very thin beef steaks cooked quickly in a hot pan. The important thing is to keep the vegetables and couscous bright and simple, so the olives are not lost.

Roast the vegetables

Heat the oven to 210 C. Peel the onions, cut them into wedges, and cut the courgettes and peppers into generous bite-sized pieces. Put everything in a large roasting tray, leaving as much room as possible between the vegetables. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and plenty of black pepper, then toss well with your hands.

Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, turning the vegetables once halfway through. The onions should be soft and sweet, the peppers collapsed at the edges, and the courgettes tender with a little golden colour. If the tray is very crowded, use two trays: crowded vegetables steam rather than roast, and it is those caramelised edges that make this uncomplicated couscous feel special.

Prepare the ready couscous

About ten minutes before the vegetables are ready, put the couscous in a large bowl. Pour over the boiling stock, using the quantity on the packet if it differs from the one given here. Cover the bowl with a plate and leave it alone for 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove the cover and fluff the grains carefully with a fork. Add a small drizzle of olive oil and the finely grated zest of about half the lemon. The couscous should be light rather than packed together; if it looks dry, add a spoonful or two of hot stock, not more oil.

Bring everything together

Tip the hot roasted vegetables into the bowl of couscous, including any fragrant oil left in the tray. Add the Kalamata olives, the chopped parsley or mint, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Fold gently until the vegetables are evenly distributed, then taste before adding more salt: the olives and stock may already be quite salty.

Leave the couscous for five minutes before serving. This short rest lets the grains absorb the roasting juices without becoming heavy. Finish with another little drizzle of good olive oil and a final grind of black pepper.

Optional chicken or thin beef steaks

For chicken, season the breasts with olive oil, salt and black pepper. Put them on a small separate tray and roast alongside the vegetables for 18 to 22 minutes, depending on their thickness, until the centre reaches 74 C. Rest for five minutes, then slice and lay over the couscous.

For very thin beef steaks, season just before cooking and sear them in a very hot frying pan with a little oil for about one minute per side, or a little longer if they are thicker. Rest them for a few minutes, slice across the grain and serve over or beside the couscous. The warm vegetables, olives and lemon make either choice feel complete without needing a heavy sauce.