Monday 20 July 2015

Colors, Kohlrabi & Couscous!

Insalata di Couscous, Cavolo Rapa, Pomodorini, con Paprika Dolce & Limone
Couscous, Kohlrabi & Cherry Tomato Salad with Sweet Paprika & Lemon

 

Home from my little one week vacation, hot, bothered and bewildered, I grabbed a few provisions on my way home from the supermarket (no chance of a visit to the market hall until Saturday- sigh!) and set about making as quick, simple and tasty a meal as I could...

My main objective was, that it would basically require no cooking... And that, that cooking took care of itself whilst I stood under a relaxing, cool shower! And yes, this was a perfect dish to be able to do just that!


 

Neither kohlrabi, nor couscous itself require very much attention- which was the reason I decided to combine them this evening. Both are light and versatile and eager to be infused with flavor- and so who am I to refuse them what they need the most?

With just 5-6 minutes of preparation time and 10-15 of "cooking" time, this really is an excellent summer dish... And somehow, I think that if it were to spend an hour or two in the fridge, it would be even better still!



All it took to make a delicious, light meal that was big enough for two portions was: 1 kohlrabi, 1 spring onion, 1 lemon, 7-8 cherry tomatoes, some fresh basil and parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil and some lovely, rich, sweet paprika powder.

 

It is quick, it is easy, it is healthy and it is delicious... What more do you need any of your summer meals to be? Oh! And it is also incredibly inexpensive to make too! Don't torture yourselves and fuss and fret over your meals when the weather gets hot, keep them healthy, fresh and as simple as you can... That is all that I can say! Let me show you one example of how you can do that...

 

Simply cut the kohlrabi into quarters and then cut the quarters into thin, bite-sized slices. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, the onion into slices and chop 4-5 thinly sliced pieces of lemon zest up into thin shreds... And that is all of your preparation work taken care of.

 

Put all of the ingredients into a bowl, along with about 1/2 teaspoon of salt, plenty of pepper and a tablespoon of sweet paprika powder and stir together well.

 

Pour enough boiling water over the couscous to cover it completely, stir everything through and leave it to sit, absorb the water, "cook" and almost double in volume, whilst you rest, fix a drink, take a shower, or do whatever it is that you do when you feel unbearably hot in the summer! This sure beats standing at a hot stove!

 

After around 10 minutes, the couscous will already be fine, but give it 15-20 in order for it to cool completely if you can stand to wait that long! Haha!

Once the couscous is fluffy and cool, add the tomatoes, parsley and basil, the juice of half a lemon and a generous drizzle of olive oil.



The couscous is fluffy and light and the kohlrabi is neither raw nor cooked, but something pleasantly in-between, so that it still has a nice "bite" to it, but at the same time, it is infused with the flavor of the paprika powder and onion.

 

All you have to do to enjoy it is to stir it through thoroughly so that every bite you take is a flavor-packed one! What more could you want and how easy could that possibly be to achieve? Well... I think I may have just told you how! In fact... Indeed I have!


And the fact that it also looks wonderful is just one further reason to give this a try!

No comments:

Post a Comment