Summer Holiday at Second Valley...

This is the view from our family's holiday home in the hills of Second Valley...which are lucky enough to be able to retreat to through out the year. As I type there is the smell of toast in the air, children playing twister in the lounge, my boy eating a punnet of strawberries by my side and when I look up this photo is what I see... I am so blessed....
We have some friends staying with us from the US and last night after staying til dusk on the beach this is what I made for dinner... It had to be quick...as we were ALL beach hungry...you know that feeling after having been by the ocean and you realise that you are so hungry...

Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Cous Cous and Green Greens

For this you will need...

For the stew...

3 baby leeks

5 carrots

6 medium sized potatoes

olive oil

690g jar of Passata

750g tin of mixed beans

ras el hanout

preserved lemon

flat leaf parsley

salt and pepper to taste

200g fetta


For the Green Greens

500g of green beans

500g of broccoli

1 clove of garlic

olive oil

salt & pepper

lemon

For the Cous Cous...

500g Cous Cous

1 massel stock cube

boiling water to cover

I always start holiday cooking with the same thing... a glass of wine...

Now the food

The Stew...

In a heavy based pot pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom with about 1/2 cm of olive oil... peasant cut up your vegetables and toss them is the pot...add 1 -2 table spoons of ras el hanout and fry off for 5 - 10 minutes on medium to high heat...

A word on Ras el Hanout... which translates to The King's Blend...

This Moroccan spice mix contains pepper, garlic, cummin, paprika, cardamon, mace, ginger, corriander, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric, caraway seeds and more...

It is the BEST SPICE MIX EVER!!!!!   It is my firm opinion that it makes everything better...fish, chicken, vegetable, potatoes... I'm even sure that icecream would taste good with it!

I use my friend Anour's blend. I tried to make it once and when I talked to Anour about my efforts he said that I needed to make it 100 times before I'd be any good at it... and quite frankly I don''t have that kind of patience so I buy his!

Ok back to the food...

So your pot should look like this....

And should smell amazing....

Now add in your passata... use a little bit of water to rinse out the jar and add that in also... cover and cook on medium heat until the vegetables are soft... about 15 to 20 minutes...

The Cous Cous...

Is dead easy...put the 500g of cous cous in a ceramic or metal bowl...crumble in the stock cube...pour over boiling water til cous cous is covered then cover your bowl with a saucepan lid or plate so that the steam stays in... leaves it for 5 -10 minutes then take the cover off and fluff up with a fork...this is a gentle scraping that separates the grains... Done!

The Green Greens...

Also crazy easy... take the ends off your beans and trim your broccoli into small green trees...and put them in a large saucepan with about one finger of boiling water on the bottom of the pot...put the pan on high heat for 3 - 5 minutes... watch this pot...the colour of the beans and broc should pop out at you... they go this amazing vibrant green... take them off the heat and place in a ceramic serving dish...get a clove of garlic and with the heel of your hand give the garlic a big bang and crush it a bit...this will allow the flovours to sneak out but not dominate the greens.reens .. take this garlic clove and "tuck"  it into the greens... drizzle with good quality olive oil, crack over some salt and pepper and a squueze of lemon and they are ready to eat....

To assemble...

Place your cous cous in a large serving dish... pour over stew...top with crumbled fetta, preserved lemon and chopped parsley... and enjoy!

Thats about all and now the beach is calling... not before another cup of tea looking at that view....

Yours,

Honey Lady

Why is it a cup of tea always tastes better when on holiday?