Pearl CousCous and Pumpkin with Tomato and Star Anise Sauce
This recipe is adapted from Ottolenghi's recipe in Flavour
Ingredients
- 750 gm sweet pumpkin, peeled and cut into large cubes
- 3 tsp cinnamon
- 8 garlic cloves
- 105 ml olive oil
- 2 large onions
- 2 ½ tsp caster sugar
- 4 whole star anise
- ⅓ tsp chilli flakes
- 750 gm plum tomatoes (or two cans)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 250 gm pearl couscous (or giant couscous)
- 250 gm baby spinach or silverbeet
- 15 g coriander, roughly chopped
- salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 230C fan. Toss the pumpkin with 1 tsp cinnamon, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tbsp oil, 3/4 tsp salt, and a good grind of pepper. Spread onto baking tray and bake for 30 minutes,until cooked through and nicely browned (keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn)
- Place the onion rounds, keeping them intact, onto another tray and drizzle with 1 ½ tsps of oil. Sprinkle with ½ tsp of sugar and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 18 minutes, flipping them halfway, or until softened and deeply charred. Remove and keep warm
- While the vegetables are roasting, make the sauce. Put 3 tbspns of oil into large saute pan on medium-high heat. Make sure you have a lid. Add the chopped onion and star anise and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes or until softened and browned. Add the remaining garlic and cinnamon (2 tspns) and cook for 30 secs more until fragrant. Add the chilli, tomatoes, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tspns sugar, 1 ½ tspns salt and a good grind of black pepper. Cook for 8 minutes stirring often, then pour in 500ml of water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 30 minutes, or until sauce is thick and rich. Measure out 400ml of sauce, leaving the star anise in the pan, into a separate saucepan and keep warm.
- Meanwhile, add the couscous to the original pan containing the remaining sauce, and mix well to combine. Add 375 ml water and ¼ tspn salt and bring to the boil. Cover with the lid, reduce the heat to medium and leave to cook for 30 minutes (checking to see if it isn't getting stuck to the pan) or until all the liquid is absorbed.
- Put 1 tbspn oil into a large frying pan on a medium-high heat. Add the spinach or silverbeet, 1/8 tsp salt, and a good grind of black pepper. Cook until barely wilted, about 2 mins. Stir in the coriander and set aside.
- To serve, top the couscous with the reserved sauce, pumpkin and spinach. Finish with the onion rounds. Drizzle with the remaining 1 ½ tspns of oil and serve warm.