This requires a couple of different pans but other than that is definitely a bish bash bosh job, and not much of a faff at all. This dish is based on one by the always excellent Diana Henry, whose cookbook ‘Simple’ is a real treasure trove of speedy recipes. The paprika, olives and toasty nuts here give this dish a punchy Spanish flavour, which means it works a treat on its own with a green salad, or as a side to other punchy flavours. Like halloumi, feta, or oily fish.
What's the A to V?
Grains are pretty much always going to be a good addition to your rota of dishes, particularly if you go for whole grains when and where you can. Grains such as quinoa are a good source of many of the B vitamins as well as manganese and magnesium. The almonds here are a great source of vitamin E, while olives are a good source of unsaturated fatty acids.
Ingredients (serves 6):
150 - 200g couscous or quinoa or bulgur (a grain you fancy basically)
3 tbsps of olive oil
1 white onion, finely sliced (or 5 small shallots, sliced)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped into rounds
15 green olives, pitted
1 generous handful of almonds or pecans
2-3 sundried/roasted red peppers, torn (from a jar is absolutely fine)
1 generous handful of coriander or parsley, chopped
1/2 a lemon, squeezed
1 tbsp smoked paprika powder
Salt and pepper
Method
Heat roughly 1 and 1/2 tbsps of olive oil in a pan, add your onions along with a generous pinch of salt, and cook on medium heat for a good ten minutes or so until soft, translucent and browned.
Meanwhile, if you’re using couscous, pour roughly 1/2 a pint of boiling water with 1/2 a stock cube over the couscous and leave covered for roughly 15 minutes. If you’re using quinoa or bulgur wheat, cook according to the packet’s instructions (roughly 20 minutes in simmering, seasoned water).
Toast your nuts in an oven on 180 degrees for no more than 10 minutes. Be warned. Nuts turn from raw to burnt through in the flash of an eye. So keep a close eye on proceedings here. If you’ve preheated your oven for any reason you’re probably looking at more like 5-7 minutes before your nuts are toasted.
Add your garlic and smoked paprika to the pan with your onion and cook on a low heat for roughly 2 minutes. Drain your grain and add to the pan along with the olives, herb, peppers, toasted nuts and season well. Drizzle your remaining olive oil over the top and mix well before serving.