My old mate cous cous. It’s been a while. I had almost forgot that this stuff is really good. So good in fact, that it was named twice to really get the point across.

So, I headed out to track down some of the aforementioned cous cous. I found some in the pasta section of the supermarket I was shopping at and hastily placed it in my shopping basket as I was super-sensitive to the fact that a lockdown could be announced at any old time at all and, well, no one knows what the fuck is going to happen when they pull the rip-cord on one of those things. Maybe cous cous is the next lockdown “tinned tomatoes and milk”. Maybe not. But I’m still hyper sensitive about it all anyway, so I took my cous cous and got the fuck home.

I made this salad. I served it with a piece of steak. I ate it. I was truly happy with where I was in the world.

COUS COUS SALAD SALAD

(serves 4, or more as a side)

1 cup cous cous
½ red onion, fine dice
½ what ever colour capsicum (pepper), medium dice
200 g green beans, chopped into 2 cm (1 in) pieces
1 bunch curly kale, chopped into 2 cm (1 in) pieces
¼ cup pickled zucchini
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
¼ preserved lemon, pith and flesh removed, finely diced
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper, to season

Cook cous cous as per packet instructions.
Blanch green beans and kale for a minute or two so they are not totally raw.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently to combine.
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary.
Serve that with a steak, roasted lamb, grilled chicken, a tin of tuna, on its lonesome or at your next Sunday barbecue.