Cauliflower risotto with israeli cous cous

served with roasted peppers and crispy buttered sage

(serves 2)

It feels like life is finally a bit more relaxed with my Masters completed (yay!) and new  work lined up and the Fatigue business settling in... and my outlet for happiness (relief?) is dreaming up new recipes to try! I am going to miss being able to be at home to make lunch and just have fun cooking during the week (hence all the recent blogs lol), but i guess we must all grow up at  some point... *sigh*

Anyhow, this light bubbly risotto is a really awesome discovery ~ using israeli cous cous halves the time for cooking and you don't need to 'add a bit of broth at a time' so can't stuff up! The parsley really freshens it up, and the buttered sage is just the intense burst of flavour that works beautifully with the subtle cauliflower. 
I did roast some cauliflower as well thinking that the broth might be a bit too subtle but it was fine (nothing a bit of chicken stock powder doesn't fix!) so i didn't add that into the final recipe, however it was delicious and would be good to bulk up the meal. Another shortcut would also be to toss in raw capsicum instead of roasted, adding a bit of crunch and saving a bit of time ~ give it a go!

hehe.. love how cute little cauliflower trees are!

Prep time: 20min

Cooking time: 30min

Ingredients:

1/2 cauliflower

1 red capsicum

1/2 brown onion

3/4 C israeli cous cous

1/2 tsp chicken stock powder

20g butter

6 sage leaves

3 cloves garlic

1/2 C fresh parsley, finely chopped

1 tsp thyme

olive oil

salt and pepper

10g gruyere cheese, shaved (optional)

Method:

1. Cut the cauliflower into small florets. Boil in 2 C water to create a cauliflower stock. Add in 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp chicken stock powder, 1 tsp thyme and boil for 5-10min.

2. Cut the capsicum in half, remove the core and place under the grill for 10-15 minutes skin-side up until the skin is charred. Remove and put in a plastic container for 5min. Peel off the skin and cut into 1cm cubes.

3. Finely dice the onion and garlic.

4. Heat a large pot on medium heat with 10g butter and some olive oil, then add in 1 clove garlic (diced), a pinch of salt and the sage. Stir for 30sec or so until it is crisp, remove.

5. Add in the remaining butter and some oil, then add in the onion and remaining garlic. Toss for 2min until translucent, then add in the cous cous and the cauliflower stock. Cook on medium heat for 10min, stirring regularly.

NB. It is cooked when all the liquid is absorbed and the cous cous should be al dente. 

6. Remove the cous cous from the heat and stir in the gruyere. Toss in the parsley and the capsicum.

7. Serve with a sprinkle of parsley on top and the crispy sage!