Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables and Harissa-Style Dressing

This is taken from a Delia Smith recipe that my neighbour Paula gave me. It makes a large quantity and is perfect for a casual summer dinner. You can add shrimp or chicken to make it more substantial.

ingredients

For the roasted vegetables:
1 small eggplant
2 medium zucchini
1 lb. (450 g) cherry tomatoes
1 orange or yellow pepper, cut into 1" squares
1 small fennel bulb, chopped
1 red onion, cut into 1" squares
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1/2 C fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
2 oz (50 g) pitted black olive, halved
1 heaped tablespoon capers, drained
sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
For the couscous:
10 oz. (275 g) couscous
18 oz (510 g) hot chicken or vegetable stock
4 oz (110 g) firm goat cheese, cut in sugar-cube sized pieces
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
For the salad:
3 oz (75 g) mixed salad greens
1 tbsp black onion seeds, to garnish
For the dressing:
4 oz (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tbsp ground cumin
2 heaped tablespoons tomato purée
4 tbsp lime juice

directions

1
Prepare the vegetables: cut the eggplant and zucchini into 1” dice, leaving skins on. Then toss in a teaspoon of salt and pack into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave for 1 hour to let the bitter juices drain out. Squeeze out remaining juices and dry in paper towels. Pre-heat oven to 475°.
2
Now arrange eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, pepper, fennel and onion on a large rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, sprinkle with garlic and toss everything around to get a good coating, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes or longer until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges. Remove from oven and stir in basil, olives and capers; allow to cool.
3
When ready to assemble the salad, place couscous in heatproof bowl, pour hot stock over, add salt and pepper and stir with a fork. Leave it for 5 minutes or until the stock is absorbed and the couscous is soft. Whisk dressing ingredients together and pour into serving jug.
4
To serve, place couscous in large, wide serving bowl, and top with roasted vegetables; drizzle a bit of dressing on top. Follow with salad greens and goat cheese and another drizzle of dressing. Garnish with onion seeds. Pass remaining dressing around the table.
5
Yields: 8 servings