No-cook Summer Cous Cous Salad ~ Fanny Cradock Party Style.

This is my homage to the enfant terrible of the 1970s, celebrity chef Fanny Cradock. Make a big batch of it on a Sunday, keep it covered in the fridge to feed yourself for the week and do it in a trifle bowl to convince yourself you’re at a party with Demis Roussos every night.

METHOD:

1. Take out that trifle bowl you bought to make you feel happy but never did when you were miserable in Madrid. Put some veg stock in the bottom, half fill it with boiling water and pour in cous cous till it’s mountain peak is just below the surface of the water. Stir, set aside to swell.

Vegetable stock in a Spanish trifle dish.

Boiled water on veg stock.

2. Boil some eggs.

3. Dice everything that is fresh and grate the carrots. 

Diced trinity of cucumber, red pepper and spring onion on a Tommy Bahama palm plate.

4. Chop the jalapeños a bit if they’re the big ones.

Fluffed cous cous.

5. Fluff up your cousy cous and mix everything in. 

Pre-mixed vegetable cous cous trifle.

6. Mix everything together. Chill and let it infuse overnight. 

1970’s style cook book ingredients.

Serve with the eggs on top (I boil a few and keep them in the fridge so they’re ready for whenever I am), sprinkle some seeds on top if you fancy a bit of fancy (like a savory version of hundreds and thousands) and some mayo or salad cream for some moisture. 

INGREDIENTS:

Cous Cous, veg stock, boiled eggs, cucumber, pepper, carrot, spring onion, avocado, jalapeno slices, cheap olives. I used black onion seed to sprinkle, but use what you like best.

TIP:

Use the cheap olives you get in budget supermarkets as they have a lovely high-pitched flavour. If you use deli olives it’s not the same, it’s all a bit out of tune.