Pomegranate & Preserved Lemon Couscous Salad

Last week we were in Perth visiting family, it was 27 degrees, blue skies,  sunshine, walks on the beach, lots of amazing food and an introduction to my new beautiful niece. My parents have a great garden with mandarin, lemon and lime trees, olives, roses, chillis, herbs, nasturtiums cascading and a pomegranate tree, its branches heavy with deep red fruit. This morning back in Melbourne its raining but I have several pomegranates filled with crimson arils, each one a little burst of sunshine as a pick me up. This salad is a wonderful mix of flavours and textures, the slightly warm robust pearl couscous, lots of fresh herbs, spiced sweet potato that's crisp on the outside and soft in the middle, the depth of the preserved lemon and then that pop of pomegranate seeds, all topped off with a nutty, tart, creamy mix of yoghurt, tahini and pomegranate molasses. All in all a beautiful and delicious autumn salad.

Three refreshing drinks inspired by WOMAD 2013

This time last week I was sitting under the boughs of a magnificent tree avoiding the direct heat of a particularly ferocious sun, drinking my first fresh coconut of the day and listening to the voices of the world. I was at WOMADelaide, a celebration of the World of Music, Arts and Dance, and an absolutley renewing four days for the body, soul and stomach. I love the respect people have for the venue, the beautiful botanic gardens in Adelaide and the way people of all shapes, sizes and varying levels of reservation leave all that behind and dance with utter abandon as the music goes through them - from the truly gifted whose whole bodies move with the rhythym, to those with arms flailing and legs contorting but radiating such joy it's infectious. So infectious that only now a week later have the tweaks subsided in what I can only assume are muscles I never knew existed in my armpits. It was dark, Jimmy Cliff in his 70's was rocking out with high kicks and ska dancing and if he was going to give it his all, then by god so was I!

Zaalouk: Moroccan Smokey Eggplant (Aubergine) Salad

First it's hot and muggy, now its cold and raining, there is so much humidity that anything crisp becomes chewy in a matter of minutes, not to mention that if I hear the whining of one more mosquito I may actually throw more than the latest issue of New Scientist at the wall. Such is the sleep deprivation that comes with February weather and an old house with gaps under every door. Thick soupy weather calls for full flavours and this smokey, spicy, warm eggplant salad has flavour by the truckload. In Morocco lunch is usually the largest meal of the day and can stretch out for hours starting with the more than substantial mezze course before moving on to the tagine and finished with a cinnamony flaky pastry bastilla... and a nap to escape the heat. Very civilised. The mezze is always generous and consists of several small salads, often of cooked vegetables, served with fresh crusty bread. My favourite is the silky Zaalouk which it is closer in texture to a chunky dip and while it isn't the prettiest of salads it doesn't sit around long enough for anyone to notice.

Lemons: Moroccan Preserved

Last New Year's we were in sensory overload eating our way through the souks of Morocco. One of the flavours that captured the vibrancy, intensity and colour of Moroccan culture and cuisine was the preserved lemon. From the hint of preserved lemon in steamed couscous to its perfect pairing in a tagine with chicken and green olives, the jars of preserved lemons in the markets and taste on your tongue stay with you. With my glut of lemons and the oncoming sunshine I knew I wanted to make preserved lemons to have on hand to add to summer salads, or slowcook with meat.

Lemons: Lemon curd

I have tried so many recipes and trawled the internet in order to find an easy, no fail lemon curd recipe that is super lemony (there is nothing worse than insipid curd), but should really have looked no further than Stephanie Alexander's The Cook's Companion'. I am often heard saying in the kitchen, "what would Stephanie do?" and she has certainly never let me down. Stephanie debunks the 'whisk continuously in a double boiler and never let it boil or it will curdle' myth, which makes 'lemon curding' a whole lot easier.

 

Lemons: Limoncello

Everywhere you look at the moment there are bags of golden lemons going cheap. On a recent drive in the countryside we stopped at a roadside stall and picked up several bags of Eureka and 'Improved Meyer' lemons. I like having lemons in a huge bowl on the table for easy use and decoration and use them a lot in my cooking. That said, I now have an awful lot of lemons to get through so I am putting some away for another day... and this weekend I got to work making limoncello, an Italian digestivo usually served icy cold in small glasses at the end of meal.