Herby Couscous With Grilled Veg

From "The Naked Chef" by Jamie "pukka" Oliver. works great for picnics and lunchboxes. This couscous recipe is quite a bit different from the norm because instead of boiling or steaming the couscous you just feed it from raw with a really tasty dressing. This means it keeps a slight bite which I think is more interesting for a salad.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 255  g couscous
• 285  ml cold water
• 3  red peppers
• 1  cup  chopped asparagus
• 2 -3  small  firm courgettes, sliced
• 8  spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 2 -4  fresh red chilies, deseeded and finely sliced
• 1  cup mixed fresh herbs (basil, coriander, mint, flat-leaf parsley)
• 40  ml olive oil
• 1  lemon
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1  tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

1. Place the couscous in a bowl with the cold water. This will start to soften the couscous and you will see the water disappear as it soaks inches.
2. While the couscous is softening, we need to blacken the peppers. I do this by placing the peppers directly on to the naked flame of my gas hob. If you don't have gas, then blacken under the grill. Both ways you need to blacken the peppers on all sides, so turn when need be.
3. When fully blackened, place in a sandwich bag, wrap in clingfilm or cover in a bowl for 5 minutes until cool. This will steam the skins and make peeling and deseeding easier. Remove the skins and seeds and roughly chop.
4. On a very hot ridged grill pan, lightly char the asparagus and courgettes or patty pans on both sides then toss them into the bowl of couscous with the peppers, spring onions, chillies and ripped-up herbs. Mix well.
5. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and toss well. You may need more than 40 ml, you may want less it depends on you. Finally, taste and season with salt and pepper and a couple of dribbles of red wine vinegar for a slight twang. It's a beautiful thing.