This is one of those dinners that looks like I’ve put in far more effort than I actually have. A big tray of roast vegetables, chickpeas and golden halloumi, spooned over lemony couscous with a sticky honey-mustard dressing. It’s a proper meal, not just a few bits of cheese on a salad.
The trick is getting some colour on the vegetables, letting the tomatoes burst, and using all those lovely juices rather than leaving them stuck to the roasting tray.
Serves: 3–4 Prep: around 15 minutes Cook: 35–40 minutes Oven: 200°C fan
Ingredients
- 450g halloumi, sliced into thick pieces
- 2 peppers, cut into bite-sized chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 1 x 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 250–350g cherry tomatoes, left whole
- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped or crushed (more if you fancy)
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
- Olive oil for roasting and a little for the couscous
- 200g dry instant couscous
- 250ml boiling vegetable stock (I used half of a 500ml stock cube)
- 1 lemon
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp olive oil for the dressing
- Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Method
- Get everything ready. I put the oven on at 200°C fan, drain the chickpeas and chop the peppers and onion into fairly chunky pieces. The tomatoes stay whole because I want them to burst in the oven rather than disappear straight away.
- Roast the vegetables. I spread the peppers, onion and chickpeas over a large roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and add the smoked paprika, oregano, optional cumin and plenty of black pepper. I toss everything well and roast it for 15 minutes. A decent-sized tray matters here; if it’s all piled up it just steams.
- Add the tomatoes and garlic. I give the tray a good stir, add the whole cherry tomatoes and garlic, then roast for another 10 minutes. By now the tomatoes should be blistering and the peppers starting to soften.
- Get the halloumi golden. I lay the halloumi slices over the vegetables and put the tray back for another 12–15 minutes. I’m after browned edges and soft centres. If it needs another minute under the grill, that’s fine, but I keep an eye on it.
- Make the couscous. While the halloumi finishes, I tip 200g couscous into a heatproof bowl, pour over 250ml boiling vegetable stock and give it one stir. I cover it for five minutes, then fluff it thoroughly with a fork. Half the lemon gets squeezed in, along with a drizzle of olive oil.
- Mix the dressing. I stir together the honey, Dijon mustard, a tablespoon of olive oil and the juice of the remaining half lemon. It should be sweet and tangy, not sickly. A little black pepper goes in too.
- Don’t waste the tomato juices. When the tray comes out, I squash roughly a third of the roasted tomatoes with the back of a spoon. I spoon the dressing over the vegetables and gently toss everything together, scraping up the lovely juices from the bottom of the tray.
- Bring it all together. I put the couscous into a big serving bowl, spoon the roasted vegetables and their juices over it, then arrange the golden halloumi on top. Give it a final taste before adding salt; the cheese and stock already bring plenty.
I particularly like the contrast between the salty halloumi, sweetness from the honey and tomatoes, and the fresh lemon running through the couscous. Don’t skip the lemon — it’s what keeps the whole thing from feeling too rich.
I did make this again when we’d run out of lemons. In a moment of questionable judgement I substituted a splash of Pinot Grigio. It was still lovely, but it definitely missed that sharp lemon kick. White-wine vinegar would have been a better emergency substitute. Lesson learnt: keep lemons in the house.