Lamb with grapes, pine nuts, mint and couscous

Name: Lamb with grapes, pine nuts, mint and couscous
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 3 Lamb leg steaks (Main); 1 drizzle Olive oil; 1 knob Butter; 1 ½ cups Couscous (Main); 500 g Black grapes, red, and/or green grapes, halved; 1 handful Mint leaves, leaves torn; 70 g Pine nuts, toasted; 2 Tbsp Harissa paste, see below; 1 Lemon, juice only; 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil; 1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar; 3 Garlic cloves; 2 Red chillies; ½ tsp Flaky sea salt; 2 tsp Cumin seeds; 2 tsp Coriander seeds; ¼ cup Olive oil; 4 Tbsp Tomato paste

for 4 people

Nadia Lim

Food writer and author

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Ingredients

3	Lamb leg steaks (Main)
1 drizzle	Olive oil
1 knob	Butter
1 ½ cups	Couscous (Main)
500 g	Black grapes, red, and/or green grapes, halved
1 handful	Mint leaves, leaves torn
70 g	Pine nuts, toasted
2 Tbsp	Harissa paste, see below
1	Lemon, juice only
2 Tbsp	Extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp	Balsamic vinegar

Harissa

3	Garlic cloves
2	Red chillies
½ tsp	Flaky sea salt
2 tsp	Cumin seeds
2 tsp	Coriander seeds
¼ cup	Olive oil
4 Tbsp	Tomato paste

Directions

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat. Rub a little olive oil all over lamb steaks and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Fry steaks for 2 minutes on each side or until cooked medium-rare. Remove steaks and rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing.
Bring 1½ cups water to the boil in a saucepan. Turn off the heat, add butter and couscous, stir together and cover with a lid. Leave couscous to steam for 5 minutes, then fluff up with a fork and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss couscous with grapes, mint and pine nuts.
Make a dressing by mixing harissa, lemon juice, oil and balsamic vinegar, and any juice from the resting lamb together.
To serve, divide couscous and lamb between plates and spoon over dressing.

Harrisa paste

Bash in a mortar and pestle the garlic, red chillies, flaky sea salt, cumin and coriander seeds. Then mix in the cup olive oil and tomato paste. Alternatively blitz all ingredients together in a small food processor or blender.
Fry paste in a hot pan for 5 minutes until thickened.