Chickpea and giant cous cous ‘Caprese’
Easy, satisfying, veg-forward, but also just a little bit sexy
If you’re new here (welcome in my lovelies!), Midweek Marvels is where I share the easy, breezy midweek family meals I make at home: the things that are quick to prepare - because I usually have a hungry, squawking toddler hanging off my sizeable calf - that create minimal washing up; are filling, nourishing and delicious; and that I serve to the whole family (give or take a few tweaks to seasoning/spice/booze). And when I say whole family, I mean the WHOLE family, including our whippet Cyril too, because my daughter is a real sharer/food thrower atm. This hound has never eaten so well…
If I’m being completely honest, I was actually a bit reticent to share these sorts of recipes with you here, because they perhaps didn’t feel glossy enough, or enough like the sort of thing I would pitch into a Sunday supplement or food magazine, but then I think the whole point of this Substack is that it’s about real life as well as the more curated moments and weekend recipe specials, and aren’t we all, at the end of a busy day, just so often scrabbling around for something decent and simple to cook? Plus I reason that if I fancy cooking and eating something, the chances are that you just might too.
So I tentatively started to document these more relaxed recipes as I made them, and drip fed them out to you here, and I noticed, as I began sharing them with you as the weeks unfolded, warts and all, that you guys responded really well, and so it’s something I’m keen to do more often. This doesn’t mean that the Something For the Weekend recipes are going anywhere, it just means, if anything, - yay! - more recipes. And as a reminder, here are the ones that I’ve shared before, most of which I’ve taken the paywall down on just now because I’m nice like that. And while I plan to keep at least one or two of these free for all subscribers every month, this version is a little special as it has a voice memo from me and is reserved for the paid community this time, plus I gave you all that tastiest breakfast migitas only yesterday.
And what do I mean, for goodness sake, by chickpea ‘Caprese’!? Well really, that as a dish, this is inspired by those beautiful, classic flavours of a Caprese salad: which is to say it all hinges around tomatoes, basil and mozzarella: a dreamy combo if ever there was one. Except here, it’s a base of giant cous cous, cloaked in silky, perky basil pesto, topped with a rich, tangy tomato and veg-packed sauce, and finished with a bursting, creamy ooze of burrata or mozzarella. This was actually a rather happy accident, as I found myself cooking up a sofritto of finely chopped and grated veg, stewing it tenderly in olive oil with a bay leaf and then adding in a lovely tin of cherry tomatoes I had stowed away, followed by a jar of giant chickpeas. I really fancied something different with this than a standard pasta, which is when the giant cous cous was spotted (leftover from Deb’s chicken) and quickly boiled alongside the bubbling sauce. I’d bought a ball of burrata at a farm shop and was looking for some vehicle for it that, and it all just came together beautifully.
What I love about this is (as explained in the voice note below) is that it’s simple, but a little bit special, nourishing, but luxurious. It’s a dream weeknight supper, and I will be making it regularly from here on in. I hope you will be too. Please drop a comment below and let me know your thoughts, and if you’ve time drop a vote in this poll so I can see whether my gut feeling about these midweek recipes is on point.