Sluttishly Savoury: Harissa Lamb Chops with Fruity Cous Cous

If you're wondering why these lamb chops look quite well done, it's because this recipe comes courtesy of the London Fire Brigade. Yes readers, I set my kitchen on fire while making this dish (don't ask, it involves moving to a new house with an old and very dirty grill, and ignoring my fire alarm for a while rather than thinking it might mean that I had set the cooker alight). All is now well though. The fireman came, and laughed at me, and checked my oven was alright, and left me to eat my dinner somewhat shamefaced.

Somehow though, I still managed to salvage the chops AND REMEMBER TO TAKE A PHOTO BEFORE EATING. Am I dedicated, or am I dedicated?

If you too want the char-grilled effect, I'd recommend the more traditional BBQ method. Other than that, this recipe is pretty damn good. It's also a great way to use up any harissa you have left over from making murgers.

Harissa Lamb Chops with Fruity Cous Cous (serves 2)

You'll need:

• 4 lamb chops
• 4tbsp harissa paste
• 100g cous cous
• 50g raisins
• 50g dried apricots, chopped
• 1tbsp pine nuts
• Zest of a lemon
• Handful of fresh coriander, chopped

Make it!

• Smear the harissa over the lamb chops and put them in the fridge to marinate for around 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the grill to medium.
• Grill the chops for around 6 minutes on each side.
• Meanwhile, put the kettle on. Put the cous cous, raisins and apricots in a bowl and pour over 150ml boiling water. Leave to soak.
• Once the cous cous has puffed up and absorbed the water, fluff it with a fork and stir in the pine nuts, lemon zest and coriander.
• Serve with the chops.
• Don't set the house on fire.

Sluttishly Vegetarian: Crunchy Cous-Cous Wraps

Hot weather means we need to rethink our packed lunches. Sandwiches will wither and curl, anything too carb-heavy will make us sleepy, and hot food? No thanks. Keep it simple, and leave room for ice-cream. A Cornetto is practically medicinal when you've got to return to your desk when it's 21C outside.

Cous-cous is my new favourite store cupboard essential, and perfect for a light lunch. Cheap, filling and easy to prepare, these tiny grains of steamed and dried durum wheat are ready to eat after being soaked for five minutes in boiling water. Supermarkets sell pre-flavoured cous-cous, but it's cheaper and tastier to make your own. This recipe keeps it plain because of all the other flavours going on, but you could soak it in stock, or add your favourite spices to the water, or squeeze a lemon over it for a zingier taste.

This cous-cous salad is a variation on a Middle Eastern salad. The crunch comes from the chopped veg. Don't slice them wafer thin, you want to add some chunky texture. The herbs are no mere garnish in this dish - they're the real star of the show, so don't skimp on them. Ditch the dried stuff in jars and buy the fresh stuff. This Gordon Ramsay video taught me how to chop herbs perfectly every time, without leaving half of them on the chopping board.

Crispy Cous-Cous Wraps (serves 2)

You will need:

• 100g cous cous
• Small handful of fresh mint
• Small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
• 3 spring onions, diced
  
• 1/4 cucumber, deseeded and diced
  
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Juice of half a lemon
• Salt and pepper
• Wholemeal wraps

Make it!

1. Make the cous cous according to the instructions on the bag. You generally cover it with twice the volume of water (200ml for this recipe) and leave it to soak for five minutes, until it's all absorbed.
2. Fluff up the cous cous with a fork and stir the olive oil through. Add the chopped vegetables, seeds and herbs, mix well and squeeze the lemon over it. Season to taste and set aside.
3. When it's reached room temperature, spoon some of the mix onto a wrap and roll it up tight. If you're taking it to work, pack the wraps and salad separately so the bread doesn't go soggy.

Flickr image from cookipedia's photo stream