ottolenghi couscous and mograbiah with oven-dried tomatoes
Monday, August 4, 2008 at 06:05 
i’ve been in a cooking rut. i’ve really been struggling to motivate myself to cook new and interesting things – eating out, cheese on toast and “any ol’ pasta as long as it’s quick” have been my mainstays for the past few weeks.
as a result i’ve been feeling bloated and lethargic (the excess of wheat carbs and a lack of vegetables will do that to a girl) and broke (impoverished, rather than physically in pieces) so it’s time to get things back on track.
the ottolenghi cookbook is a recent purchase and despite an initial flurry of enthusiasm i’ve barely touched it so decided this was the answer to my problems – cook some gorgeous food, using recipes so inspiration is not required, and see what happens…
well, i cooked lots, various bits of which will be posted about over the next week or so, and i’m hoping i’m back on track. which i really need to be as i need to get hold of some inspiration to finish up stuff in my kitchen cupboards before we move house in the next 4-6 weeks, more of which later…
oh, and in case you were wondering what the mystery ingredient was in my pervious post and what i did with it – the answer is mograbiah (a type of large couscous) which was included in this ottolenghi couscous and mograbiah with oven dried tomatoes and labneh.
it was nice. a bit rich for me, i’d probably up the couscous/mograbiah content to balance out the roasted tomatoes and labneh a bit more. it lasts well though – a week in the fridge is fine and it's delicious as a packed lunch or picnic option.
ottolenghi couscous and mograbiah with oven-dried tomatoes (serves 6-8)
16 large ripe plum tomatoes, halved lengthways
2 tablespoons muscovado sugar
150ml olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 onions, thinly sliced
250g mograbiah
400ml stock
a pinch of saffron strands
250g couscous
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoon nigella seeds
labneh made with 300g greek yoghurt*
salt & pepper
preheat the oven to 150c.
arrange the tomato halves on a tray, skin-side down, and sprinkle with the sugar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and some salt and pepper (i find it much easier to put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well before laying the tomatoes on the tray). place in the oven and bake for 2 hours or until the tomatoes have lost much of their moisture.
meanwhile, put the ovens in a large pan with 4 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté over a high heat for 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are a dark golden colour. set aside.
cook the mograbiah in boiling salted water until soft but just retains its bite (c15 minutes). drain well and rinse in cold water. in a separate pan bring the stock to the boil with the saffron and a little salt. place the couscous in a large bowl, add 3 tablespoons olive oil and the boiling stock then cover with clingfilm and leave for 10 minutes.
once ready, mix the couscous with a fork to fluff it up and get rid of any lumps. add the cooked mograbiah, roasted tomatoes (and any juices), the tarragon and half the nigella seeds. season to taste – it is likely it will need salt – and leave to come to room temperature. to serve, arrange the mixture on a large shallow dish, top with the labneh balls, drizzle with extra olive oil and the rest of the nigella seeds.
*this is the way i make my labneh - mix the greek yoghurt with just enough fien grain salt that you can taste it. put the yoghurt in a muslin cloth and place in a sieve/ tie to a ta-p over your sink. leave overnight and liquid will drain away leaving behind a thickened curd. this is your labneh. place in the fridge for 4-6 hours to solidify and then roll into little balls. the labneh balls in this salad were then rolled in a mixture of dried mint and freshly ground pepper, as suggested by ottolenghi.
cheese, couscous, tomatoes in salad, vegetarian 
Reader Comments (5)
i'm a fan of labneh and tend to make it just before i go to bed so most of the hard work is done while i sleep. i love the spicy moro version which adds finely chopped green chilli, a bit of garlic and soaked fenugreek. it cuts through the creaminess really well.
i got my mograbiah at green valley on upper berkeley street, w1h 5qe. it's wonderful shop, you should check it out if you don't already know it.
Have heard of Green Valley and been wanting to go there for ages, I will definitely check it out now. I absolutely love the sound of the Moro recipe, it's also one of my favourite restaurants in London. I have the second cookbook only - will have to try and locate the labneh recipe.
Cheers
Tessa
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