Couscous and Roasted Vegetable Salad with French Pepper Dressing
4 servings
30 minutes
Couscous and roasted vegetable salad with French pepper dressing is a harmonious blend of warm Eastern aromas and Mediterranean lightness. Its roots trace back to Turkish cuisine, where couscous is valued for its softness and ability to absorb spice flavors. Roasted vegetables add sweetness and a smoky aroma, enriching the taste, while goat cheese provides a pleasant creamy texture. The dish's highlight is the spicy dressing made from cayenne pepper and cumin, enhancing the vegetables' spicy notes and making the flavor expressive. This salad can be served as a standalone dish, perfect for a light dinner, or as an original appetizer on a festive table. The combination of fresh herbs and black cumin seeds completes the composition, adding a crunchy texture and aromatic freshness.
1
Cut the eggplant and zucchini into 2.5 cm cubes, sprinkle with salt, and place under a press in a colander for 1 hour. After that, squeeze thoroughly and dry with a towel.
- Eggplant: 1 piece
- Zucchini: 2 pieces
- Salt: to taste
2
Preheat the oven to 240 degrees. Place eggplants, zucchini, peeled tomatoes, bell pepper, fennel, and onion on a baking sheet, sprinkle with garlic and basil. Drizzle with olive oil, mix well, season with salt and pepper. Place the dish on the top rack of the oven and bake for 40 minutes. Toss with chopped olives and capers and serve on a flat plate.
- Eggplant: 1 piece
- Zucchini: 2 pieces
- Cherry tomatoes: 450 g
- Red sweet pepper: 2 pieces
- Fennel: 1 head
- Onion: 1 head
- Garlic: 2 cloves
- Basil leaves: 2 tablespoons
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Capers: 1 tablespoon
3
In a large heatproof bowl, place the couscous, pour in hot broth (can be from a cube), season with salt and pepper, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Cut the cheese into small cubes. Prepare the dressing by mixing olive oil, cayenne pepper, ground cumin, and tomato paste in a bowl, and transfer to a sauceboat.
- Couscous: 275 g
- Vegetable broth: 500 ml
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
- Goat cheese: 110 g
- Olive oil: 3 tablespoons
- Cayenne pepper: 1 teaspoon
- Ground caraway: 2 tablespoons
- Tomato paste: 2.5 tablespoons
4
Before serving, place the couscous in a wide salad bowl, top with cheese cubes and roasted vegetables. Garnish with greens, drizzle with dressing, and sprinkle with black onion seeds.
- Couscous: 275 g
- Goat cheese: 110 g
- Fresh herbs: 80 g
- Nigella (black cumin) seeds: 1 tablespoon
