Or I guess you could make lamb tagine. ~ Ham Pie Sandwiches

11 May 2007

Or I guess you could make lamb tagine.

This is something to make when you want cooked food but also want to make almost no effort. All you do it cut things up, put them in a pan, and put the pan in the oven. Then you wait. Then it's delicious.
Roasted vegetables and couscous

small eggplant
zucchini
half red pepper
tomato sauce/pureé
olive oil
garlic
salt/pepper/dried basil
white wine or dry vermouth
couscous

Get a casserole dish. Put in enough tomato sauce to make maybe a half-inch layer on the bottom. Add some olive oil and stir to get it all mixed with the tomato, then spread to evenly distribute.

Chop up vegetables. Eggplant and zucchini are totally great in this type of thing, as they are both flavorful and able to suck up other flavors. Also, baking makes the eggplant's texture really soft and delicious. Oh eggplant! I cut mine all into rounds, but in the future I'd cut smaller pieces, if only to eliminate the skin effect, in which the eggplant disintegrates under heat and you're left with only a ring of skin. Red pepper is also great. Everyone knows that peppers like a good roast every now and again. Other things to add: mushrooms, other summer squashes, actual whole tomatoes. Layer everything in the pan. Stick cloves of whole crushed garlic all over the place. They will turn sweet and roasted and completely awesome in the end.

Drizzle the whole business with olive oil and a good glass of white (or red, whatever) wine. Salt, pepper, basil a little, and stick the whole business in a 350F oven.

Bake for maybe a half hour, or until everything smells so good you're absolutely sure it's done, seriously you guys. When it's done, take the pan out of the oven and let it cool slightly while you make instant couscous. Or you can make real steamed couscous while it's baking. I don't care. Either way, when it's done you should salt, pepper, and olive oil it up.

Serve: fill bowls halfway with couscous; finish the job with vegetables. Finish it off with grated parmesan if you list. I list.