How good is harissa!

This week it was 'h' week for me in our #abcmeals challenge - so what else to choose but haloumi, harissa, herbs, honey, honeycomb and hazelnut spread.  Now, haloumi I could eat for every meal of the day and still not get sick of it's salty, squeaky taste and texture.  There's nothing much you need to do to prepare it, just pan fry till it browns and throw on a plate.  Eat it plain if you want or with some sweet chilli sauce drizzled over the top, or with rocket and a squeeze of lemon juice as we did.

As for harissa, it goes with any red meat you care to choose and I chose my favourite - lamb.  To help cut the heat of the harissa I added a honey lemon mint yoghurt, which sounds like an interesting combination and not one you might normally think of.  However, it was delicious and sure did it's job, especially since I used double the harissa suggested below!

Time got the better of me for dessert and it wasn't till the last minute that I decided to whip up some crepes (thanks for the suggestion Sue) with hazelnut spread, and by hazelnut spread you know I mean Nutella but that doesn't start with 'h'!  It's been a long time since I've made crepes and needless to say I was out of practice!  We managed to get two almost decent ones and once spread with Nutella and crumbled honeycomb (i.e. Crunchie) on top, they were quite delicious.  Forgive the picture here, as I will definitely have to work on my crepe making skills and will write another post about them once I remember how to do it so that they don't just taste good, but also look good.

Harissa Lamb with Honey Lemon Yoghurt (Serves 4)

1 - 2 tablespoons of harissa
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp water
salt and pepper
500g lamb rump steaks

Couscous
1 1/2 cups couscous
20g butter
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock (or 2 cups boiling water with stock powder/concentrate/cube)
large handful of mint, roughly chopped (about 40g)
1/3 cup pistachios, roughly chopped
2 spring onions, finely sliced (the long green ones)

Honey Lemon Yoghurt
1/2 cup greek or natural yoghurt
small handful of mint, roughly chopped (about 10g)
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp honey
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. For the lamb - combine harissa, garlic, olive oil and water in a bowl, with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Add lamb and toss to coat.  Cover and set aside for at least 10 minutes to marinate.
2. For the couscous - warm up the stock (or combine boiling water with stock powder/concentrate/cube.  Place couscous and butter in a large bowl, and pour hot stock over couscous.  Stir until butter has melted. Cover and let stand for about 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  Use a fork to fluff up the couscous and add chopped pistachios, mint, spring onions. Season to taste.
3. For the yoghurt - combine all ingredients and refrigerate until required.
4. Cook lamb for 3 - 4 mins on each side or until cooked to your liking.  Allow to rest for 3 - 4 minutes, then slice.
5. Serve sliced lamb on top of a couscous, with yoghurt drizzled across the top.  Add a lemon wedge on the side and a sprig of mint too.

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