Pumpkin and preserved lemon Lebanese cous cous, mint, pine nuts
This brightly flavoured, colourful and textural Calamari dish by Shane Delia, is begging for a wine with similar attributes. Try a Tempranillo Rosé from Colab and Bloom. This is a wine that manages to be plush and fresh at the same time with mouth-watering acidity throughout.
Ingredients
200g cleaned calamari, cut in diamonds, scored
150g Lebanese cous cous
Olive oil
150g butternut pumpkin, peeled and diced
½ brown onion, diced
1 teaspoon red Aleppo pepper
1 whole preserved lemon, skin only, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
Pinch of salt
50g unsalted butter, diced
100ml blanching liquid from the cous cous
30g toasted slivered almonds
1/3 bunch coriander, picked and washed
1/3 bunch parsley, picked and washed
1/3 bunch mint, picked and washed
100g baby spinach
1 lemon, juiced
Method
1. Place a small pot full of water on a high heat and bring to the boil. Add Lebanese cous cous and cook for 9 minutes.
2. Remove and strain cous cous (keep 100ml of the cooking liquid), drizzle with some olive oil, mix and keep aside until required.
3. Place a large pan on a high heat, drizzle with olive oil and add diced butternut pumpkin, allow to colour and cook for approx. 10 min or until pumpkin is just softened.
4. Move pumpkin to side of pan and allow to heat up again and add chopped scored calamari, allow to colour on one side (approx. 2 min) then add onion.
5. Add red Aleppo pepper, preserved lemon, sliced garlic and salt and give a toss. Add half of the butter and allow to foam then add cooked Lebanese cous cous.
6. Add 100ml of cooking liquid and bring to the boil. Once boiled, add the remaining butter and toss constantly to thicken up sauce.
7. Add almonds, picked herbs and spinach and toss well.
8. Season with lemon juice to taste and serve.
Wine match:
Rosé