Cous cous is a much underrated accompaniment to grilled meats, perhaps because people think it’s bland.  In this version the cous cous is heavily flavoured with diced Mediterranean vegetables and chicken stock and that’s all you need to go with simply grilled slices of tender lamb. You could spice up the cous cous by adding some finely chopped red chilli to the vegetables.

•   2 thick leg of lamb steaks
•   Salt and pepper
•   Half a small red pepper, finely diced
•   Half a small green pepper, finely diced
•   Half a small courgette, finely diced
•   A small onion, finely chopped
•   A clove of garlic, chopped
•   75g mushrooms, finely chopped
•   Olive oil
•   125ml chicken stock
•   125g cous cous
•   A knob of butter

1. Heat a little oil in a small frying pan and fry the peppers, onion and courgette for 5-6 minutes until just cooked. Add the garlic and mushrooms and fry, stirring, for a further 5-6 minutes. Set aside.

2. Season the lamb steaks with salt and pepper and grill or fry for 2-3 minutes on each side. This will leave the lamb pink in the centre. Cook for longer if preferred.

3. While the lamb is cooking, bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cooked vegetables and dry cous cous. Remove from the heat and stir in the knob of butter. Cover and allow to stand for a couple of minutes, then serve with the cooked lamb.

Serves: 2

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes