Roasted root vegetable & squash stew with herby couscous

“You can use any root veggies for this. There’s enough stew for three more meals, which you can freeze. ”

Ingredients

• ½ a butternut squash
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 carrots
• ½ a small celeriac
• olive oil
• 1 splash of red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 red onion
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 fresh bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• 1 x 400 g tin plum tomatoes
• 500 ml hot organic vegetable stock
• HERBY COUSCOUS
• 50 g couscous
• a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley
• ½ a lemon

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200ºC/gas 6.
2. Deseed the squash and roughly chop along with the sweet potato. Peel and chop the carrots, then trim and chop the celeriac.
3. Put the chopped vegetables on a roasting tray, then toss in 2 tablespoons of oil, the red wine vinegar, thyme and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
4. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the vegetables are just cooked.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Peel and finely slice the onion, pick and chop the rosemary leaves, then add to the pan along with the bay leaf and flour.
6. Stir well, then reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft.
7. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for another 2 minutes.
8. Pour in the tinned tomatoes and 400ml of the stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Take the roasted veg out of the oven, stir them into the sauce, and simmer for another 10 minutes.
10. To prepare the couscous, tip the grains into a small heatproof bowl with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the remaining hot stock, cover and leave for 5 minutes.
11. Once cooked, pick, roughly chop and stir in the parsley leaves, add a squeeze of lemon juice, then fluff up with a fork.
12. Season the stew to taste and serve with the herby couscous.

Source: Jamie Oliver