Festive Pomegranate Couscous

I could bore you to tears by telling you how much I adore couscous and its immense flexibility. I could also go into a dizzying amount of detail about the history and origin of these wonderful semolina grains. Or, I could save you (and me) the time by simply telling you that this salad tastes amazing and is absolutely worthy of your efforts! If you don't mind, I'll go with the latter.

The salty feta cheese in this recipe is complemented by the sweet pomegranate seeds. The pine nuts offer a subtle crunch and the red onion produces just the right amount of bite. The glorious vibrancy of the fresh coriander is the perfect finishing touch.

Finally, the Red, White and Green colours that make up this salad remind me of Christmas and Christmas is, well...fabulous!

Serves 4-6

1 cup couscous
Just over 1 cup boiling chicken or vegetable stock ( I always add a tiny bit more stock than couscous )
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (substitute dried cranberries if desired)
1/3 cup good quality crumbled feta cheese
1/2 small English cucumber, diced
1 small red onion, finely diced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Large handful coriander (cilantro) roughly chopped

Tip couscous into a bowl, pour over the boiling stock and cover with a tight fitting lid. Leave for about ten minutes.

Fluff up couscous with a fork. Add all of the salad ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Enjoy with a glass of fruity Rosé.