Pearl Cous Cous with Chorizo and Roast Pumpkin

Turn the oven onto 200 to 220C. Roasting veg needs a real hot oven so the veg chars and goes brown a bit (that’s flavour!)

Cut the pumpkin, chuck on an oven tray with baking paper on it and a little oil (spray is good) and a good whack of salt. - I find paper doesn’t stick like foil, plus it goes brown around the edges so you feel a bit fancy. - You can throw the pumpkin in a bowl with salt and oil, toss and then just dump on a try if you don’t have spray.

Do the same with the zucchini and cherry toms. All this will be in the oven between 20-40 mins. - The longer you leave it tastier it’ll become until it burns. It shouldn’t burn in 40 mins though.

Now chop the chorizo and throw into a cold pan with a little olive oil. Turn the pan onto a medium heat. Fry for about 5-10 mins after you hear it starting to fry. - If you are into crispy chorizo go closer to the 10 mark and don’t stir. If you like it juicy 5 will be enough.

You may need to open it quickly to release steam. Zucchini is mostly water and steams your oven. You need a dry oven for stuff to go brown.

Hopefully the pan should have a nice amount of chorizo fat/oil. This is pure liquid flavour. You will not be allowed into heaven if you pour this off.

Now drop in the paprika (be generous) and stir. Fry for less than 1 min. Then open the Cous Cous packet and empty straight into the pan. Add stock cube now (yeah I’m a psycho, bite me) and the parsley. Stir it nice and good.

Now pour 800ml-ish (don’t be precise, it really doesn’t matter here) of water into the pan and stir. Put on the lid, lower your heat to very low and leave for 10 mins.

You really don't want to burn stuff.

You should have time between cous cous and roasting to clean up. Do it now, it'll make everything taste better.

Cous Cous is done, give it a good stir and put the lid back on. Wait for your oven veg to be done (which may be now!)

Throw roasted veg into pan with Cous, stir, add lemon juice, stir and you are done. The cherry toms are best when they look pretty much charred and blistered and a bit black. Scrape all the good bits off of the paper into the pan, this is flavour gold!