Roast Stuffed Mushrooms With Citrus Couscous, Fennel and Yellow Peppers.

Serves four:

Ingredients required for the mushrooms:

• Four large Portabello mushrooms or 8 flat field mushrooms.
• One red pepper - diced.
• Eight organic cherry tomatoes on the vine.
• Eight rounds of soft goats cheese.
• Five tablespoons of light olive oil.
• Small handful of torn basil leaves.
• Sea salt and black pepper.
• Light olive oil.

Ingredients required for the couscous:

• 8oz of wholewheat couscous.
• One medium onion, cut into thin wedges.
• Two yellow peppers, deseeded and cut into thin wedges.
• One fat bulb of fennel, trimmed (keep the fronds) and cut into wedges.
• Two cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped.
• Juice of half a lemon.
• 1 -1.5 pints of vegetable stock.
• Grated zest of one lime.
• Pinch of cayenne pepper.
• Sea salt and black pepper.
• Three tablespoons of light olive oil.

Method:

Note. To save energy, the mushrooms and the vegetables for the couscous can be roasted in the same oven.

Prepare the vegetables for the couscous, Put the onion, yellow peppers and fennel in a bowl with the garlic, lemon juice and two tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Spread out in a roasting dish large enough to take the vegetables in one layer.

Prepare the mushrooms.  Remove the stalks and chop finely.  Mix with the diced red pepper, quartered cherry tomatoes and basil leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Pile into the mushrooms and top with slices of goats cheese (two slices for each Portabello mushroom or one per field mushroom) Arrange the mushrooms on an oiled baking tray and sprinkle with light olive oil.

Roast both the vegetables and the mushrooms in a hot oven (200°C / 400°F / Gas mark 6) for 15 to 20 minutes, turning once, until soft and lightly browned. Keep warm.

For the couscous - place the couscous in a large bowl and pour over enough boiling vegetable stock to cover. Place a cloth over the bowl and leave in a warm place for five minutes. Fork up the couscous to make it light and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper, the lime zest and the cayenne pepper. add the olive oil and mix thoroughly. Fold in the roast vegetables with their cooking juices.

To serve, put a pile of the couscous on a warm plate, top with one of the mushrooms, pour the mushroom cooking liquid over and finish with a few whole basil leaves.