Empty-the-fridge veg tray

Ingredients

For the veg (pick 3-4)

• 2 courgettes
• 2 red or white onions
• 2 peppers
• 1 small butternut squash
• ½ cauliflower
• 1 sweet potato
• 2 big handfuls of new potatoes

Suggested dried spice blends (pick 1)

• Cumin, coriander, black pepper
• Black pepper, rosemary, oregano
• Chilli, cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder
• Fennel seeds, paprika, basil, chilli powder

To serve

• 160g couscous
• 1 tbsp dried spice blend
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Feta, yoghurt or cottage cheese

Method

Heat the oven to 200C. Start by chopping your veg. It’s important to consider density and size here. If you roasted diced courgette and butternut squash at the same time, what would happen? Non-existent courgette and raw butternut! For the courgettes, you want big chunks, so aim to get four or five pieces out of each one.

Peel the onions. Keep the root intact but tidy it up. Cut each onion in half, then cut each half into four wedges, trying to cut through the root each time so it holds its shape.

I just deseed the peppers, then cut them into quarters to keep them big.

Peel the squash, then cut it in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into bite-sized cubes. Break the cauliflower into large florets. Dice the sweet potato and cut the new potatoes in half. If you’ve got more veg than you need, chuck a portion in the freezer for a rainy day.

Chuck all the veg into a roasting tin. Drizzle with a little olive oil and your chosen spice blend and give it all a good mix, then roast for 30 mins.

Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl. Mix in another teaspoon of your chosen spice blend with a good pinch of salt and a drizzle of oil, then pour over just enough boiling water to cover the couscous. Leave for 10 mins, until the water has all been absorbed.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Taste, then mix through some lemon juice. Taste again and adjust the seasoning as needed. Plate up the couscous with the roasted veggies and something creamy like feta, yoghurt or cottage cheese.

Image: James North

Recipe from Eat the Food You Buy by Martyn Odell (Penguin Life)