Sardinian clam & giant cous cous stew

This dish was a result of a fridge and freezer raid when I had very little in but stumbled across a bag of clams in my freezer and created this Sardinian clam and giant cous cous stew (fregola-style) with it. It was delicious, comforting and tasted like Italy, which is exactly what I was going for! I buy my clams from the freezer section in Morrisons, so if you’re in the UK, check them out as they’re pretty affordable as far as clams go and tasty.

Ingredients (2 portions):

• 500g fresh or frozen white shell clams

• 150g dried giant cous cous

• 1/2 white onion finely chopped

• 2 garlic cloves finely chopped

• 1 courgette finely diced

• 2 medium tomatoes finely chopped

• 1 orange, red or yellow pepper finely chopped

• 1tsp Mediterranean seasoning spice blend (shop bought)

• 2tbsp olive oil

• 2 pints vegetable or fish stock

• finely chopped herbs of your choice (parsley, basil and chives all work well)

Method:

1. Fry the onions, garlic and peppers in the oil in a large pan and cook until softened

2. Add the courgette and tomatoes in the pan

3. Once the tomatoes have broken down slightly, add in the seasoning and season with salt and pepper to taste

4. Add the stock

5. Add the cous cous and the clams and cook for around 8 minutes on a medium heat

6. Serve and top with the freshly chopped herbs