Lamb and couscous

1kg butterflied leg of lamb, thick bits of fat cut off 6 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp very finely chopped rosemary leaves 3 cloves garlic crushed to a paste with 1 tsp salt 2 cups fine couscous

2 large pinches saffron threads soaked in ½ cup

hot water for 30 minutes.

Chopped parsley for serving

1 Put the lamb on a clean board and cover with a large piece of plastic wrap. Beat the lamb out vigorously with a rolling pin or meat hammer until about 3cm thick all over. 2 Mix 4 tablespoons of the oil with the rosemary and garlic paste. Spread this all over each side of the lamb. Reserve while you prepare the couscous.

3 Place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl. Add the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the saffron and the soaking water. Mix well. Pour enough boiling water over the couscous to just cover. Quickly cover with foil or a plate to keep the heat in and reserve, covered, for 30 minutes. Uncover and fluff up with a fork. 4 Heat a frying pan over moderate to high heat and pan-fry the lamb about 5-6 minutes on each side until well browned and pink inside. (Fry it like a steak.) You may want to cut the lamb in half so it fits in the frying pan and you may have to fry the lamb in two batches. Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil and rest in a warm place for 10 minutes.

5 Reheat the couscous in the microwave or over a saucepan of barely simmering water if it has cooled too much, but it only needs to be warm.

6 Slice the lamb across the grain of the meat into 2cm thick slices. Serve the lamb on the couscous with the caponata (recipe right) on top. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.