Despite the summer temperatures, I wanted something brothy and stew-like, but I didn't want the oven on, or to have to spend a long time going through the many steps required to achieve a glorious meat based stew. This on the fly recipe met my requirements and was quite delicious too!
1/4 pound ground grass-fed lamb
1/3 zucchini, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/3 yellow summer squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp chopped red onion
1 1/2 Tbsps chopped herbs (I used a mix of mint, Italian parsley and Vietnamese coriander from my garden but anything that you like r have on hand will work)
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/3 cup water or broth
1 tsp olive oil
1 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt (I prefer full-fat)
Salt to taste
Hot sauce to taste (I use green hot sauce but your favorite will be great)
Chop your vegetables and measure the oil and spices into a frying pan.
Turn the heat on under the pan to medium low and, as soon as the oil is shimmering and the spices start to smell delicious, add your ground meat and salt well. Cook for 30 seconds or so before stirring the meat up from the bottom of the pan so that the raw portion at the top gets the chance to cook through on the bottom of the pan as well.
Add all the vegetables to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring from time to time.
Add one tablespoon of the chopped herbs and the couscous. Stir to combine well with the meat and vegetable mixture and add the liquid. Cover the pan and lower the temperature to low. Let cook for an additional four minutes, checking at the halfway mark and adding a bit more liquid if the couscous has absorbed all of the third cup of liquid previously added.
When the four minutes are up, remove from the heat and check for seasoning. Spoon into a dinner bowl and top with the yogurt, remaining herbs and hot sauce.
This is a twelve minute and fourteen second to the table meal. You could make many variations of this meal - change the ground meat from lamb to turkey or pork, add different vegetables, add tomato passata to the liquid, use five-spice instead of Middle Eastern inspired spices, etc...