Spring Vegetable Couscous with Esplette Pepper

Every week, Caroline Wright creates simple, civilized recipes for Food52 that feed four -- for under $20, in under 20 minutes.

Today: A hearty couscous stew with a spring in its step.

Just because spring vegetables have begun to bloom doesn’t mean that sweater (and stew) weather is over. On those transitional days between the full change of season, I crave dishes like this -- something filling and warm, but still celebrating the produce that’s just arrived. Here, radishes, carrots, and lima beans are stewed in a spicy tomato sauce as couscous bakes in an oven that warms your kitchen.

Serves 4

1 cup couscous 
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground esplette pepper or other ground chile powder 
1 teaspoon paprika  
6 small, thin carrots (from a bunch), peeled and halved lengthwise
1 cup frozen fava or lima beans 
1 bunch (about 8) radishes, trimmed and halved 
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes 

See the full recipe (and save and print it) here.

As a freelance food writer and cook, I first wrote this style of recipe as a column on my blog, The Wright Recipes, as an excuse to cook good food for my friends in a quick and simple way.

Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute™ Meals grew into a cookbook that was published by Workman in May 2013. The recipes found here are original, made especially for Food52 to once again celebrate simple food with friends.

Photo by Caroline Wright