I’m loving pomegranate molasses at the moment and it works so well as a marinade. It adds a sweet tangy flavour and makes the skin go lovely and crispy with loads of flavour. I ate the legs with my hands and the caramelised outside and chilli was so tasty and the meat was so juicy inside. The couscous goes so well and you get a lovely burst of flavour from the preserved lemon. The dressing finishes it off nicely and adds reinforced flavour to the couscous. Now winter is here next time I will probably substitute the eggplant and courgette for beetroot and squash.

Ingredients (serves 2 )

For the marinade

• 1 poussin
• 4 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
• 2 tbsp runny honey
• 1 red chilli, sliced
• crack of salt and pepper

For the couscous

• 1 courgette, sliced
• 4 slices of eggplant (I used frozen chargrilled slices)
• 2 tsp za’tar spice (or your favourite flavour)
• drizzle of olive oil
• 80g Couscous
• 1/2 Preserved lemon, chopped
• small bunch of basil leaves, roughly chopped
• seasoning to taste

For the dressing

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
• juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp runny honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 190 degrees (fan).
2. Place the marinade ingredients into a medium zip lock bag. Shake to combine. Add the poussin, do up the zipper and shake a few times so the poussin gets coated. I marinated mine overnight in the fridge and shook the bag a few times before I went to bed. A minimum of 2 hours should be enough. Place the poussin on a lined baking tray and roast for 45 minutes.
3. After 20 minutes of the poussin roasting. In a bowl add the slices courgettes with a drizzle of oil and the zaatar spices. Stir to coat and place on a baking sheet along with the aubergine slices. Bake with the poussin for the rest of the cooking time.
4. Add the couscous to a bowl and pour over 200ml of boiling water or vegetable stock cover with a plate and leave to soak up the liquid for at least 6 mins.
5. When the poussin is cooked place on a board and cover with foil and leave to rest while you finish off,
6. Once cool enough to handle tear the roasted aubergine into the couscous and add the courgettes.
7. Make the dressing by adding all of the ingredients into  jar or bowl. Shake or whisk to combine. Set aside.
8. Once the poussin has rested, slices the breast and tear off the legs. Add the resting juices to the couscous and toss to combine.
9. To serve – share the couscous between 2 serving plates, drizzle over the dressing and top with the sliced poussin. Enjoy.