Thistle Be Good!

I was lucky enough to receive a mixed box of goodies from South Australian company Thistle be Good for Lifestyle channel's Try it, Rate it program. My box included Wild Mushroom & Tarragon risotto, Persian Quinoa with dates & pistachios, Moroccan couscous with currants, a Moroccan rub and a tub of Egyptian Dukkah. What a week of amazing meals I've had since this package arrived in the mail!

I decided to try out the Risotto first, as a side dish to the . I was amazed that such little effort and ingredients, especially compared to cooking a risotto from scratch, could turn out so well. No not just well, but one of the best tasting risottos I've had. The mushroom and tarragon flavours, with the parmesan, really worked well together. The flavours were light, and really tasty - not too rich or salty like some risottos I've tasted.

The couscous was even quicker and easier to make than the risotto, if that's possible. The flavours were really lovely and the couscous itself was very light and fluffy. I could smell the wonderful combination of spices as soon as I opened the packet. There was just the most subtle heat to the couscous too, but nothing too overpowering, just a small amount that grew on the tongue and then faded away as quickly as it came. The currants added a lovely sweetness to the whole dish as well.

I decided to follow the recipe provided on the packet of the Moroccan mayhem rub (except that I used my slow cooker) and I'm so glad that I did. The result was a fantastically delicious slow cooked dish with wonderful flavours and soft lamb falling off the bone. The spices, which were rubbed on the lamb shanks at the start of the cooking process, went right through all of the ingredients and gave off a lovely amount of heat which became more subtle with the addition of greek yoghurt.

We served this on top of the Persian Quinoa which was another star product - and also really easy to make. There was a lovely flavour through this, which was complimented by the crunch of pistachios through the dish.

To be honest I don't know a lot about dukkah, but I'm looking forward to doing some research and making some dishes with it. I did see online the option of having some bread dipped in olive oil and then the dukkah which I tried and really enjoyed. It was just a really simple, lovely idea. I loved the crunch and the flavours of the spices.

These should definitely be a staple in everyone's pantry. They're just fantastic to have on hand in case you need to make a really tasty, but quick meal after work or just when you're in a hurry.