I’d been meaning to try something with Israeli Couscous – larger than traditional couscous and not so likely to clump together – so when I came across a box at the market, I snapped it up and then set about looking at recipes.
Giada De Laurentiis had a pretty nice looking salad recipe at FoodNetwork.com, and I liked her trick of lightly toasting the couscous before actually cooking it, but of course, I had to make a few, ermmm, adjustments to suit my pantry and tastes…
INGREDIENTS
Dressing:
•1 tbsp olive oil
•2 tbsp champagne vinegar
•1-1/2 tsp paprika
•1 tsp sea salt
•1/2 tsp black pepper
•French dressing
Salad:
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1-1/3 cup Israeli couscous
•2 cups chicken or veggie stock
•1/2 tsp sea salt
•1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
•1 Persian cucumber, sliced
•1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
•1/2 cup shredded romaine
•1 cup feta cheese
•3 or 4 pepperoncini, sliced
Heat the tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat, then add the couscous and cook, stirring often, until the couscous is lightly browned – about seven minutes.
Add the stock and the sea salt and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until the liquid is mostly absorbed – ten minutes should do it.
Set aside to cool, and don’t worry about a bit of extra liquid in the bottom of the pan.
Make the basic dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, paprika, sea salt, and pepper in a small bowl (I used my immersion blender).
Add the remaining salad ingredients to the cooled couscous in the pan and drizzle on the dressing.
Give it all a good toss, then transfer to a bowl, cover, and stash in the fridge for a few hours to chill. This rest will allow the flavors to blend, AND allow the couscous to absorb any extra liquid (and flavor) left over from cooking or from the dressing.
Give it a taste and see what you think.
I though it nice, but in need of a little sumpin’ sumpin’, so I grabbe a jar of Tante Marie’s French dressing from the fridge, added a couple of tablespoons, and gave it all one more toss.
Much more better! And very nice alongside marinated salmon with a bit of rémoulade on the side.
I was asked to bring a salad to a square dance + dinner, so I tried this. My couscous toasted a little too enthusiastically (there was even a burned smell in the kitchen, but not on the couscous) but the result was tasty and very well received. Thank you!