Tag: couscous

Couscous Pilaf

Couscous is a kind of pasta made from semolina, the hard wheat flour used to make spaghetti, rotini, linguine, vermicelli, penne, cannelloni and all the other varieties of pasta invented by talented Italian mothers, grandmothers and chefs. According to food historians, couscous was invented by the Berbers in North Africa more than eight hundred years ago. It’s made by rolling semolina flour which has been moistened with water into small pellets. The pellets are then dried and stored until needed when they are cooked by steaming.

Today, most of the couscous in our supermarkets is “instant” couscous which has already been steamed and dried so all you need do is add hot water or broth to create a tasty side dish in just a few minutes. However, there are at least two other varieties of couscous which require longer cooking. Israeli couscous, made with pellets the size of peppercorns, and Lebanese couscous with pellets about the size of early green peas are cooked like pasta to al dente in water or broth.

You can often find these larger varieties of couscous in the specialty food department of your local supermarket or an organic food store, and of course they are also available from online merchants.

The couscous salad that we enjoy so much in the summer is made with “instant” couscous. This couscous pilaf is made with Israeli couscous. It goes very well with Savory Pork Chops With Fennel.

INGREDIENTS:

1 T olive oil
1 T butter
1 small onion (about 1 1/2 or 2 inch diameter)
3/4 tsp. cumin
Dash or two of cayenne pepper
2/3 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 T chopped parsley

PROCEDURE:

Peel and chop the onion into a quarter inch dice. Wash and coarsely chop the parsley.

Put 2 1/2 cups of cold water in a medium saucepan. While the water is coming to a boil, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat in a large covered saucepan. Add the chopped onion and cook it slowly for six to eight minutes until it is a soft gold color.

Stir in the cumin and cayenne pepper and cook for another minute to blend the flavors. Stir in the couscous, salt, pepper and boiling water. Cover the pan, turn the heat to low and simmer the couscous for about ten minutes, stirring once or twice. Simmer a little longer if the water is not all absorbed. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Couscous Salad

Our friends Wayne and Sondra introduced us to couscous many years ago on a snowy winter evening at the cabin.  Instead of peeling potatoes to accompany the fish poaching in her electric “salmon skillet,” Sondra brought some chicken broth to boiling and stirred in a cup of what I thought was a kind of rice.  In a few minutes I was eating couscous with Lake Superior salmon.  I have been hooked ever since.

Couscous is a North African variety of pasta.  Like spaghetti or noodles, couscous is made of semolina flour that is shaped into little pellets about the size of sesame seeds.  Today you can buy couscous in most supermarkets.  It is precooked and takes only a few minutes to prepare for serving.  Properly made, it is a wonderful fluffy source of starch.

A few years ago my sister Barbara gave me a copy of the Wisconsin Herb Cookbook, by Suzanne Breckenridge & Marjorie Snyder.  I try to make at least one recipe promptly from any gift cookbook, and the couscous salad recipe caught my eye.

It is a wonderful summer salad, makes a satisfying lunch by itself and uses up some of the zucchini that keeps showing up on your doorstep.

INGREDIENTS:

4 cups chicken broth
7 T vegetable or olive oil
1/4 tsp. each turmeric, ground allspice, ground cloves, ground ginger
2 cups couscous
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried apricots, in tiny dice
2 cups zucchini, unpeeled, core removed and chopped
1-1 1/2 cups carrots, chopped
1/3 cup chopped red onion
3 1/2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
3 T each minced fresh chives and fresh mint
2 tsp. honey
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds

PROCEDURE:

Start by chopping the apricots into an eighth-inch dice.

Bring the broth, four tablespoons of oil and spices to a boil. Add the couscous and boil over moderate heat two minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. 

Add the apricots and raisins.  Cover the pan and let it stand fifteen minutes. Put the pan into the refrigerator until the couscous is cold.

Wash and chop the zucchini into a quarter to one-third-inch dice.  Peel the carrots and chop them into a quarter-inch dice.  Remove the dry outer husk of the onion and chop it into a quarter-inch dice.

Toast the almonds and set them aside and wash and chop the chives and mint.

Break up the couscous until each grain is separate and add the rest of the ingredients including the remaining oil. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Chill the salad four hours and taste it before serving. You may need to add a little more salt at this time.  If the salad is too dry, add more oil and lemon juice. Garnish with toasted almonds before serving.

NOTES:  Couscous tastes a bit like cereal and is especially good with salmon and meats cooked on the grill. Try it with steak, shrimp or chicken.  Made with broth, all it needs is some salt and pepper, though you can experiment with additions including minced garlic, mint, hot sauce or grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

You can use plain or Israeli couscous.  Plain couscous is about the size of half a grain of rice. Israeli couscous is larger and must be cooked about ten minutes   You should use about two and a half cups of Israeli couscous.

There are many more good recipes in the Wisconsin Herb Cookbook.  If you collect cookbooks, it will be a fine addition to your library.