As the in-season vegetables change throughout the summer, I find myself repeatedly throwing whatever I have on hand into this easy and forgiving couscous.
To make the basic couscous pilaf you'll need:
- 1 cup whole wheat couscous
- 1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil, or a combination
- 3 cups water, broth or stock (chicken stock or vegetable stock)
- Salt, to taste
- Large (at least 10-inch) skillet with a lid
This "Couscous by the Pilaf Method" recipe is from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, 1997 edition, page 563 (great source of ideas for cooking practically every vegetable you've ever heard of, and some you probably haven't).
Bring the water or stock to a boil. Meanwhile, melt butter or heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the couscous to the butter/oil, stir to coat the grains, and cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from the heat, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pour in 2 cups of the boiling water. The couscous will instantly bubble up. When it subsides, shake the pan to even the contents, cover and set aside for 7 minutes to steam.
Then fluff the grains with a fork, pour in the last cup of boiling water (add frozen peas at this point, if using - see additions below), cover and let stand another 5 minutes.
While the couscous is steaming, prepare the vegetables and dressing.
Dressing for CSA Couscous:
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional - I only use the zest if I have organic lemons on hand to avoid the waxy coating)
- 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (use more if you don't want the tart, lemony flavor to be too pronounced)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
Squeeze lemon juice into a small bowl. Add salt, pepper and zest, if using. Slowly whisk in the olive oil, and set aside. (This is a good basic dressing for salad greens as well.)
Vegetable additions for CSA Couscous:
I don't think I've ever made this the same way twice. Here's what I added this time:
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small yellow squash, cubed
- Half a large zucchini, cubed
- Half a red onion, chopped
- Half a green pepper, chopped
- Fresh thyme leaves, stripped from the stems
- Fresh basil leaves, chopped
- Sliced almonds or toasted pine nuts, for garnish
I had the red onion and green pepper already chopped (leftover toppings from taco night). The garlic, squash, zucchini and basil were from my CSA box this week, and the thyme was from my yard. I also added some frozen peas. If using frozen vegetables, try adding them to the couscous before it steams a second time, unless they require lots more cooking.
Saute the vegetables and garlic in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes, or until tender, over medium to medium-high heat while the couscous is steaming. (If you add hard vegetables like carrots, give them more time to cook.) Add a little salt and pepper to the vegetables at the end.
When everything is finished cooking, add the lemon/olive oil dressing to the couscous and stir. Then add the vegetables. Finally, add the fresh herbs, taste for salt and serve warm, garnished with almonds or toasted pine nuts. This is great as leftovers for lunch.
Here's the Summer Creek CSA haul from week 10 (minus the pint glass - I store my fresh herbs like basil, parsley and cilantro in water in the fridge, a tip from Chef Christine).
Roasted the green beans (idea courtesy of Flour Girl), boiled the potatoes (on request of my part-Norwegian husband - apparently cooking potatoes any other way in Scandinavia qualifies as heresy), and made a nice side dish with the cherry tomatoes, halved and dressed with a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper. Tastes like summer.
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