Weekly Dish

Couscous is an unusual food. It is often referred to as a grain, but in the U.S., it is usually made from semolina, which makes it more akin to pasta. From my understanding, couscous originated in northern and western Africa and appears often in Moroccan cuisine.

I first learned about it through circumstantial necessity and the Barefoot Contessa. I needed a side dish salad to bring to a function at church, and I had less than an hour; as I was frantically flipping through cookbooks, I happened upon this recipe and ran to the grocery. Thanks to the quick-cooking nature of couscous and having most of the other ingredients on hand, I arrived in time and the couscous was a big hit. I’ve made it a number of times since then, and unlike many other recipes that tend to evolve as I make them more often, I tend to stick with the basic preparation for this one. I have slightly adjusted the seasonings and substituted pine nuts and dried cranberries for the almonds and currants called for in the original recipe.

The colors are lovely, the green onions and carrots provide a nice, fresh crunch, and the dressing is light and flavorful without overpowering the tiny granules. This is a great dish to take to events because it can be served at room temperature; plus, it’s even better after sitting for a few hours. At home, I serve it as the main course for a light lunch or as a nice bed for grilled or curried chicken for dinner. It would also make a wonderful dish to take on a picnic.

Curried Couscous
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 T. butter
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 t. cider vinegar
1 1/2 t. curry powder (I use hot madras curry powder)
1/4 t. turmeric
1/4 t. allspice
1 t. Kosher salt
cracked black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup pine nuts

In a saucepan, toast the pine nuts over medium heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden. Remove to a large bowl. In the same pan, pour in the couscous, butter, and water; bring to a boil, and cook for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat. The water should be absorbed; cover and set aside. In the large bowl, pour the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, and spices over the pine nuts. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Add the carrot, cranberries, green and red onions, and toss to coat with the dressing. Dump in the couscous and toss again. Serves about 4 in main dish portions, 6-8 as a side.

Posted: Friday, March 17th, 2006 at 9:10 am Filed under: On the Side, Pasta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.