Summer Vegetable Couscous

Amarante

Thu, Aug 01 2019, 10:06 am

This is a nice side for summer. It is served at room temperature so a great make ahead recipe. Not surprising since it's from Ina Garten's cookbook called fittingly Make It Ahead Very Happy

Summer Vegetable Couscous

Excerpt From Make It Ahead by Ina Garten

SERVES 6 TO 8

This is another recipe inspired by Sarah Leah Chase, who writes wonderful cookbooks. It has many Middle Eastern flavors and textures that all complement each other: couscous with cinnamon and ginger plus raisins, dates, chickpeas, and toasted almonds. In summer, it’s the perfect accompaniment to grilled chicken or fish.

3 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons Good olive oil
1½ teaspoons ground turmeric
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups couscous
¼ cup golden raisins.
¼ cup diced dried pitted dates
1 medium zucchini, ¼-inch-diced
2 carrots, ¼-inch-diced
½ red onion, ¼-inch-diced
½ cup canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
½ cup blanched sliced almonds, toasted (see note)

Place the chicken stock, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the turmeric, cinnamon, ginger,
1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Off the heat, stir in the couscous, raisins, and dates; cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine the zucchini, carrots, red onion, and chickpeas. Fluff the couscous with a fork and add it to the vegetables.

Whisk together the lemon juice and ¼ cup of olive oil and pour it over the couscous. Carefully fold in the toasted almonds, taste for seasonings, and serve at room temperature. The flavors will meld the longer it sits.

MAKE IT AHEAD: Prepare the couscous completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Serve at room temperature.

To toast almonds, place them in a small sauté pan over low heat and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, tossing frequently, until lightly browned.

Amalia

Thu, Aug 01 2019, 11:56 am

EmpireState wrote:

Thanks for posting this- it does sound great. I knew it had to be an Ina Garten recipe as she always seem to preface certain ingredients with the word "good"- as if I'm going to specifically use bad olive oil.

I did not notice that! That’s so funny - I also write “good,” even in shopping lists. For example, I write “good apples,” and I really mean, “don’t buy just any apples - but (specifically) good apples.”

Amarante

Thu, Aug 01 2019, 1:01 pm

I noticed that but then I thought since the olive oil is being used as a main ingredient rather than for cooking, the flavor profile would be more important and some people do have different olive oils.

Of course there are really terrible olive oils but I think the analogy might be to wine used in recipes. Using cooking wines is of course unthinkable but I might use a less expensive wine for some recipes but a higher quality wine in another recipe where the wine is more in the forefront.

Wouldn’t that also be true of apples as I am much pickier about the apples I eat raw versus the ones I use for baking or cooked.