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light
'n easy summery
salad eats
by Yee-Fan Sun | 1
2 3
continued from page 2
mediterranean
veggie couscous salad
Though
my favorite way to have couscous is the slowly
steamed authentic Moroccan way, that method of preparation is
just way too much work for a summer's day. The standard 5-minute method
makes much more sense this time of year, when the last thing you want to
do is to be standing over a flaming hot stove. It won't give you that
gorgeously light and fluffy couscous that the slow cooking technique
yields, but with a little bit of care, you should still see fine
results. The key is two-fold. First, use a smidge less water than the
back of the couscous box calls for, since the veggies and dressing will
introduce more liquid to the grain; second, let the couscous cool before
you start working in the other ingredients. Both will help to ensure
that the couscous doesn't go to mush.
ingredients
1½ cups couscous
2 cups water
½ tsp. salt
1 fat clove garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 cup ripe cherry/grape tomatoes
6" long section of cucumber, preferably English
1/4 packed cup fresh mint leaves
3 stalks scallions
12 kalamata olives
1 can chickpeas, well drained
juice and zest from half a big
lemon
2 Tbsp. olive oil
fresh ground pepper and more salt to taste
feta cheese to crumble on top
time
15-20 minutes
serves 6 as a main, 12+ as a side
1 Boil
the water and salt in a medium-large pot. Remove from heat, stir in the
couscous, and cover. Let the mixture sit for about five minutes, until
the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff the mixture up with a
fork and transfer to a big bowl. Keep breaking up the mixture until the
couscous is nice and clump-free; toss things around with fork while you
work, to help release as much of the steam as possible. Let the couscous
continue to cool, uncovered, while you prep the rest of the veggies.
2 Mince
up the garlic. Chop the red bell pepper into 1/3"-1/2" chunks.
Roughly chop up the cherry tomatoes. Slice the cucumber into half the
long way, then halve again; cut away the really seedy middle section.
Cut up the remaining cuke into 1/3"-1/2" chunks.
3 Mince
up the scallions and mint until the herbs are nice and fine.
4 Pit
the kalamata olives by squashing each olive with the flat side of a big
knife, and rolling the olive around underneath until the pit comes
loose. Slice longitudinally into quarters.
5 Slide
all the prepped ingredients into the bowl along with the cooled
couscous, and toss it all around to mix. Grate in the zest, then squeeze
and pour in the lemon juice; add the olive oil plus plenty of fresh
ground pepper. Give the whole thing another big toss to combine, and
taste. Add more salt as necessary (or any of the other herbs or
flavorings as you see fit).
6 Crumble
feta on top before serving, and enjoy. Serve with warm pita bread for a
light meal, or as a side dish for a crowd.
o check
out these related articles:
salad days | soup
up your salad | sufferin' succotash
| summer cooking tips | summer
sides
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