Israeli Couscous Salad With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Recipes

CHERRY TOMATO COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Roast 2 cups of the cherry tomatoes according to this recipe. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.
• Cook the couscous according to the package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.
• In the bottom of a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the lemon juice, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Slice the remaining raw cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl with the roasted tomatoes, the chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta. Top with more fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS SALAD WITH SMOKED PAPRIKA

Steps:

• For the dressing: Whisk the oil, vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
• For the couscous: Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan. Cook the couscous, stirring frequently, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the couscous is just tender and the liquid is absorbed, 9 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Mix together the spinach, tomatoes, cheese, peppers, parsley, almonds and mint in a large bowl. Add the couscous and the dressing. Toss until all the ingredients are coated. Transfer to a large serving bowl and serve.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH SAUTéED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add couscous. Toast couscous, shaking pan or stirring often, until it colors very lightly and smells aromatic and toasty, a bit like popcorn. Immediately add 2 quarts water and salt to taste (be generous, as if you are cooking pasta) and boil 10 minutes, until couscous is al dente; it should not be mushy, and there should still be plenty of water in the pot. Drain through a strainer and rinse with cold water. Tap strainer against sink to drain well, then return couscous to the pot, cover pot with a kitchen towel, and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
• In a wide, heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. As soon as it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant, usually in about 30 seconds, add cherry tomatoes and turn heat up to medium-high. Add sugar, salt and basil sprig and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes collapse and skins shrivel. Some of the tomato pulp will be in the pan, and should thicken and caramelize slightly, but there should still be pulp inside the skins. This should only take about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove basil sprig. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little fresh pepper if desired.
• Add couscous to the pan along with slivered basil, stir together, and serve.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• Cook the couscous, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy.
• When it is ready, drain it well, rinse it very briefly with cold water, drain again, and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
• Dress the couscous with olive oil, vinegar, ground spices, and a pinch of salt and toss it vigorously to ensure the spices are well distributed throughout the pasta.
• Taste and add more acid or salt as necessary.
• Add the preserved lemon, onion, currants, chickpeas, capers, pine nuts, tomatoes, and parsley to the couscous; toss them through once or twice, and if possible, let the salad rest at room temperature for an hour before serving.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook coucous according to package directions, drain and rinse in cool water.
• Combine remaining ingredients and cover and chill till ready to eat.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.
• Peel garlic and purée with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
• Make couscous:
• Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes.
• Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.