Pearl Couscous With Olives And Roasted Tomatoes Recipes

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook 1 1/2 cups pearl couscous in boiling salted water, 4 to 5 minutes; drain. Cook 1 small diced red onion, 3 chopped garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until softened, 4 minutes. Add 1 cup packaged strained tomatoes, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer until thick, 5 minutes. Stir in the couscous and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; season with salt and pepper. Top with more parsley.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH CREAMY FETA AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-inch baking dish, cake pan or gratin dish, toss together tomatoes, scallions, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and oregano sprigs. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• While tomatoes roast, heat the stock until it boils, then stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt, adding more to taste. (You want a well-seasoned broth here to flavor the couscous.) Stir in cilantro, lemon zest and cumin.
• Remove tomatoes from oven and fold in couscous, chickpeas and hot stock mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and fold in about 3/4ths of the feta (save the rest for garnish) and Parmesan. Bake uncovered until feta starts to melt, another 5 minutes.
• To serve, pull out and discard herb sprigs if you like, and spoon couscous into bowls. Top with remaining feta, lots more herbs, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

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.

PEARL COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir couscous in the hot oil until toasted and fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 1/2 cups water to couscous and bring to a boil; cover skillet and cook until couscous is tender, about 10 minutes. Rinse couscous in a colander with cold water and transfer to a bowl. Mix 1/4 cup olive oil into couscous and stir to coat.
• Place lentils in a small pan and cover with water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until lentils are tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and rinse lentils under cold water in a colander; add to couscous.
• Mix tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, cranberries, raisins, red onion, chives, parsley, green onion, and sumac into couscous-lentil mixture.
• Beat 1/4 cup olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; pour over couscous-lentil mixture and stir until coated. Refrigerate salad for flavors to blend, 8 hours to overnight.

COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND SUN-DRIED TOMATO

Steps:

• Bring 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth and water to a boil in a saucepan, stir in couscous, and mix in salt and black pepper. Reduce heat to low and simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 8 minutes.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; stir in pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until pine nuts smell toasted and are golden brown, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan; cook and stir garlic and shallot in the hot oil until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir black olives and sun-dried tomatoes into garlic mixture and cook until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often. Slowly pour in 1 cup vegetable broth and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until sauce has reduced, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer couscous to a large serving bowl, mix with sauce, and serve topped with parsley and pine nuts.