Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Israeli Couscous Salad with Artichokes


Hungry? Make couscous salad. 
Rodney, Randy and I were ravished after spending the morning shopping at Findlay Market. I had bought Israeli couscous and Randy had fresh artichoke salad in the refrigerator. I thought the two would make a quick and satisfying lunch.
When I googled Israeli Couscous I found some interesting facts on Wikipedia.  It's usually steamed, eaten all over the world and traditionally served under meat or poultry. I had no steamer (although I am now in the market for a copper one) so I decided to cook it in chicken broth. I am not a person to cook in water if I have a flavorful broth available. Once cooked I added the artichoke salad Randy had bought at the market, two sliced scallions, and a handful of dried cranberries and walnuts.

Tossed together with a fruity vinaigrette, it made a quick and deliciously satisfying lunch. Especially eaten on this vintage tablecloth.


Cooking Couscous couldn't be simpler. 
For 4 servings;
1 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
couple pinches of salt
1 cup Israeli couscous, not instant

Bring the water, olive oil and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, cover, and turn the heat to low.
Simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn the heat off, let sit at least 5 minutes and toss with a fork.
Place in a bowl and toss with your favorite ingredients. 

Raspberry Vinaigrette


1 tablespoon raspberry vinegar
2 tablespoons grape seed oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a jar and shake to blend.

Couscous is also delicious prepared with blood oranges, julienne fennel, parsley and slivered almonds. I toss it with an orange vinaigrette and there are never any leftovers!

All text and photos are property of The Gypsy Chef
My home seems so plain after my "vintage" vacation!

17 comments:

  1. Yum. I'm going to remember this recipe. For some reason, I find Israeli couscous to be vastly preferable to regular couscous. It both looks and tastes much better. Love this recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great recipe! I love all the ingredients you put together. Much prefer Israeli couscous; it's just more hearty. Think that's why I like farro so much. Could do the same salad with that.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hungry Dog, I agree, Israeli couscous is has better chew.
    Barbara, I have never cooked farro, although I have eaten it. I think I will put it on my list to try.

    ReplyDelete
  4. What a pretty salad! I bought some Israeli couscous, but haven't even used it yet!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have never cooked Israeli couscous. This is a great idea to add heartiness to the artichoke salad.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I will look for Israeli couscous..it looks bigger?
    I love Farro too:) Perhaps the fact i bought in in Italy..:) makes it better..a copper steamer? You are full of new ideas..Love the palm tree too:)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes it does look bigger than the normal couscous. And so appetizing too...i cooked couscous only once when my daughter came back frm the states...since then ive nevr cooked it ...i must try again.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pam, That was my first time cooking Israeli Couscous also. Although my neighbor has fed it to us many times.
    All our Fingers in the Pie, I think there are many uses for this pasta. I just have to get cooking.
    La Table de Nana, Yes, it looks bigger. Surprizingly it stand right out. Yes, a Tunisian Copper steamer. I've been told they are the best. Anything bought in Italy tastes better! I still have a few spices left from my last trip to Rome.
    Zurin, Give it a try. You cook the most wonderful things, I bet your couscous is yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  9. How cool! In Israel this are called "Ptitim".
    They were invented in Israel in a time of food shortage and remained a basic ingredient in Israeli kitchen ever since.
    They don't realy have anything to do with Couscous. More info here:
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ptitim

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've never tried the Israeli couscous, only the fine grain. This looks amazing! Light and healthy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I LOVE couscous. I recently discovered this and just love it. I'm glad I found this recipe. I usually cook it in chicken broth too. Saving this recipe. Yum!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. That is a lovely salad, though I am not sure if we get it locally..

    ReplyDelete
  13. This looks so yummy, and I know its really healthy too :D. I am going to look out for Israeli couscous, normally i just see the fine grained one.
    Thanks for sharing this recipe.
    *kisses* HH

    ReplyDelete
  14. I see Israeli cous cous at Kalustyans and keep meaning to pick it up... this looks like a great recipe to start with! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  15. This is exactly the kind of thing that I love--the veggies and the couscous and the vinaigrette make a wonderful combination. Light and filling at the same time. How can that work?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Nice work .Thanks for the share. Keep up writing so that we can get more yummy recipe like this one.
    Couscous recipes

    ReplyDelete