By request

A friend has requested some ideas for the box of couscous she has in her pantry. I usually have a box too, for a really quick starch. I think it's something I use more in the summer to make tabouleh* and other quick salad-y dishes. But if Eugene in anything like it is here in Seattle(still kinda cold with more rain for tomorrow), then she may be craving something warm and comforting.

photo by Krisitn
To start, making the couscous is pretty much how they say on the box. Instead of water, I use broth or stock, whichever I have handy or in the fridge and a healthy dousing of olive oil--maybe a tablespoon or so. Bring them just to a boil and stir the couscous in, cover and remove from the heat. Five minutes later it's done. One cup of uncooked couscous goes a long way, so sometimes I just make half. Also, with broth/stock you probably won't need any salt. If you're using water, add a pinch of salt.

Here are some things to put on top:
Moroccan inspired:
Saute an onion in olive oil with salt, pepper, a couple of dashes of cinnamon, cayenne(just a little if you don't like too much spice),zest of a lemon and some thyme. Cook them for about 5-7 minutes then add a can of tomatoes(diced,pureed or whole ones that have been broken up) a can of drained chickpeas, and a hand full of golden raisins. Some cooked, cubed chicken would be great too, if you have any and/or want to. Cook until heated through, check for seasoning and serve over couscous garnished with chopped flat leaf parsley and/or mint and sliced almonds if you have them.

The roasted vegetable stand-by:
Roast your favorite chopped veggies that have been tossed in olive oil, squeeze of tomato paste, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes and grated garlic on parchment lined sheet in 400 oven for about 20-30 mins. Serve over couscous topped with parmesan cheese, or feta, maybe with a drizzle of pesto.

The clean-your fridge:
Things like that jarred bruschetta topping from Trader Joe's we had last week can be mixed in the couscous w/ a can of white beans or chickpeas and some cheese to top off. For when you have a little left in the jar, it's a good fast lunch. I haven't been to T.J's in a while, but good ones to try are caponata(has chunks of eggplant), sundried tomato spread, olive tapanade...I found these can sometimes be a little salty, so mix a little in and taste to see if you need to add more.

*Tabouleh:
Tabouleh is traditionally made with cracked wheat berries, but whole wheat couscous is faster. This one involves a lot of chopping, but I love it. Finely chop one bunch flat leaf parsley and one bunch of mint. Mix these into cooled, cooked couscous with chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper and lots of olive oil and lemon juice. I sometimes add chopped cucumber too. I try to let it sit in the fridge for a little while so all the flavors have a chance to get good and yummy. This is great alone or topped with chicken or shrimp or served with hummus and carrot sticks. And of course, garnished with feta cheese.

As a stuffer:
Use cooked couscous in recipes for stuffed veggies. For the upcoming tomato season, find a nice big tomato and cut off the top. Scoop the middle out and reserve if there's a lot of flesh. If it's mostly seeds, I don't use it. Chop the reserved tomato and mix with couscous, drained canned tuna, chopped fresh basil or flat leaf parsley, salt and pepper, olive oil and lemon juice and capers(optional). Fill the cavity of the tomato with this mixture and it's ready to eat!

Ok J, hopefully these will spark something for you. They aren't really in recipe format as I was typing it out as I was thinking of them. If there are any you'd like in a more standard format, let me know and I can send them to you.