ISO Couscous Ideas

[chave982]

So I use couscous a lot, mostly because of how easy it is: bring water to a boil, add couscous, stir, cover, remove from heat, wait 5 minutes, done. I usually just make a simple bed of it on a plate to serve a piece of meat on or whatever.

I was wondering what options there are to jazz it up a bit, other than just adding salt and pepper. Thanks!

[Lizannd]

water. I almost always start with onions, cooked in a little olive oil.
I also do it with onion, garlic, peppers and tomatoes, as if I was making
spanish rice. I have added celery, sage, onions to give it a Thanksgiving
stuffing flavor.

[college_cook]

I like it with pine nuts and herbs.

[Yakuta]

I had this super delicious couscous for lunch and while I don't have the recipe from the place I can pretty much tell by the flavor what was in it.

Firstly there were roasted veggies - zucchini (yellow and green) and bell peppers red ones and some onions. So veggies were cut into small chunks and roasted with olive oil and the flavors were super concentrated.

That was mixed with cooked couscous with some rosted garlic, parsley and had some almonds and walnut chunks in there as well and the couscous had a tiny bit of honey in it. It was served at room temperature as a salad but I almost ate it as a meal at the buffet.

[Robo410]

simple: broth mint and peas

less simple: broth and spices and roasted veggies

fanciest: steamed with aromatics and served with a tagine of savory meat and veggies

[*amy*]

You can replace the water with chicken broth. Make a couscous salad, stuff mushrooms, stuffed tomatoes, etc, etc., etc. I add pine nuts and/or raisins, shredded carrots... Even mangoes or apples are interesting. Here's are several ideas:

Near East - Rice Pilaf and Couscous

[redkitty]

I make mine with veggie stock instead of water. I add fresh chopped basil or flat leaf parsley. If I'm eating it as a main dish I love adding feta cheese and sun dried tomatoes. Pine nuts sound lush too!

[GotGarlic]

I find couscous by itself to be incredibly bland, so I usually add sauteed onions and garlic and some of whatever herbs and/or spices I'm using in the main dish. I often add lemon zest and juice, too. And a sprinkling of pine nuts makes a great finish.

[Clienta]

I make a curried couscous.....add celery, onion, chopped dried apricots, currants, chickpeas, grilled or rotisserie chicken. I mix some curry powder with mayo & let it sit in the fridge while I chop everything & make the couscous. Then I mix it all together & serve on a bed of greens.

[Clienta]

Originally Posted by Clienta

I make a curried couscous.....add celery, onion, chopped dried apricots, currants, chickpeas, grilled or rotisserie chicken. I mix some curry powder with mayo & let it sit in the fridge while I chop everything & make the couscous. Then I mix it all together & serve on a bed of greens.

Oh sorry.....I forgot I also add a little peach jam or apricot jam to the mayo & curry mixture. And sprinkle salted peanuts on top of the couscous before serving.