Curried Couscous Salad

I have one more week left at my current (non-teaching) job before I get a nearly a month of pure freedom until the next semester starts. That's five days. Are you just a teensy bit jealous?  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my spare time when I'm not visiting family, prepping for my fall classes, and trying to find the husband a job, but I'm hoping it will involve a lot of cooking, reading, and sitting in the sun, preferably at the beach. We'll see what happens. Until the end of the week, however, I'll be eating leftovers of this salad for lunch and dinner, which doesn't bother me one whit.

This recipe makes a lot- you might want to cut it in half if you're cooking for a small family. And the flavor will be significantly improved if you have some good curry powder (the $.99 kind from the sale section of the grocery store won't cut it. Wish I'd mentioned that to T-rav before he went to the store so I didn't have to go back). Since curry powders often vary in strength and heat, I recommend waiting to add all the curry to the couscous until you've tasted it. If you need to add more, mix the curry powder with a teaspoon or so of olive oil before drizzling over the couscous. 

Corn and Red Pepper Couscous

I love couscous. But for some reason, my husband doesn't (I know- I can hardly believe it either). I did discover, however, that he tolerates, and maybe even likes Israeli couscous. Huzzah! So our dinner the other night consisted of Brazilian cabbage vinaigrette and this delish and slightly exotic tasting couscous dish.

Now Israeli couscous is larger than the Moroccan variety with which you're probably more familiar; it's pearl shaped and similar to acini di pepe pasta- the tiny "pastina" you've probably seen in the Barilla pasta packages. I think my husband likes them for their larger shape and being easier to scoop up with a fork. I love them both, though this dish is significantly better with the larger type. 

Orange Couscous

As tasty as this dish was, there's really not a whole lot to say about it. Take some couscous, mix in some freshly squeezed orange juice, and voila! A unique and delicious side dish, perfect for fish or a citrus-y chicken.

Orange Couscous
from Bon Appetit July 2008
Pictures by Caroline

2 cups water
5 to 6 tablespoons fresh orange juice, divided*
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon finely grated orange peel
1 10-ounce box (1 1/2 cups) plain couscous

1. Mix 2 cups water, 2 tablespoons juice, oil, and peel in medium saucepan; bring to boil.
   
2. Stir in couscous; cover and remove from heat.
   
3. Let stand until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 12 minutes.
   
4. Fluff with fork, adding orange juice by tablespoonfuls to taste. Season with salt and pepper

*I actually added several more tablespoons of orange juice. It resulted in stronger orange flavor, and helped to keep the couscous from getting too dry.