Kind of Curry Couscous

I love couscous. It is quick, easy, and elegant. I started out the evening thinking I was going to make Israeli couscous; however, I stumbled across a Curried Couscous recipe on another blog I follow, The Parsley Thief. I absolute love this blog and have yet to make a recipe on it that I have not enjoyed. I started the recipe but quickly realized I was missing several main ingredients including the CURRY part. My curry is "MIA" in my kitchen so I had to improvise quickly. I must say, it turned out to be a masterpiece. It was a beautiful dish that I will definitely be making again.



Kind of Curry Couscous

Source: Adapted from The Parsley Thief, http://www.theparsleythief.com/2008/06/curried-couscous.html

8 oz couscous
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup almonds
3 tablespoons of almonds
1/2 cup shallots, finely chopped
1 3/4 cup of chicken stock
salt and pepper
1/4 cup of parsley
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup chopped sweet chili peppers (or red peppers)
1/2 cup of extra small curd cottage cheese (fat free)
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cardamom
1/8 tsp honey
1/8 tsp cinnamon
3 tablespoons of olive oil


Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet. Add slivered almonds to the pan and stir until golden brown. Remove from pan and transfer to a bowl. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and minced shallots and saute until golden brown. Add couscous and bay leaf and let couscous brown slightly. Add broth to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce head and cover. Allow to simmer until mixture is absorbed in the couscous and desired tenderness is reached.

Meanwhile, combine chopped parsley, cranberries, and almonds in a separate bowl.

Set aside. In a small mixing bowl, mix olive oil, cumin, cardamom, honey, cinnamon, turmeric, and cottage cheese. Set aside. Chop red peppers and set aside.

 Once couscous is done, remove from heat. Combine everything into the skillet and toss together on a low heat so flavors meld together. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

- Miss J

Served with baked fish and sweet asparagus.