The "Summer of Salads" theme continues here at Bistro 164 with another lovely recipe that you should add to your repertoire. I decided to search out a recipe using an ingredient that I confess I often overlook in my kitchen, Israeli Couscous. I think I may need to remedy that mistake: it's so easy to use, very quick cooking and goes well with summertime vegetables like corn, spinach or anything else you have an over abundance of in your garden. And I will admit that when I searched out this recipe, what may have swayed my decision to try it out was a certain ingredient. Yup, it was the white wine. Go figure. Like I need an excuse to have a bit of wine while cooking, but when it's part of the recipe, who am I to waste the rest of it?! I think it helps with the creative process. You may test that theory out yourself, feel free to let me know if you agree.
I think that this is a good recipe but I did change it up a bit from the original, and I think I will continue to tweak it when I make it again (the wine will stay though, no worries there.) I was on the fence about whether or not the salad was too bland, but my sous chef assured me it was delicious and flavourful. Yet another reason why I keep him around (and there are so many, too many reasons to list.) It's always nice to have another opinion when you are trying things out.
As mentioned, the original recipe was a bit on the bland side for my taste, so I added an extra 2 tbsps of lemon juice to help it out and give it more zing. It did make a big difference but next time I may try some spices like cumin maybe. Or I may add some chopped basil to compliment the simple lemon flavour. You may also like to try some different vegetables like yellow or green beans, or zucchini...as god knows they are plentiful in gardens this time of year. I added red onion for extra colour, and green onion for extra flavour (and colour as well.) You can serve it cold or warm. Like most salads, I find that they taste even better the next day once the flavours have had time to mingle. And as an added bonus, it pairs well with a lovely chilled glass of Pinot Grigio (I researched that extensively on your behalf.) Cheers!
Israeli Couscous with Lentils, Carrots, Spinach and Corn
adapted from Allrecipes.com
Ingredients
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 small onion, diced ( I used red onion for extra colour)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of lentils, drained and rinsed
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup of corn
2 tbsps dry white wine
2 tbsps chicken broth
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
10 ounces Israeli couscous
2 cups baby spinach, with stems removed
2 tbsps lemon juice, plus more for taste if needed (I added 2 more tbsps at the end)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 green onions, diced
Directions
Heat oil in a large skillet, add onion and cook until soft and translucent. Stir in garlic, and cook for maybe a minute or so. Stir in the carrots and corn and cook for a few minutes. Turn down the heat, add the lentils and stir. Add 2 tbsps each of the chicken broth and white wine. Let simmer and stir occasionally.
In another saucepan, bring the 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/4 cup of white wine to a boil. Stir in the couscous and reduce heat. Simmer until the couscous gets tender and absorbs most of the liquid, about 8 minutes or so.
Pour yourself a glass of the leftover wine and sip while cooking. Very important step.
Add the 2 cups of baby spinach to the veggie/lentil mix and cook until wilted but not soggy, about 5 minutes.
Transfer the cooked couscous to a bowl, add the the veggie/lentil mix. Add the diced green onions. Stir in some more lemon juice if required (I did and it made it much tastier.) Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or cold.
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