Moroccan Couscous Salad

Couscous is one of those grains that most people don’t know what to do with.  Like pasta (it’s semolina, actually), it has little flavor on its own, but you can’t pour anything like marinara over it because it’s too fine and it just gets soggy.   So this, I think, is a great recipe because it dresses up couscous enough to give it flavor and spunk, but is still mellow enough to be a side dish.  It also makes a great potluck item because it doesn’t contain mayonnaise (and thus won’t spoil in the heat) and is better served at room temperature than it is chilled.  It goes great with barbecued chicken or fish.

This recipe is adapted from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

1.5 cups couscous
1.5 cups boiling water
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1.5 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 carrot, grated
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped, dried apricots
1/4 cup currants
1/2 cup minced, flat-leafed parsley
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

Place the couscous in a medium bowl.  Melt the butter in the boiling water, then pour over the couscous.  Do not stir; simply cover and leave undisturbed for 5 minutes.  Fluff gently with a fork.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt and pepper.  Pour over the fluffed couscous and stir gently until the couscous is evenly moistened.  Fold in the carrots, green onions, cranberries, apricots, currants, parsley, almonds and red onion.  Add more salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve this immediately or store in the refrigerator until ready for use.  I like to store it for at least a few hours to allow the flavors to meld, then remove from the refrigerator about an hour before serving to bring it up to room temperature.