Pearl Couscous With Sautéed Cherry Tomatoes Food

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Cook 1 1/2 cups pearl couscous in boiling salted water, 4 to 5 minutes; drain. Cook 1 small diced red onion, 3 chopped garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary in olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until softened, 4 minutes. Add 1 cup packaged strained tomatoes, 1/4 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Simmer until thick, 5 minutes. Stir in the couscous and 1 tablespoon chopped parsley; season with salt and pepper. Top with more parsley.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH CREAMY FETA AND CHICKPEAS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a 9-inch baking dish, cake pan or gratin dish, toss together tomatoes, scallions, 2 tablespoons oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper and oregano sprigs. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 15 minutes.
• While tomatoes roast, heat the stock until it boils, then stir in remaining 1 teaspoon salt, adding more to taste. (You want a well-seasoned broth here to flavor the couscous.) Stir in cilantro, lemon zest and cumin.
• Remove tomatoes from oven and fold in couscous, chickpeas and hot stock mixture. Cover pan tightly with foil, and return to oven for 20 minutes.
• Remove foil and fold in about 3/4ths of the feta (save the rest for garnish) and Parmesan. Bake uncovered until feta starts to melt, another 5 minutes.
• To serve, pull out and discard herb sprigs if you like, and spoon couscous into bowls. Top with remaining feta, lots more herbs, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH SAUTéED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add couscous. Toast couscous, shaking pan or stirring often, until it colors very lightly and smells aromatic and toasty, a bit like popcorn. Immediately add 2 quarts water and salt to taste (be generous, as if you are cooking pasta) and boil 10 minutes, until couscous is al dente; it should not be mushy, and there should still be plenty of water in the pot. Drain through a strainer and rinse with cold water. Tap strainer against sink to drain well, then return couscous to the pot, cover pot with a kitchen towel, and return lid. Let sit for 10 minutes while you make the sauce.
• In a wide, heavy skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add garlic. As soon as it begins to sizzle and smell fragrant, usually in about 30 seconds, add cherry tomatoes and turn heat up to medium-high. Add sugar, salt and basil sprig and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes collapse and skins shrivel. Some of the tomato pulp will be in the pan, and should thicken and caramelize slightly, but there should still be pulp inside the skins. This should only take about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and remove basil sprig. Taste and adjust seasonings. Add a little fresh pepper if desired.
• Add couscous to the pan along with slivered basil, stir together, and serve.

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, toast couscous in a small saute pan over medium heat, moving pan in a circular motion, until evenly browned, about 7 minutes. Immediately add couscous to boiling water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain, and rinse under cold water until cool.
• Place couscous, tomatoes, basil, shallots, vinegar, oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the pepper in a large bowl. Mix well, and let stand at room temperature until ready to serve, at least 15 minutes (or up to 1 hour). Stir well, and garnish with basil.

SAVORY SAUTEED SCALLOPS WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Pat scallops dry.
• In skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter and oil until very hot.
• Add scallops; saute quickly until cooked.
• (Probably no more than 3 minutes per side.) Remove scallops and keep warm.
• Add tomatoes to skillet and add remaining ingredients.
• Increase heat to high and cook quickly to thicken sauce.

COUSCOUS WITH ZUCCHINI AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until tender and golden, adding water if dry, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Add broth. Bring mixture to boil. Add zucchini and cook until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in thyme, then couscous and butter. Remove from heat. Cover and let stand until broth is absorbed, about 10 minutes.
• Fluff couscous with fork. transfer to serving bowl. Mix in tomatoes and serve.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS SALAD WITH ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preparation: Roast tomatoes and garlic as follows. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and place CUT SIDE UP on a roaster pan that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Toss in UNpeeled cloves of garlic. Roast in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes or until you see bits of brown around the pan. No need to turn. Hint - you are roasting with the cut side up to allow more liquid to evaporate from the tomatoes.
• Meanwhile, cook Israeli couscous according to package directions. Another grain could be substituted, such as bulgar or barley. You should have about 3 cups cooked. Allow to cool slightly before combining. Hint - you can toss in 1 T. olive oil to keep it from sticking until you are ready to toss the salad.
• Make dressing: combine olive oil, vinegar, soft insides of roasted garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together.
• Assembly: Combine couscous, olives, edamame beans, parsley and basil with dressing. Gently toss and serve at room temperature, or refrigerate.

PEARL COUSCOUS WITH OLIVES AND ROASTED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
• Preheat oven to 250°F.
• Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.
• Peel garlic and purée with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
• Make couscous:
• Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
• Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes.
• Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.