Since we've been making dinner 7 days a week during self-isolation, our average weekly groceries have cost upwards of $300, so I've been striving to cut corners in certain areas. Naturally, it meant simplifying the dinner menu. However, I quickly fell into a monotonous rut of meat-veg-starch, with not much else going on. I gravitated toward the same usual suspects: rice, pasta, potatoes, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, garlic... and while these ingredients are certainly lovely, the routine needed to be disrupted. Attempts at incorporating spices from my elaborate, alphabetized spice rack helped us last an extra week or two before it was time to rebrand our go-to side dishes entirely.
While strutting down the grains aisle of the grocery store, I found what I perceived to be an anomaly. Nestled among the quinoa, barley, and jasmine rice was a peculiar container that triggered Sesame Street's hit single "One of These Things is not like the Others" in my head. Why is couscous with the grains?
Cue the socially distant detective work.
I swerved to the next aisle and carefully checked the boxes of Barilla, Ronzoni, and San Giorgio. They've got pastini, but not couscous. WHAT!?
Folks. The grocery store has been lying to you. Couscous is technically a pasta, crushed durum wheat semolina to be specific.
I swerved back around to hurl the couscous into my cart like a desperate Supermarket Sweep contestant, circa 1994. Even though it's still pasta, which we were sick of, couscous eats like a grain, and I was betting I could convince my wife that it was a departure from our routine if I included some other ingredients collecting dust in our cabinets.
Along the way, I also managed to procure a package of adorable miniature Persian cucumbers, whose skins don't trigger the same gaseous qualities as their larger, suggestive cousins.
Now that the sides were deSIDEd, I needed a protein. Couscous eats light, and cucumbers are delightfully fresh... what pairs with this? Then I remembered the massive package of leftover white miso paste from Antoni Porowski's Easy Bastardized Ramen, and the multiple jars of Major Grey chutney on the door of my fridge. The recipe rolodex in my brain found the perfect match: Aarti Sequeira's Miso-Mango Black Cod (a riff on Nobu's cod, which apparently everyone on the internet attempts to recreate.)
Dinner was decided. All I needed to use was my investment jar of ghee and some leftover dried goods from Sohla El-Waylly's Spiced Lamb and Dill Yogurt Pasta, and the rest was history.
In the recipe, I've listed tons of substitutes to help you save money while at the store - if you have one of the subs in your pantry, by all means use it. Couscous becomes the perfect vehicle to use up the odds and ends hiding in your pantry, so invest in a decent sized tub and let your imagination run wild.
With durum wheat and inspiration,
~c.j.
COUSCOUS PILAF & QUICK PICKLED CUKES
PREP WORK: 5 mins.
ACTIVE COOKING: 10 minutes (pilaf).
INACTIVE COOKING: 15 minutes (cucumbers), 5 minutes (pilaf)
YIELD: 4 servings.
INGREDIENTS
For the cucumbers
1 tbsp sesame oil (sub: low sodium soy sauce)
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 teaspoon agave syrup (sub: honey, molasses, or white sugar)
salt, to taste (if using low sodium soy sauce, skip on the salt)
2 miniature Persian cucumbers (sub: 1 large English cucumber, peeled)
For the couscous pilaf
1 tbsp + 1 tsp ghee (sub: butter or neutral oil)
1/4 cup dried currants (sub: raisins, dried cranberries, dried cherries, chopped prunes, sliced dried apricots)
1/4 cup pine nuts (sub: pistachios, slivered almonds, peanuts, coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts, cashews)
2 scallions, sliced, whites and greens divided
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup couscous
juice of 1/2 lemon
DIRECTIONS
For the cucumbers: In a small bowl, combine sesame oil, lemon juice, agave syrup, and salt. Slice cucumbers on the bias, about 1/2 inch thick (each mini cucumber should yield about 10 slices, for a total of 20 slices). Combine cucumbers into sesame lemon mixture, and toss to coat. Allow to sit in fridge about 15 minutes, covered.
Meanwhile, make the pilaf: In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tsp ghee over medium heat. Once hot, add currants and pine nuts. Cook, stirring occasionally until currants are plump and pine nuts are toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove currants and pine nuts into a bowl, set aside.
In the same saucepan, heat 1 tbsp ghee. Add scallion whites and light-greens and gently sauté until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add salt and couscous, and gently toast couscous, about 3 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cup water, stir to incorporate. Cover, remove from heat, and allow to sit 5 minutes. Gently fluff with a fork, then add reserved currants, pine nuts, and the lemon juice, stirring gently to combine. Serve alongside cucumbers, using scallion greens for garnish.
Protein Pairing suggestions: Aarti Sequeira's Miso-Mango Black Cod makes an excellent pairing, but essentially any fish dish would be welcome here, ranging from tilapia to mahi mahi to salmon, even shrimp or seared scallops. Marinated pan-fried tofu or tempeh are also a great idea, as well as thin cutlets of chicken or pork.
Comments