Couscous Salad With Dried Cherries
"From the Cherry Institute. You can substitute almonds for the pine nuts or leave the nuts out. Use water or vegetable broth for a meatless dish. A very nice take on the North African classic--and quite simple."
photo by Boomette
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 11
- Serves:
-
4
ingredients
- 1 cup water (or a combination) or 1 cup chicken broth (or a combination)
- 3⁄4 cup couscous, uncooked
- 1⁄2 cup dried tart cherry
- 1⁄2 cup carrot, coarsely chopped
- 1⁄2 cup cucumber, chopped unpeeled
- 1⁄4 cup green onion, sliced
- 1⁄4 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- salt and pepper, to taste
directions
- Bring water or broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous.
- Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes.
- Fluff with a fork; let cool 10 minutes, uncovered.
- Put cooked couscous, dried cherries, carrots, cucumber, green onions and pine nuts in a large bowl; mix well.
- Combine vinegar, olive oil and mustard in a small container; mix well.
- Pour over couscous mixture; stir to coat all ingredients.
- Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve chilled or at room temperature.
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Reviews
-
This is great. Even though another time I may reduce the balsamic vinegar (and I used only 2 tbs of it, and 1/2 tbs of olive oil). I used sliced almonds instead of pine nuts. I used 1 cup of carrot cause I didn't have cucumber and green onion. But I'll have to try with cucumber and green onion. I used low sodium chicken stock. I like this couscous with the cherries (but DH didn't like). Thanks Chef Kate. Made for Holiday tag -
Made this to take on our outing to the park picnic, went over really well. At room temperature it does impart more flavour, and I did add a little zucchini to it also, and shredded the carrots as to me that was simplier and then those bits were not so hard. Thanks.
Tweaks
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This is great. Even though another time I may reduce the balsamic vinegar (and I used only 2 tbs of it, and 1/2 tbs of olive oil). I used sliced almonds instead of pine nuts. I used 1 cup of carrot cause I didn't have cucumber and green onion. But I'll have to try with cucumber and green onion. I used low sodium chicken stock. I like this couscous with the cherries (but DH didn't like). Thanks Chef Kate. Made for Holiday tag
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Chef Kate
Annapolis, 60
<p>I have always loved to cook. When I was little, I cooked with my Grandmother who had endless patience and extraordinary skill as a baker. And I cooked with my Mother, who had a set repertoire, but taught me many basics. Then I spent a summer with a French cousin who opened up a whole new world of cooking. And I grew up in New York City, which meant that I was surrounded by all varieties of wonderful food, from great bagels and white fish to all the wonders of Chinatown and Little Italy, from German to Spanish to Mexican to Puerto Rican to Cuban, not to mention Cuban-Chinese. And my parents loved good food, so I grew up eating things like roasted peppers, anchovies, cheeses, charcuterie, as well as burgers and the like. In my own cooking I try to use organics as much as possible; I never use canned soup or cake mix and, other than a cheese steak if I'm in Philly or pizza by the slice in New York, I don't eat fast food. So, while I think I eat and cook just about everything, I do have friends who think I'm picky--just because the only thing I've ever had from McDonald's is a diet Coke (and maybe a frie or two). I have collected literally hundreds of recipes, clipped from the Times or magazines, copied down from friends, cajoled out of restaurant chefs. Little by little, I am pulling out the ones I've made and loved and posting them here. Maybe someday, every drawer in my apartment won't crammed with recipes. (Of course, I'll always have those shelves crammed with cookbooks.) I'm still amazed and delighted by the friendliness and the incredible knowledge of the people here. 'Zaar has been a wonderful discovery for me.</p>
