Israeli Couscous With Sweet Potato

Maxxr's Note:

From Christine Cushing's "Fearless in the Kitchen" (I love Cdn. cookbooks!) For Potpie. CC's comment: "Israeli couscous is one of my all-time favourite starches. Different from N. African couscous, Israeli couscous looks like pearls and has a chewier texture. The best way to add flavour to these little white balls is with sumac, which gives a pleasant tanginess. I've got to admit, I really love tang!"

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 sweet potato, small, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground sumac
• 2 cups israeli couscous
• 3 cups chicken stock or 3 cups vegetable stock
• salt
• pepper, freshly ground, to taste

Directions:

1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium heat.
2. Cook shallots until soft but not browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Add sweet potato, sumac and couscous; cook, stirring, until couscous starts to toast, about 2 minutes.
4. Add stock, salt and pepper.
5. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to low.
6. Cook the couscous for 10 - 12 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.
9. Fluff with a fork before servings.

Reviews

[DisasterInTheKitchen]

Very nice recipe. I had the sumac on hand, it makes all the difference. Also added some garlic and mushrooms. Didn't have sweet potato, and still was really yummy. Thanks for posting!

[Kay Shepherd]

I had never heard of sumac before so of course I don't have any on hand yet. I read somewhere it has a lemony flavor so I used maybe a tablespoon of lemon juice as a substitute. My whole family loved it. We all had seconds - even the three kids under the age of 4! Of course, we are all big Sweet Potato fans to begin with - I am always looking for new ways to fix it.

[Chef #325910]

I used extra sweet potato and onion instead of the shallots. It was quite tasty, but I had to cook it more than twice as long to get the sweet potato fully cooked. Next time, I will grate the sweet potato or precook it separately.