Israeli Couscous With Pine Nuts and Fresh Parsley

"Usually I purchase Israeli couscous in bulk, but a few weeks back I bought a box of it at Trader Joes partly because this recipe was printed on the back of the box. The original recipe indicates that the raisins are optional. You can skip them altogether if you wish (personally I wouldn't)."
 
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photo by januarybride photo by januarybride
photo by januarybride
Ready In:
33mins
Ingredients:
12
Serves:
6

ingredients

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directions

  • Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat.
  • Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown. Transfer to a small bowl.
  • Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same pan over medium heat.
  • Add shallots and saute until golden. Add couscous, cinnamon stick and bay leaf, stirring until couscous browns slightly.
  • Add broth and salt then bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and couscous is tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from heat and stir in the fresh parsley, pine nuts and lemon zest.
  • Optional: add the raisins for a savory/sweet taste.
  • Season with fresh cracked black pepper to taste.

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Reviews

  1. This was just okay to me. Kind of strange. I used apricots instead of raisins and maybe that was the difference.
     
  2. Absolutely delicious!! Sorry I forgot to take a pic, but I will be making this again, so hopefully I'll remember to next time. Made for Aussie / Kiwi Swap Mar 2011.
     
  3. This is an excellent side dish and wonderful tasting couscous. The sauteed pine nuts add a wonderful flavor and the lemon zest and dried cranberries (which I substituted for raising) added a wonderful fruity component. I'll definitely make this again.
     
  4. SO glad I made this FANTASTIC recipe. We are not huge fans of middle eastern foods - but this is SO amazing. Fresh, flavorful and easy. This would be a great vegetarian lunch or a great side dish for a BBQ or pot luck. My couscous got a little too dry at 12 minutes (what they recommended on the box), so I simply added a little lemon juice and a sprinkle of olive oil and WOW did this pop the flavors. I think the raisins are a must, as they bring together the sweet and savory. I used less parsley than what the recipe called for (my parsley plant is a little sparse with this heat we have had) and just threw in some salt free 21 salute seasoning (from Trader Joes). Will most certainly make this easy recipe again in the future.
     
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Tweaks

  1. This was just okay to me. Kind of strange. I used apricots instead of raisins and maybe that was the difference.
     

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