Subject: Collection (3) Couscous
From: "Strawberry Girl" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 08:55:06 -0400
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

Couscous Cakes with Tomato-Garlic Ragout
Quick Spanish Couscous Salad
Couscous with Currants and Cumin

Couscous Cakes with Tomato-Garlic Ragout

Source: Vegetarian Planet by Didi Emmons

I made this with Saga Blue cheese last weekend and it was really yummy.

Cakes:
3 cups water
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 2/3 cups couscous
3 eggs
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese, such as Danish blue or Wisconsin Gorgonzola
1 Tbsp olive oil

Tomato-Garlic Ragout:
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
10 plum tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the water into a saucepan over high heat. When the water comes to a boil, 
add the salt, pepper, and couscous. Remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and 
let it sit undisturbed for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous by lightly running a 
fork or whisk back and forth in the pan, starting with the top layer and 
gradually working your way down.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then slowly whisk in the flour. Then, with a 
spoon. stir in the parsley and the blue cheese. Add the couscous and chill the 
batter for 30 minutes.
In a medium saucepan, heat 1 Tbsp oilive oi, and add the onion. Saute over 
medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, and saute for 
5 minutes more. Then add the tomatoes, white wine, and water. Let the ragout 
simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until it has the consistency of a thick sauce. 
Season it with salt and pepper, and keep it warm.
When the couscous mixture has cooled, heat a large skillet with 1 Tbsp oilive 
oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, drop couscous batter onto the 
skillet to form 3-inch cakes. Sear them on one side for about 3 minutes, or 
until the undersides are golden brown. Then flip them with a spatula and sear 
them on the other side, for about 3 minutes. Remove the cakes to a plate, and 
add more batter to the pan. Continue making cakes until all the couscous batter 
is used. You should have 3 cakes per person.
Serve the cakes hot atop the warmed tomato-garlic ragout.

Serves 6

Quick Spanish Couscous Salad
Source: The New Chatelaine Cookbook by Monda Rosenberg

1/4 cup sliced stuffed green olives
1 chopped tomato
1 crushed garlic clove
generous pinches each of dried leaf thyme and oregano
2 cups cooked couscous

Stir olives, tomato,  garlic, thyme and oregano into cooked couscous.  Serve 
hot, warm or cold.  Makes 3 cups.

Couscous with Currants and Cumin

Source: The Toronto Star, April 30/97

1 cup water
1 cup couscous
1/2 cup currants
2 tsp. olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh ginger
1 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
grated zest of one orange
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh coriander (cilantro)
salt
hot chili flakes

In saucepan, bring water to boil.  Stir in couscous and currants.  Cover and 
remove from heat.  Let stand 5 minutes. Meanwhile, heat oil in large non-stick 
fry pan over medium-high heat.  Add onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute 3 minutes 
or until tender.  Add cumin seeds.  Saute 1 minute. With fork, fluff couscous 
and currants.  Stir in onion mixture, orange zest and coriander.  Add salt and 
hot chili flakes to taste.

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