If you have the opportunity to visit Machane Yehudah Shuk, the fabulous outdoor market in Jerusalem, existing since 1859, you will encounter such fresh produce from Israel, in quantities that we don't see in the US or Canada. Fruit and vegetables and spices that are exotic for us. Such a foodie wonderland!
Israeli Couscous Salad
Fresh veggies combined with Israeli Couscous, mixed with good olive oil and lemon juice, create a wonderful seasoned yet simple grain salad. Israeli Couscous is a pasta and needs to be cooked al dente. The light and refreshing salad is colorful and a pretty presentation. It is a blank recipe, using whatever fresh veggies are in season. The lemon zest and fresh lemon juice brighten the couscous and fresh veggies. This is a perfect first course, side salad and a dish on a buffet table, as it is served room temperature. It is a great salad for on the go—lunch at school or work, picnics, camping or a road trip.
Israel Couscous Salad
#vegan #couscous #MiddleEastern
Yield: 6 servings as a side
1 cup Israeli couscous
2 garlic cloves, minced or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 shallot, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup fresh dill chopped or 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2-3 cups fresh spinach
1 red bell pepper, cored, deseeded and thinly sliced
1/2 cup black olives
Zest of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper
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Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add couscous, garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Reduce to a simmer. Cover with lid and cook 8-10 minutes, until couscous is tender and water absorbed.
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Remove couscous to bowl. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil, toss and allow to stand for 2-3 minutes.
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Mince garlic and shallot. Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Chop dill and mint.
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After couscous has rested 2-3 minutes, add to a large bowl with chopped vegetables and herbs. Add spinach, feta cheese crumbles, if using, lemon zest and juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper.
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Toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 5 days.
Expandthetable suggestions
Add cheese: ½ cup feta cheese crumbled
Allium Free: Use an onion, white, yellow or red or green onions, green and white parts
Other sliced veggies: radishes, cucumbers, marinated artichoke hearts or canned, drained and rinsed chickpeas or corn cut off the cob
Foodie Lit
This dark history details two lives that were almost totally ruined by the Pope and Vatican officials. After an affair and resulting pregnancy with an American cardinal, who then becomes Pope, the power behind the Papacy decides that this is not a problem that should remain to scar the Pope. To solve this problem, both baby and mother were kidnapped and sequestered away in convents.
Sounds farfetched, no?
This story line was influenced by the actual 1859 Vatican kidnapping of 6-year-old Edgardo Mortara by Pope Pius IX. With the help of Vatican officials and through legal anti-Jewish legislation, the family was permanently divided and the child kept in monasteries and brought into the priesthood. The fictional and historic dark history of Papal kidnapping is at the core of this suspense novel.
