JESSICA J. TREVINO/Detroit Free Press
By Darlene Zimmerman
Couscous traces its origins to East Africa and is a dietary staple from Morocco to the Middle East. Often mistaken for a grain, couscous is small, round, coarsely ground pasta made from semolina wheat.
The traditional preparation of couscous uses a special pot called a couscousiere. Meat, vegetables, chickpeas and raisins simmer in the bottom of the pot. The couscous cooks in a perforated steamer on top, absorbing flavors from the stew below. Once cooked, the couscous is placed on a platter with the stew on top.
While you might not be preparing couscous this way, it is a quick-cooking alternative to rice, pasta or potatoes. Couscous can be used as a main dish served with meat, as a spicy side dish, in soup, as a salad, and even sweetened and mixed with fruit for dessert. Couscous can be eaten hot or cold.
Today’s recipe features pearl couscous, also known as Israeli couscous — a plumper, larger version of traditional couscous. Because it tends not to stick together and has a firm texture, pearl couscous works well in salads like today’s recipe. Pearl couscous cooks in about eight minutes.
Choose whole-wheat pearl couscous whenever possible; it contains about 5 grams of dietary fiber per serving, compared to no fiber in the regular variety.
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