July 24, 2010

Salade de Couscous.

If you are new to my blog, please read my Welcome Note first.

I love couscous. I like it prepared the traditional Maghrebin way (i.e North African) with either chicken, lamb or spicy beef sausages called Merguez or a combo of the three, all cooked in a nice juicy vegetable stew. And I don't even own a couscousier - the special perforated pot for the preparation of couscous.

But in the Summer, I avoid hot sauces and opt for salads instead. And what better way to still have couscous but served cold.

The recipe am about to give you is dead easy to prepare and is very tasty.

For 2 persons you will need the following ingredients :

- easy to cook couscous 2 cups (easy to cook couscous takes about 5 mn, doesn't require a couscousier and is as good)

- 2 cups of boiling salted water (as per the instructions on your couscous box - standard cooking instructions for easy to cook couscous)

- 1 large tin of Tuna fish in salted water (preferable to vegetable oil)

- 2 tins of sardines in olive oil

- 1/2 bell pepper red and 1/2 bell pepper yellow. Don't fret if you want to settle for green pepper bells alone but the red and yellow are preferable.

- 1 small can of corn

- 1 big tomato or two medium ones

- 1 spring onion

- 1 clove of fresh garlic (tastier than dried garlic)

- 1/4 tsp of ground cumin

- about half a pack of salad mix - roughly 250gr (lettuce, carrots, radish all chopped) alternatively you can chop your own - takes much longer)

- olive oil

- soya sauce or balsamic vinegar - I prefer soya with this.


Preparation :

- cook the couscous as indicated on your pack - usually 1 cup of boiling salted water for each cup of couscous. I add ground cumin to the water.

- once the couscous is tender and fluffy (use a fork to separate grains), I add a little olive oil instead of butter (I avoid butter in cooking)

- chop all your vegetables small (tomato, bell peppers, spring onion )

- fresh garlic finely minced.

- mix your tuna and sardines (small pieces not mashed)

- once your couscous is cold, add all the above, plus the salad mix, plus the corn. And mix well.

- the dressing consists of olive oil and soya sauce, or you may use balsamic vinegar. Soya is much nicer though with this.

- a dash of pepper to taste, no salt as the soya sauce is already quite salty.

Et voilà. Bon appétit