couscous- meh?

i think people tend to either love or hate couscous. i used to hate it, finding it tasteless and stodgy. then, oh happy day, David cooked me some shortly after we met. he was following a recipe of some sort which dictated that he add herbs and other flavourings (i can’t remember exactly what) and it was a completely different experience. i’m now of the opinion that people who hate couscous haven’t had good couscous.

i have to admit to being lazy and using quick couscous which requires little more than the addition of hot stock (the easiest way to add flavour, don’t just use boiling water) and leaving it to sit, covered, for 10 minutes before fluffing up the grains with a fork.

this week we had some gorgeous couscous that required a little more effort, but not much. i mixed the couscous grains with finely diced red chilli and shallots plus shredded mint, basil and parsley before adding the stock, into which i’d stirred the juice and zest of a lemon plus a pinch of saffron. when the couscous was done i stirred in some pomegranate seeds and it was ready to go.

if you’re not a couscous fan, give this a try (or get experimenting with your own variation) and let me know how you get on – i think you might be converted…