Roasted Tomato and Basil Israeli Couscous

I made this recipe a loooong time ago (hense the Christmas bowl - but it works for Valentine's day too, right?) and I'm sorry I'm just getting around to sharing it with you!  We made this for the Monkey Scientist's niece, who came over for a sleepover during her winter break from school.  It is so simple to make and was easy to make with just the ingredients we had in the house.



I am not a big tomato person, but when you roast them I'm in love.  Even in the winter, when tomatoes are far from their best, they're great when you roast them.  Mixing them with a little basil and Israel couscous - possibly my favorite grain - I was in heaven.  We usually have grape or cherry tomatoes in the house so this one is an easy one.  It's a little sweet, savory, and great for a weeknight meal.



Roasted Tomato and Basil Israeli Couscous

Ingredients
1/2 c cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
4 tsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 cup Israeli couscous, cooked to package instructions (still warm)
2 tbsp fresh basil, chopped

Instructions
1. On a cookie sheet lined with foil, toss the tomatoes in 2 tsp olive oil, salt and pepper.  Broil for about 5-10 minutes, or until the tomatoes look wilted and just barely start to brown.
2.  Toss the tomatoes, israeli couscous, basil, salt and pepper, and remaining olive oil in a bowl.  Serve immediately.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous

Today's post is dedicated to the man who makes me smile each and every day. You're my bacon - you make everything better. Happy Birthday, Monkey Scientist.



You might notice that this recipe is not tagged as "healthy".  Sure, it has brussels sprouts.  Israeli couscous is pretty healthy.  Dried cherries are a great snack.  But when we finished eating these, the Monkey Scientist turned to me and asked where the grease went from frying up the bacon and I had to turn down and look at my belly.  You ate it, dear.



To be fair, it's only 2 slices of bacon.  If you wanted, you could even drain some of the bacon fat off.  I've even heard of a coworker who used oil instead of bacon grease.  But if you're eating brussels sprouts, don't you deserve to have them taste like bacon?  Isn't it worth an extra Stroga class?



I tried to keep the meal under control by serving it up with some trout that had barely any olive oil on it but was seasoned well with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Since I was up at Whole Foods to get the bacon, I bought my fish there as well so it was additive free.  The whole meal came together really quickly, which was very much appreciated since we've been pretty busy lately.



The taste was really outstanding.  Shredded brussels sprouts, as you know, are one of my favorite veggies and the Israeli couscous went really well mixed in.  I love Israeli couscous - the texture is one of my favorite things.  The saltiness of the bacon combined with the sweetness from the cherries was absolute perfection.



Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Dried Cherries and Israeli Couscous
from eat, live, run

Ingredients:
16-18 brussels sprouts, very thinly sliced
2 slices bacon, preferably black pepper-rubbed (available at Whole Foods and butcher shops)
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/4-1/2 tsp sea salt to taste

Directions:
1. Bring 3/4 cup water to a boil and add the couscous plus a pinch of sea salt. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until no more water remains. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
2. Cook the bacon in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and roughly chop.
3. Add thinly sliced brussels sprouts to the hot bacon grease on the stove and saute for about five minutes, until the sprouts turn bright green.
4. Add back in the bacon bits along with the dried cherries and cooked couscous. Toss well and season with salt to taste.

Jerusalem Artichoke and Israeli Couscous Salad with Roasted Red Onion

The only item I hadn't used yet from the last of the farmer's market (although I still have cabbage...they were really big dense heads!) are my bag of jerusalem artichokes.

I bought them with the inspiration of this salad.  I had never made jerusalem artichokes before but I do love to try new things.

This salad is a little bit more work than a salad you would throw together at the last minute.  Roasting the onion takes a while - so make sure you account for that or do it the night before.  At least you can try to make them the night before...they smell so warm and delicious you might not be able to wait to eat them!

The original recipe called for couscous, but given that Purim is this weekend and Passover is right around the corner, I figured I'd go all out on the name play and use Israeli couscous.  That and I LOVE Israeli couscous.  I meant to steal some from my mom last time I left New Hampshire (she has an overstock right now) but I forgot and had to get some of my own.

So I'm sure some people are curious what the Jerusalem artichokes tasted like. I would say the best way to describe them would be a cross between carrots and potatoes.  I liked them, but they were a little bitter for my taste.  I'm curious to look for other ways to use them if I find them at the farmer's market again.

Overall, this was a pretty tasty salad.  I think the biggest learning lesson here was how to make roasted red onions.  I feel like I could think of a lot of adaptions for them - like serving them with roasted potatoes - or just I could just enjoy them on their own.

Jerusalem Artichokes and Couscous Salad
Adapted from Salad Pride

Ingredients for each salad:
2 oz arugula (I used baby arugula blend)
1/3 cup Israeli couscous
1/4 roasted red onion (see below), finely chopped
2 small Jerusalem artichokes, sliced thin
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp + 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 squirt dijon

Instructions:
Prepare couscous as directed on package.
Heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-medium high heat.  When hot, add Jerusalem artichokes, season with salt and pepper, and fry 15 min.
Mix the dijon, balsamic vinegar and remaining olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Layer the salad - arugula, couscous, then Jerusalem artichoke/onion mixture, and toss with vinaigrette.


Roasted Red Onion
Adjusted from epicurious

Ingredients:
1 small red onion halved through root end, then cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges with some of core attached to each

1 tbsp butter, melted

¼  teaspoons dried rosemary

¼ teaspoons coarse salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tsp red wine vinegar

Instructions:

Position 1 rack in bottom third and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil; butter foil generously. Arrange onion wedges cut side down on prepared sheets. Brush onions with melted butter. Mix thyme, salt, and pepper in small bowl; sprinkle over onions. Drizzle with vinegar. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil. Roast onions 20 minutes on top shelf. Move baking sheet from top to bottom and continue to roast until bottoms of onion wedges are brown, about 20 minutes longer. Remove foil. Using spatula, turn onion wedges over; cover with foil and roast until bottoms of onions are brown and edges are slightly crisp, reversing position of baking sheet after 5 minutes, about 15 minutes total. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Refrigerate onions on sheets, covered. Rewarm uncovered in 350°F oven until heated through, about 15 minutes.)