Meatless Monday: Festive couscous
One of my favorite cookbooks of all time is Nigella Lawson鈥檚, . I bought it about five years ago, right after I got married, when I was living in England. Mom, Dad and Sharon were coming for Christmas and I was equal parts ecstatic and terrified. I couldn鈥檛 wait to have my family in my new home, but the thought of taking the lead on the big dinner made my palms sweat. I needed a holiday meal that was both foolproof and classically British. Who else to go to but Nigella Lawson? She didn鈥檛 let me down. I use this book every year.
My mother-in-law was visiting this past weekend and sharing recipes with me that she used to make for the family during the holidays. I couldn鈥檛 help but pull out Nigella鈥檚 . She and I sat transfixed, on the edge of the bed, and looked through that book, page by page. It鈥檚 simply gorgeous: festive and fun, but classic and warm. Nigella does a Christmas special on BBC every year that makes you want to crawl through the screen and join her in her cozy London home. This woman knows how to celebrate.
As we thumbed through the book, I noticed a small, but beautiful plate of couscous that I hadn鈥檛 seen before. Festive Couscous. The recipe was easy, but the dish was gorgeous. Nigella had it as a side, but I thought I鈥檇 ever-so-slightly modify the recipe and make it for dinner. For weeknight cooking, I鈥檓 looking for simple and delicious, meatless meals that I can get on the table in a hurry and that don鈥檛 leave me with a mess.
I served this with a simple salad, bread and a few artisanal cheeses. Andy was delighted and so was I, especially because it gave me a little frisson of excitement: the holidays are coming!
Nigella鈥檚 Festive Couscous
听Serves 6-8 as a side dish, 4 as a main course听
1 box (7.6 ounces) plain couscous
听2 cups water
听2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
听1/2 teaspoon salt
听3/4 cup golden raisins
听1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
听1/2 teaspoon paprika
听1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
听1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
听Seeds from 1 pomegranate
听1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
Bring water to a boil in a pot, add coucous, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, raisins and spices. Stir to mix. Cover with lid, turn off heat and let sit for about five minutes.
Remove lid, fluff the couscous with a fork, add remaining oil and stir. Reserving some for garnish, stir in pomegranate seeds and cilantro.
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