Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Greek Couscous Salad from Our Best Bites

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup evoo
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Place broth, oregano, and basil in a small pot on the stove top.  Bring to a boil.  Add the couscous, cover the pot, and remove from heat.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.  Cool.

2.  Combine cooled couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, feta, and parsley.  Set aside.

3.  In a small jar, combine vinaigrette ingredients and shake until combined.  Pour over salad, stir, and then refrigerate 2 hours before serving.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4.  If desisred, garnish with fresh parsley, extra feta cheese, and lemon slices for squeezing on top.

NOTES:

The recipe called for plain couscous; I used whole wheat.  I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I put in about 1 1/2 T dried into the boiling liquid.  I didn't have any feta, so I used a smaller amount of blue cheese (I liked it a lot, but I'm sure the feta is good, too).  I was in a hurry, so I used 1/2 tsp granulated garlic and thought the dressing turned out just fine.  But generally fresh is best.  I didn't add any more salt and pepper before serving.

3 comments:

  1. Adding fresh parsley and toasted almonds or pine nuts boosts the flavor quite a bit.

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  2. Just in case anyone else is clueless like me,I had to google evoo. Extra virgin olive oil.

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  3. That was my first question - what is the secret greek ingredient called "evoo?" Now I know. It's not so secret.

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