Fresh Corn & Israeli Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts & Cilantro

This fresh corn, pine nut, and Israeli couscous salad was supposed to be a simple backdrop to a lamb shank recipe I've been working on.

Unfortunately, the lamb recipe didn't make the cut because this simple side dish way out shined it. Israeli couscous is pasta, similar to Italian orzo, but spherical in shape. Add some toasted pine nuts and fresh corn kernels and you have a warm salad with nice textures and subtle nutty-sweet flavors.

Couscous itself is bland and steaming it in vegetable or chicken broth will add flavor. The couscous will soak up all the cooking liquid, so make sure it is flavorful and well seasoned to begin with and you won't have to adjust later. Toss in some cilantro at the end for color and extra kick.

More Couscous recipes from around the blogosphere:

Israeli Pesto Couscous salad by East Village Kitchen

125 Couscous recipes by Bohemian Revolution

Couscous recipe by Couscous Recipe

Curried Apple Couscous recipe by 101 Cookbooks

Fresh Corn Couscous Salad with Pine Nuts & Cilantro serves 4

3 cups Israeli couscous

3 cups chicken or vegetable broth

4 ears of corn, shucked, kernels cut off

1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted

1 bunch cilantro, leaves minced

Virgin Olive Oil

Salt & pepper

Bring broth up to a boil in a medium sauce pot. Make sure it is well seasoned if broth is sodium-free. Add couscous, stir, place lid on top and turn down heat to low. Steam for 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente.

In a non stick skillet over medium high heat toast pine nuts until golden brown. Set aside. In the same pan add 1T olive oil and the fresh corn kernels. Toast until slightly charred and tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. When couscous is cooked, add 1 T of olive oil and adjust seasoning. Add corn and pinenuts. Toss with fresh cilantro. Serve

Comments

[Pam]

Wow, I didn't realize I had gotten so far behind reading your blog. All of the recipes look great & the photography is great too. Hope you're healing nicely. How is your burn?

[Ms. Glaze]

Pam – I've been trying to cook every day since I can't go galavanting around the city with a 3rd degree burn! It looks like my foot is almost healed and I'm hoping to get the Doc's clearance to start work next week. Unfortunately the skin across the top of the foot is very thin, so it takes a long time to grow back. Boo!

I would love to do really beautiful photography but I'm afraid a XLR camera is out of my price range at the moment. I'm waiting for the new Limux which has an awesome Leica lense and allows for some manual control

[Pam]

Weel, I think your photography's great with the camera you have. I also know how expensive the XLRs are too.
I'm glad the burn is getting better, but it will take time. Be sure to keep yourself hydrated.
I had a little incident with hot things myself. I was making a piece of jewelry & didn't have my hair pulled back (for some reason). Yep, a piece of hair fell in front of the torch. Nothing was damaged...I just really need someone to trim up my new "bangs". Boy, burnt hair smells really bad.

[SAS]

Wonder if this would work with quinoa, since couscous isn't on a GF diet? Sounds like it's worth a try, for sure...

[John Lowe]

Israeli couscous, where does one buy it? The recipe sounds great.

[Ms. Glaze]

John – Israeli couscous is sometimes called Large Pearl Couscous or Middle Eastern couscous. You can buy it in bulk at Whole Foods and it often comes prepackaged at most supermarkets. Check in the aisle close to the grains (rice, pasta) or maybe in the International aisle.

SAS - I think quinoa is a good sub for just about anything and everything. I love quinoa. Still wonder why it's pronounced totally different from how it's spelled....

[Drago]

I called it "kwi-no-uh" once and learned my lesson very quickly. Whoops!

The Lumix cameras are a nice intermediate step if you want something more than a compact point-and-shoot, but aren't ready to shell out $1,000+ for an SLR plus lenses. But whichever camera you're currently using works well.

[SB]

While I follow your blog regularly, I don't thing I have ever left a note.

So, Hello.

The texture of our Israeli couscous looks amazing! While I often make mine with plumped Raisins and Saffron, the texture never comes out al-dente. I must try making it with stock instead of water!

It's good to hear that 3rd degree(!) burn is healing well. I must admit though during this 'time-out' you are publishing some awesome recipes -- like the one you created with poached egg and green tomatoes.

Also, entry level digital SLR (Single-lens reflex) cameras are coming down in price. Nikon D5000 along with 50mm 1.8 lens can be bought for around $800.

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