Israeli Couscous with Mushrooms & Asparagus

I am a little bit obsessed with Israeli couscous. It combines a lot of my favorite qualities from both of my motherlands: Israel and Italy.  Why Italy? Well, Israeli couscous is sort of like pasta, but it’s a good transitional grain to its heartier relatives like quinoa, farro, barley, buckwheat, and sorghum. Israeli couscous is the grain that got my Italian mother out of the routine of making pasta multiple times a week and into a habit of exploring other grains. When I introduced it into my parents’ world my mother looked up and asked, “why didn’t I know about this until now?”Look, I am a health-supportive chef, and I am aware that Israeli couscous is not a whole grain and it’s actually closer to pasta than anything else since it is made from semolina flour. There are two main reasons why practically any dish that you see couscous:

1. It’s a good transition grain to get skeptics into trying carbs outside of bread & pasta. Israeli couscous can be replaced with a grain such as quinoa, bulgur or barley for added nutrients and fiber.

2. I can’t be perfect every. Single. Night. Israeli couscous is comforting and delicious. I load the veggies and the homemade slow-roasted vegetables in these recipes and even kids LOVE the taste.

This recipe is good for a dinner party or a Wednesday night at home. I tweak it for every time of year, but the asparagus was surprisingly amazing looking for this time of year, so I just couldn’t resist. This is my favorite go-to Israeli couscous recipe. Clients ask for it time and time again, so I think you’re gonna love it too.

Israeli Couscous with Asparagus and Fresh Mushrooms

Author: Michele Wolfson

Serves: 4 servings

Adapted from[url href="http://www.starchefs.com/healthy_cooking/html/recipe_05.shtml"] [url href="http://www.starchefs.com/healthy_cooking/html/recipe_05.shtml"]Madhur Jaffrey[/url][/url]

Ingredients

• • 2 cups Israeli couscous

• • 3 Tablespoons olive oil

• • 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped

• • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

• • 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced lengthwise

• • 1/2 cup fresh cremini mushrooms, sliced

• • ½ pound asparagus, trimmed, peeled and cut into 1-inch sections. Remove thick ends

• • 1 ½ cup vegetable stock (unless using the roasted tomato sauce. Then only use ½ cup)

• • ¼ cup dry white wine or vermouth

• • 3 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated

• • 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped

• • Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Bring 2 ½ cups of water (or vegetable broth if you have extra) to a rolling boil.

2. Add 1½ tablespoons of salt and stir, then add the couscous. Let it boil rapidly for about 7 minutes, or until it is almost but not quite ready; it should have a hardcore in its very center. Drain the couscous quickly and then rinse it thoroughly under cold running water, turning it over several times. Leave in a sieve or colander.

3. Put the oil in a large sauté pan or large frying pan (preferably nonstick) and set over high heat. When hot, put in the shallot and garlic. Stir for 20 seconds and put in all the mushrooms. Stir rapidly for about 1 minute, or until the mushrooms look satiny.

4. Now put in the asparagus. Stir for 30 seconds then add the stock, vermouth and about 1/8 teaspoon salt.

5. Bring to a boil, cover, and keep cooking on high heat for 2½ minutes. Put in the partially cooked couscous and cook, uncovered for another 2½ minutes on high heat, stirring frequently. Turn off the heat. Check the salt. You will probably need about ¼ teaspoon more. Add the salt, pepper, cheese and parsley. Stir to mix and serve immediately.

6. ***Sometimes I make this with a roasted tomato sauce instead of using 1 ½ cups of vegetable stock. When making the tomato sauce, I use ½ cup of vegetable broth and then use the 1 cup towards cooking the couscous with water.

Roasted Tomato Dressing

Author: Michele Wolfson

Adapted mostly from The Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 lb)

• 5 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled

• 3 TBS extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/4 cup warm water

• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.

2. Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.

3. Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a food processor until dressing is very smooth. Pour over the couscous with the veggies.