Israeli Couscous Salad

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• salt
• 1 lb israeli couscous
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons sherry wine vinegar (or freshly squeezed lemon juice)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 preserved lemon, skin only, sliced as thinly as possible (or 1 t. lemon zest)
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup currants or 1/4 cup golden raisin
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (can be drained canned)
• 2 tablespoons capers
• 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes or 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved if large
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Recipe

• 1 bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it.
• 2 cook the couscous, stirring occasionally, until tender but not mushy.
• 3 when it is ready, drain it well, rinse it very briefly with cold water, drain again, and transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
• 4 dress the couscous with olive oil, vinegar, ground spices, and a pinch of salt and toss it vigorously to ensure the spices are well distributed throughout the pasta.
• 5 taste and add more acid or salt as necessary.
• 6 add the preserved lemon, onion, currants, chickpeas, capers, pine nuts, tomatoes, and parsley to the couscous; toss them through once or twice, and if possible, let the salad rest at room temperature for an hour before serving.