Cous Cous Salad, Dried Fruits, Toasted Almonds, Orange Dressing
Cous Cous is a food with versatile combination possibilities equaling any type of pasta and its approximate ten minute preparation makes it the perfect choice for a broad range of food occasions, including those impromptu.
I have prepared both regular and Israeli Cous Cous Salads for the Team Family Tailgate, served it on the Buffet at Holiday Events, and last week it made a perfect spur of the moment luncheon dish for a neighborhood friend stopping by for a visit.
One key tip on dressing your Cous Cous Salad, similar to using orzo, is that the dressing absorbs into the grain so if you are making it in advance you will want to have a little extra dressing to freshen up your salad at the time of serving.
This salad works well because you can keep all of these ingredients in your pantry and put it together in less than an hour.
You can prepare this salad using either quick cook Cous Cous or for Israeli Cous Cous, Trader Joe’s is your best bet. They have an excellent preparation recipe on the back of the box whose format I follow though varying out with my own ingredients.
Bags of dried fruits are easily stocked and handy pantry items for all sorts of uses.
For today’s salad I used Apricots and Cranberries along with honey sliced almonds, also from Trader Joe’s.
You could alternatively use raisins or mango or any other dried fruit.
Adding cinnamon to the Cous Cous gives a little more complexity and flavor to the dish, I’ve alternatively tried a little pinch of allspice which has also provided a nice distinction. With a large naval orange in the refrigerator the fresh juice complemented well with the salad ingredients.
The hectic holiday season now upon us we can all use some lovely dishes to put together for those special in our lives, something a bit unique that shows how much we care. I hope this Cous Cous, Dried Fruits, Toasted Almonds, Orange Dressing is one that will work well for you too!
Cous Cous, Dried Fruits, Toasted Almonds, Orange Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 box Trader Joe’s Israeli Cous Cous
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ red onion, chopped fine
- 1 stalk celery, chopped fine
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 large bay leaf
- 1 3/4 cup chicken stock (one 16 ounce can)
- Couple pinches ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 8 dried apricots, thinly sliced then chopped into small pieces
- 3/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted, or honey toasted almonds
- 1/2 teaspoon or a little more of ground cinnamon
- 1 large navel orange, cut in half, juiced and strained
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/8 cup fresh mint leaves, torn, leaving any tiny leaves whole for garnish
Instructions
- On very low temperature, heat a large, deep- sided, lidded pan, add in butter, swirl to cover the bottom of the pan
- Tumble in the red onions and celery along with the cinnamon stick and bay leaf, cook for five minutes or a little longer until softened
- Pour in the cous cous stirring to combine with the mixture
- Increase heat to medium low and heat the cous cous to a golden brown which will lend a nuttier flavor. Pay careful attention not to burn the cous cous, stirring regularly to evenly brown
- Once the Cous Cous has reached its golden color pour in the chicken stock, bring the mixture to a boil then place a lid onto the pan, reduce the temperature to very low and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed then turn off the heat, let sit for five minutes use fork to separate the cous cous kernels
- Transfer cooked cous cous to a shallow serving dish, forking again to separate the grains, let cool
- Sprinkle over the cinnamon, stir lightly throughout
- Tumble in the apricots, cranberries, and toasted almonds, stir
- Pour in the fresh squeezed orange juice, stir
- Sprinkle in the salt and pepper, stir, check seasoning, and adjust to taste
- Toss in the mint, garnishing with some small pieces
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