Israeli couscous tabouli

By gwen -
I'm usually not crazy about tabouli because I don't like the taste of bulgur, for some reason, so using Israeli couscous was a nice substitute. We had friends over for dinner last night and served this with stuffed green peppers, and we made the filling out of couscous, chicken sausage, onions, peppers, Parm and oregano.

(Loosely based on this Food Network recipe.)
  • 1 package Israeli couscous, about 1 1/2 c dry
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • a big glug of olive oil 
  • generous servings of chopped herbs to taste; we used a blend of cilantro, oregano and mint 
  • a few shakes of zatar (optional but good)
  • 6 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
  • bunch of scallions, chopped
Bring a medium-size saucepan of water to a boil over medium heat. Add the couscous and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the couscous, run cold water over it for a few seconds to prevent clumping, and set aside to cool.

Combine lemon juice, olive oil, zatar, and salt and pepper. Shake or whisk to combine.

In a large serving bowl, mix together the couscous, herbs, tomatoes and scallions. Toss with the vinaigrette and season to taste. Allow it to sit for at least a half hour so the flavors can marry. [I like that phrase. "I now pronounce you tabouli! you may kiss the herbs!"]

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