Pearl Couscous with Salted Lemons and Summer Squash

Who said that vegetarian diet can not be as diverse as carnivore's? I would say it is when preparing my new favorite couscous dish:-) In this colorful dish, there are carbs, proteins, vitamins and lots of flavors:-) Slowly but steadily, I come to the understanding of why some people turn easily to fruits, roots and other rich vegetarian products. I would love to live completely sustainable life, preserve our mother nature and its creatures. However, for now, I am eating meat in moderation for two major reasons: too much meat is not healthy in a long run and too much natural resources are being spent to raise meet. Because I am going to be a chef and I am going to a culinary school pretty soon, my thoughts of vegetarianism might be postponed for indefinite time:-)
When I decided to put an experiment with couscous, I already had some ideas in mind. Couscous is a North African product which is widely used in many countries. There is a number of couscous types: Moroccan - small and cornmeal size; Israeli - pearl shaped and bigger in size than Moroccan; Lebanese - the largest in size. The latest couscous variation I tried was at the Cheesecake Factory - Moroccan chicken with pearl couscous and caramelized onions. Honestly, the moment I put spoon in my mouth, I lost my speech so delicious it was! I am a huge fan of African and Arabic cuisines. I kind of figured out that my little salted lemons would match ideally couscous and I also decided to add some sweet taste by adding dry plums and a butternut squash. Since I played fearlessly with tastes and wanted to jazz up flavors, I thought why don't I bring some sourness with tamarid paste. The dish can be served cold or hot, an additive to the main course or by itself. It takes only 30 minutes to make it! So here is the recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup of pearl couscous (the other name is Israel Couscous)
1 1/4 cups of water
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of butternut squash (washed, peeled and diced of 1/10 inch)
1 cup of walnuts (diced)
1 cup of dry plums (diced)
1/2 of 1 salted lemon (cut in small pieces)
1/2 bunch of fresh parsley
1 teaspoon of tamarind paste
1 tablespoon of agava nectar
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon powder
Salt and pepper according to your taste

for the dish, you will need: 1 cooking pot, 1 small skillet and 1 large skillet.

Instructions

1. Bring to boil a pot with water and salt (according to your taste). As soon as water starts boiling, add couscous, stir and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes or until ready. When ready, set aside and drain.

2. Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Toast walnuts on the skillet for 5 minutes tossing them occasionally.

3. Heat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add squash and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Then add plums, a salted lemon half and walnuts. Mix gently.

4. Add couscous to the mixture. Pour agava nectar and tamarind paste. Sprinkle cinnamon, salt and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes stirring gently.

5. Finally, chop fresh parsley and sprinkle it over the couscous. Set the dish aside.

* Be careful with salt. Lemons already contain lots of salt!


Bon Appetite!