Lemons abound!
Not only are they in my CSA basket, all over the farmer’s market, but friends are giving us lemons from their trees.
So, that means nightly lemon-honey tea (juice of one lemon, honey, and hot water), lemon squares (Mark Bittman’s recipe), candied lemon peel (recipe to be posted at a future date) and lots of Couscous with Cilantro and Lemon Juice. I riffed off the recipe from epicurious.com here and used large couscous upon the suggestion of my sister-in-law. It turned out great – and used a surprisingly amount of cilantro, which I always seem to have lurking in the bottom in one of my veggie drawers. Bella liked it, and so did the wee Murdy. (Husband’s an easy sell – he likes everything I make, so…)
The flavors were bold. It went great with roasted chicken.
Couscous with Cilantro and Lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used 4 cloves or more)
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (I used curry powder – a heaping tsp)
- 1 2/3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel (I used more – an entire lemon)
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups plain couscous (I used large pearl, the Israeli kind from TJs)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (I used way more – almost an entire bunch)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (again, MORE – a whole large lemon)
1. Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and turmeric; stir 1 minute.
2. Add 1 2/3 cups water, lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; bring to boil.
3. Stir in couscous. Cover and simmer according to box – about 15 minutes.
4. When all the water is absorbed, fluff with fork; mix in cilantro and lemon juice.
5. Season with pepper and additional coarse salt, if desired.
