Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Israeli Couscous with Squash and Radicchio



I like to try and have at least one or two vegetarian meals a week and it gets harder and harder to come by interesting recipes. When I saw this recipe in this months Bon Appetite, I thought it looked really interesting and wanted to try it. Rich and I went to a Mediterranean cuisine demonstration course last year where they used Israeli couscous, and we liked it then....so I was excited to see another recipe that used it. It seems to be a fairly underutilized ingredient, but I think it has a great texture...totally different from regular couscous.



I made a couple of changes to the original recipe, as it was supposed to be served with a parsley butter. I was not enthused to put 6 tbs of butter into the recipe, in mind, unnecessarily. So, I cut out the butter and just added some parsley to the entire dish at the end, and I think it worked great. I don't think it needed the butter....but that's just my opinion and I am always tyring to find ways to cut the fat out of a recipe. Otherwise, this was a very healthy, tasty meal and it even got approval from my meat loving hubby :)

Israeli Couscous with Squash, Radicchio and Parsley
(Serves 4)

2 tbs Olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 tsp grated lemon peel, divided
1 8.8oz package toasted Israeli couscous
3 cups low-salt chicken broth
3 cups 1/2-inch cubes peeled butternut squash (about 12 oz)
1 cup diced radicchio
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley leaves

1. Melt 2 tbs of Olive oil in a heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and 2 tsp of lemon peel. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add couscous; saute for 2 minutes.

2. Add broth and squash; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cook uncovered until couscous and squash are tender and mixture is still moist, about 10 minutes. Mix in radicchio and cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Meanwhile, finely chop the parsley, add at the last minute and stir through. Top with extra parsley and remaining lemon peel, then serve.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Brooke, where did you get your isralei couscous? I've had it in restaurants and love it but have as yet to find it anywhere for sale in a store in Philadelphia. Since you're "kind of" nearby, any suggestions on a grocery chain that carries it? If I can find it, I'll give the recipe a go.

B said...

hi jenn, I actually found mine at Giant in the international foods section. I almost didn't see it and they only have one variety, so perhaps ask an employee if they can help you find it. I haven't looked in wholefoods, but I think they may sell it too. Good luck :)

morgan said...

this recipe is amazing, but to be fair, not ACTUALLY vegetarian.

B said...

Hi Morgan, thanks for your comment. You are right, as it stands this recipe is not vegetarian, I forgot about the chicken broth! However you could make it vegetarian by using vegetable broth. Sorry for the mistake :)