Episode 11: Like Grains of Sand
(Couscous Taboulé)

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Ingredients

For the Basic Marinade:

• Couscous
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• White Onion
• Fresh Mint Leaves (preferably Spearmint)
• Lemon
• Kosher salt

To Dress the Couscous:

• Tomatoes, chopped
• Cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• Scallions, chopped
• Black Currants
• Toasted Pine Nuts
• Black Cured Olives
• Cayenne Pepper
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation

1. Using an electric blender, make a puree out of chunks of peeled cucumber, tomatoes, onion, plennty of mint leaves, lemon juice and salt. Pour puree over dry couscous (use about equal parts), stir and refrigerate for at least one hour.
2. Break up the "cooked" couscous with a fork and add diced tomatoes( or halved cherry tomatoes), diced seeded cucumber, currants, pitted olives, and toasted pine nuts. Season with salt, cayenne pepper, and a touch of olive oil.

Notes

• Taboulé, at times spelled Tabouli or Tabouleh, is typical for the entire Northern African region, and every country does it slightly differently. The version described above is of aa French-Morrocan origin.
• In some regions, it is made with Bulghur (cracked wheat) instead of couscous, which has a coarser texture and nutty flavor. Neither Couscous (which is Morrocan semolina pasta) nor Bulghur require cooking if used for Taboulé. Bulghur, however, requires soaking in Water.
• After soaking it, you can dress up the salad with additional ingredients as you wish. Besides the one listed above, you may use chopped parsley, toasted almond slivers, chopped bell pepper, raisins, cooked chickpeas, chopped shallots, and spices or flavorings such as cinnamon, ground allspice, grated lemon zest, even curry powder. Vinegar is not recommended for this salad.

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