Israeli Couscous With Roasted Eggplant And Cinnamon Cumin Dressing Recipes

SPICED SEARED EGGPLANT WITH PEARL COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, cumin, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
• Heat a heavy pot (2 to 3 quarts) with a tight-fitting lid over medium until hot but not smoking. Add couscous and toast, stirring often, until golden and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer toasted couscous to a bowl.
• Add oil to pot and raise heat to medium-high. When it shimmers, add eggplant, onion, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring often, until onions are softened and golden and the eggplant is browned and slightly shrunken, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir just until fragrant.
• Add tomato paste and the prepared spice mixture and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in toasted couscous, tomato and 1 1/2 cups water, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid, 8 to 12 minutes. Turn off the heat and let rest 2 minutes. Uncover, stir in paprika and parsley, then taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Serve immediately and dollop with yogurt, if desired.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Bring a small pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the Israeli couscous and cook until cooked through, 6 to 7 minutes. Strain from the water and reserve.
• Coat a large saute pan with olive oil. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and bring to high heat. After a few minutes, add the almonds to toast them in the oil. When the garlic is golden and very aromatic, remove it from the pan and discard it. Add the cooked couscous and chicken stock. Season with salt and cook until the stock has reduced by half. Add the pomegranate seeds, apricots, and scallions. Stir to combine and taste to make sure it is delicious.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

STUFFED EGGPLANT WITH ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, wrap each half in a sheet of Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil and arrange them on a baking sheet. Roast the eggplants until the centers are soft and tender, about 30 minutes. Unwrap the eggplants and scoop out the center pulp, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edges of each eggplant. Roughly chop the reserved pulp and set it aside.
• Add the olive oil to a medium saucepan set over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute, then add the couscous, allspice, bay leaves and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring constantly, for an additional 2 minutes.
• Add the chicken broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt then bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the mixture to a simmer, cover the saucepan, and cook the couscous until it is tender and the liquid has absorbed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the bay leaves and cinnamon stick. Stir in the reserved eggplant, parsley and feta cheese, then divide the couscous mixture evenly among the eggplants.
• Arrange the stuffed eggplants on a foil-lined baking sheet and return them to the oven, uncovered, and bake until they are warmed throughout, about 5 minutes. Remove the eggplants from the oven, top them with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS, EGGPLANT AND TOMATO GRATIN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and coat foil generously with olive oil. Toss eggplant slices with salt to taste and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Line baking sheet with the slices in a single layer (you may need 2 baking sheets, or do this in batches). Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Eggplant will look dry on surface but should be soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from oven and, wearing oven mitts, carefully fold the foil up in half over the eggplant and crimp edges to create a sealed packet. Allow eggplant to steam inside the packet for another 15 minutes (you can cook couscous during this time). Turn oven down to 375 degrees.
• Oil a 2-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Place cooked Israeli couscous in a bowl and stir in 1/2 cup of the tomato sauce. Spoon into baking dish in an even layer.
• Remove eggplant slices from foil packet (they should be thoroughly tender), and layer on top of couscous, overlapping slices slightly. Cover with remaining tomato sauce and sprinkle on Parmesan cheese. Drizzle on remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place in oven and bake 30 minutes, until browned and bubbling. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with torn or slivered basil leaves just before serving.