Preserved Lemon And Cranberry Couscous Salad Recipes

OUR FAVORITE LEMON HERB COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain.
• While the couscous cooks, in a large bowl, whisk the oil, mustard, honey, lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add the drained couscous to the dressing and mix well.
• Stir in the cucumber, tomato, herbs, walnuts and raisins. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and/or pepper as needed. Enjoy warm or cover then refrigerate until cool, about 1 hour.

CRANBERRY-COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat broth, cranberries, cinnamon and cumin to boiling. Remove from heat; stir in couscous. Cover; let stand 15 minutes. Fluff with fork; let stand uncovered until cooled.
• In small bowl, beat oil and vinegar with whisk; pour over couscous. Add almonds, onions and mint; toss well. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

APRICOT-CRANBERRY ISRAELI COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add Israeli couscous and stir occasionally until lightly browned and toasted, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Bring chicken broth to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour over couscous and add orange juice. Stir in apricots, dried cranberries, and ginger. Bring back to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until liquid has been absorbed, 10 to 11 minutes. Fluff with a fork, garnish with chopped mint, and serve.

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DRIED APRICOTS AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add couscous and cook until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, in a small dry skillet, toast cumin seeds until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Lightly crush them using a mortar and a pestle (or use the flat side of a heavy knife and a cutting board). Add to a bowl with the warm couscous, vinegar, salt and pepper and toss well. When the couscous is cool, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice or oil if needed. Garnish with pistachio nuts if desired.

PRESERVED LEMON AND CRANBERRY COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Heat olive oil and saffron in large saucepan. Add couscous and toast until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil, cover and continue cooking, stirring ocasionally until liquid is absorbed and pasta is tender. Remove from heat and put in a colander so any remaining liquid drains.
• Transfer couscous to a mixing bowl, and combine with remaining ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

COUSCOUS-PARSLEY SALAD WITH PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the couscous with the water and lemon juice. Let stand 1 hour.
• To the couscous add the olive oil, parsley, mint, preserved lemon rind, pine nuts, salt and pepper. Mound the couscous in the center of a serving platter. Top with diced tomato. Surround the base with endive leaves. Serve at room temperature.
• Scrub the lemons under running water and pat dry. Cut a thin slice from each end of a lemon. Set on end and make a vertical cut 3/4 of the way through the fruit, leaving the 2 halves attached. Turn the lemon upside down, rotate 90 degrees, and make a second vertical cut, again 3/4 of the way through the fruit. Fill each cut with as much salt as it will hold. Place the lemon in a sterilized, 1-quart size, wide-mouth canning jar. Proceed in this manner for the remaining lemons, pressing as many into the jar as possible. Seal and set aside at room temperature. Add additional lemons over the next few days as the rinds of the first lemons begin to soften. By this time, the juices should have risen to cover the lemons. If not, add 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice mixed with 1 teaspoon of salt. This will prevent the top lemons from darkening. Store at room temperature until the rinds become tender, and the pulp acquires the consistency of jam, 3 to 4 weeks. Refrigerate. Use within 6 months.
• Yield: 1 quart

PRESERVED LEMONS

Steps:

• Toss the lemon slices in kosher salt to coat, and place them into a sterile 2 quart glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice, cover tightly, and let stand on the counter for 1 week. Turn the jar over daily. At the end of the week, top the jar off with enough olive oil to cover the lemons. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
• To use, pull the lemon pulp from the peel, and scrape out the pith to leave only the yellow rind. Julienne, and add to your favorite dish for a lemony zing.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND PRESERVED LEMON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Halve lemons and scoop out flesh, keeping both flesh and peel. Cut enough peel into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1/4 cup. Put lemon flesh in a sieve set over a bowl and press with back of a spoon to extract juice.
• Toss squash with 1 tablespoon oil and salt to taste in a large shallow baking pan and spread in 1 layer. Roast in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until squash is just tender, and transfer to a large bowl.
• Cook onion in 1 tablespoon oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn golden. Add to squash.
• Cook couscous with cinnamon stick in a large pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until just tender, and drain in a colander (do not rinse). Add couscous to vegetables and toss with 2 tablespoon oil to coat.
• Add lemon peel and juice, parsley, nuts, raisins, ground cinnamon, and salt to taste. Toss to mix well.
• To adapt this recipe to serve 50:
• 4 to 5 preserved lemons
• 5 lb. butternut squash, peeled and seeded
• 3/4 to 1 cup olive oil
• 3 cups chopped onion
• 7 cups Israeli couscous or acini di pepe (tiny peppercorn-shaped pasta), about 3 lb.
• 4 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
• 3 cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 cups pine nuts, toasted
• 2 cups golden raisins
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Preheat oven to 475°F.
• Halve lemons and scoop out flesh, keeping both flesh and peel. Cut enough peel into 1/4-inch dice to measure 1 cup. Put lemon flesh in a sieve set over a bowl and press with back of a spoon to extract juice.
• Cut enough squash into 1/4-inch dice to measure about 12 cups and toss with 1/3 cup oil and salt to taste. Roast in single layers in batches in your largest shallow baking pan in upper third of oven 15 minutes, or until just tender.
• Cook 1/2 of onion in 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to turn golden. Add to squash. Repeat with remaining onion and more oil.
• Cook couscous with cinnamon sticks in an 8-qt. pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes, or until just tender, and drain in a colander (do not rinse). Toss couscous with 3 tablespoons oil in a large bowl. Add squash, onion, lemon peel and juice, and remaining ingredients. Season with salt (you'll need a lot) and toss to mix well.

MEDITERRANEAN LEMON COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Cook couscous in 1 cup of water.
• Cool to room temperature.
• Whisk together lemon juice and olive oil.
• Pour over other ingredients combining well.
• Season with fresh pepper.

CRANBERRY COUSCOUS SALAD

Steps:

• Combine broth, cranberries, cinnamon, and cumin in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil.
• Remove broth from heat and stir in couscous. Cover and let stand for 5-7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and set aside to cool slightly, uncovered.
• Whisk oil and vinegar together; pour over couscous. Add remaining ingredients and toss well.
• Serve either chilled or at room temperature.

COUSCOUS SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES AND PECANS

Steps:

• Put the couscous in a small pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for at least 10 minutes, or up to 20.
• Put the slightly cooled couscous in a large salad bowl along with the carrots, pecans, cranberries, scallions, oil and lemon zest and juice, and sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper. Use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the couscous and tossing gently to separate the grains. (The salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
• Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, moisten with a little more oil and lemon juice as you like, and serve.