Barefoot Bloggers: Curried Couscous

I don't know why but I just never get these posts up on the actual "due date". I think it's because I don't have much time for cooking during the week. I usually cook one or two days during the week. The rest of the nights, we go out or I make some that isn't blogworthy. Also, Ina's dishes make nearly twice the serving size that she claims so I try to wait till the weekend so the whole family can partake in the new dish. It's more fun that way. So that's why this is late, as usual. But better late than never! And with this dish, that was definitely the case.
You can go here to check out what other bloggers thought of this dish, Barefoot Bloggers .

It was so tasty. The curry flavor wasn't overwhelming at all, which was a good thing since my husband is what I like to call, curry-sensitive. But we'll get to that later. I made a few ommissions, additions (in italics), and substitutions which I've outlined below. The biggest addition I did was a couple cups of sugar snap peas. It gave the salad a nice crunch and added some green color. Enjoy!

Curried Couscous

1 1/2 cups couscous (I used the grande couscous because I had some)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
(juice of half a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric (omitted)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt (Only used 1/2 teaspoon and it was MORE than enough!!)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (used dried cherries - awesome!)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion (omitted - I don't like raw onion)
(2 cups lightly steamed sugar snap peas)
Directions
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Platinum Chef Challenge #9: My recipes

While I'm not officially "in the running", I still couldn't resist coming up with some new recipe ideas for this challenge's secret ingredients that I chose:
Sage
Apples
Mushrooms
Bacon
Shallots
We've got some really good entries! If anyone still wants to enter let me know either by a comment or an email. I can extend the deadline one last week since I know a lot of people were still interested but ran out of time. Thanks to all those who got their entries in! They all look so tasty. The original post can be found here (includes the "rules"):
Platinum Chef Challenge #9

My two recipes were:
Apple Shallot Couscous with Sage and Toasted Pine Nuts
Spinach and Mushroom Bake with Bacon

Apple Shallot Couscous with Sage and Toasted Pine Nuts
Couscous, following package directions for 2-4 servings, boil in chicken or beef broth
1 apple, I used red delicious, chopped
2 shallots, sliced thinly
1/2 onion, chopped
6 fresh sage leaves, chiffonaded
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
salt and pepper to your taste
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth
3/4 cup pine nuts

Prepare your couscous according to package directions and then set aside, covered to keep warm. In a medium skillet, place your chopped apple, onion, shallots, sage leaves, olive oil and two tablespoons of butter. Cook until the shallots have softened and the apple starts releasing it's juices. Mix in the spices and stir to coat. Add another tablespoon of butter along with your chicken broth. Let the broth come to a simmer and allow it to thicken to a saucy consistency. In a smaller skillet over medium low heat, toast your pine nuts until brown. Be very careful not to burn them! They can burn very easily. Watch them and toss them in the skillet continuously.
Finally combine your prepared couscous with the apple shallot mixture and toss to coat. Add the final tablespoon of butter. Then stir in your toasted pinenuts, season with salt and pepper if needed and serve!


Spinach Mushroom Bake with Bacon
Adapted from the Costco cookbook's Spinach Bake

1 16-oz package of frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained of excess water
3 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 small onion, minced
6 slices of bacon, chopped
5 fresh sage leaves, chiffonaded
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/4 cups of swiss cheese, grated
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
2 eggs
splash of half and half or milk
1 1/2 cups of cream of mushroom soup (this was PERFECT! I used leftovers from this Barefoot Bloggers recipe that I had in the fridge)
paprika for sprinkling on the top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Set your spinach aside. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet saute your mushrooms, onions, chopped bacon and sage in olive oil until all elements are slightly cooked. Turn off heat and mix the ingredients with your prepared spinach. Once the mixture has cooled slightly you can then mix in a cup of your grated swiss cheese and a 1/4 cup of your grated parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, whisk together your eggs with a splash of half and half or milk. Pour into your spinach mixture and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally mix in your creamy mushroom soup and lay the mixture out into a baking pan. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of swiss and 1/4 cup of parmesan. Sprinkle lightly with paprika and pop in the oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until cheese is hot and bubbly. Serve.


I served this with grilled tuna topped with a dijon rosemary white wine sauce .

For the sauce I combined the following:
3 shallots, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon butter
salt and pepper to taste

Saute your shallots in olive oil and about halfway through add your rosemary. Saute until the rosemary begins to soften then deglaze the pan with your beef broth and wine. Bring to a simmer, add the dijon mustard and butter and allow the sauce to thicken a bit. Season with salt and pepper and then pour over your grilled chicken, fish or meat.