Moroccan Couscous

Couscous is a traditional dish throughout much of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, and in its traditional form, requires a considerable amount of time to prepare.  However, the couscous available in most Western grocery stores is a quick-cook version where it has already been pre-steamed and dried making the preparation as easy as boiling a pot of water. 

This light and fluffy grain has become a weekday staple in our household because of its ease of preparation, and for this Moroccan Couscous 12 minutes is all you need from start to finish.  On weekdays when time is at a premium, dinner can often get squeezed into a very small window, but in my opinion that is no excuse to not have healthy, nutritious, and flavorful meal together as a family.  Dishes like this one help me to do so.

INGREDIENTS:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
3/4 cup shallots, chopped (I only had 1 shallot and that was about 1/4 cup, so I substituted onion for the rest)
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup currants

DIRECTIONS:
1.  Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots (and/or onions) and saute for 3 minutes, or until fragrant and softened.

2.  Add chicken broth, salt, and pepper to saucepan, raise heat to high, and bring mixture to a boil.  Once boil is achieved, take saucepan off the heat, add couscous, and immediately cover.  Let sit undisturbed for 10 minutes.

3.  Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in small sautepan over medium heat, until browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

4.  Add toasted pine nuts and currants.  Stir to combine and serve immediately.

Recipe from Foodnetwork.com, Ina Garten

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This recipe is linked to Simple Lives Thursday, 32nd edition.