Last night, I had to fix something quick. I got caught up at the office late, and had a friend meeting me for dinner soon after I got home. I'd had a package of Maftoul couscous living in my pantry for quite some time, just begging to be used. A quick inventory of the fridge revealed a tomato, feta cheese, and Italian parsley that had to be used very soon. Well, Mr. Maftoul, your time has come!
This isn't your average couscous. Maftoul is much larger than the near-microscopic Moroccan variety that you get in a box at your monster-market. I used to frequently buy an Udi's dish with Maftoul, and was thrilled when I found a bag of it at a middle eastern market. The only preparation advice noted on the bag was: (don't get Maftoul to become brown). After a bit of googling, I learned that it can either be steamed (much slower), or boiled like pasta.
This light and refreshing dish took all of 15 minutes to prepare. Last night's dinner (even better as today's lunch) elicited dreams of summer. No stress, minimal mess, and my friend made it to her apartment showing with a full stomach and time to spare.
Maftoul with Feta and Tomato
Maftoul may either be steamed or boiled like pasta. Boiling is quite a bit faster.
Ingredients:
1 cup dry Maftoul couscous
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 Roma tomato chopped
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons chopped italian parsley
Preparation:
Bring about 4 cups of salted water to a boil in a medium pot.
Add the couscous and reduce to medium heat, stirring occasionally. Boil couscous for 10 - 12 minutes.
Drain couscous in a colander and rinse with cool water.
In the same pot, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.
Add onions and let simmer for about 2 minutes.
Add garlic for 1 minute and then remove from heat.
Return couscous to pot, and add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil and remaining ingredients.
Toss everything together, coating with oil.
Add freshly ground black pepper and seasalt to taste.
Thank you for reading,
- heath
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Listening to: Sleater Kinney "The Woods"
