Strange yet Wonderful Couscous Salad

Name: Strange yet Wonderful Couscous Salad
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 2 cups water; 1/3 cup raisins; 3/4 teaspoon salt; 4 tablespoons olive oil; 1 1/2 cups couscous; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 small onion, chopped fine; 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar; 3 red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped (or from a jar); 1/2 cup small pimento stuffed olive, drained and sliced thin (packed); 2 tablespoons capers, drained; 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted lightly; 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley (flat leaf if possible)

Submitted by Cookin-jo

"The list of ingredients may sound odd but the resulting blend of flavours is really amazing. I'd forgotten about this until I went through my old recipe box and I'm so glad I did. But, probably not for kids. I got this from a magazine a long time ago, can't remember which one."

Download

photo by Stephanie Y.

Ready In:: 25mins
Ingredients:: 13
Serves:: 6

ingredients

2 cups water
¹⁄₃ cup raisins
³⁄₄ teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 ¹⁄₂ cups couscous
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 red peppers, roasted, peeled and chopped (or from a jar)
¹⁄₂ cup small pimento stuffed olive, drained and sliced thin (packed)
2 tablespoons capers, drained
¹⁄₂ cup pine nuts, toasted lightly
¹⁄₂ cup finely chopped parsley (flat leaf if possible)

directions

In a small saucepan bring water to a boil with raisins, salt and 1 Tbsp oil. Stir in couscous, cover, and take off heat. Let stand for 5 minutes then fluff with a fork and transfer to a bowl to cool.
In a small skillet saute the onion and garlic in 2 Tbsp oil over medium low heat until pale golden and soft.
Stir onion mixture into the couscous along with the remaining ingredients including the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste.
Serve at room temperature.
This can be made a day ahead, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Guessing at the servings.

Questions & Replies

Got a question? Share it with the community!

Reviews

At first I didn't think this would taste strange at all but then I took a bite and decided that strange yet wonderful were the right adjectives to use for this recipe after all. I made several low fat adjustments (about 1 tablespoon olive oil for the onions and garlic, no oil otherwise, and fewer pine nuts and olives) but the taste still came through quite well. If you are not worried about the calories, I would add everything as listed. I didn't find the capers overwhelming myself and I added a bit more red wine vinegar. BF also liked this a lot. Fast and easy recipe too! Thanks!

Kumquat the Cats fr
This is an interesting salad. Every bite had a burst of intense and different flavor. I especially enjoyed the contrasts between sweet and sour, soft and cruncy. I found the capers to be a bit overwhelming;I would probably omit them next time. This would be nice in the summer with grilled chicken that was prepared with few flavorings so the flavors in the salad could shine through. Thanks for a culinary adventure!

Acerast
Wonderful is a good name for this salad. The sweet raisins and red peppers contrasted nicely with the green olives. I didn't have pine nuts so I toasted some walnuts and that gave it a nice crunch. This would be a great recipe to take to a potluck.

Stephanie Y.

RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Cookin-jo

I was born in a small Canadian prairie town but was raised in the city. Country living appeals to me more and more and now I think I have the best of both worlds, living just outside the city but within a 30 minute drive from downtown. I enjoy the wildlife I see out my kitchen window and my vegetable and flower gardens in the summer. And I love cooking with the produce from my garden, although there always seems to be too much at once. Learning to can became a necessity with all those beautiful vegetables and I now really enjoy making pickles, relish, salsa, jams and whatever else strikes my fancy. I have 2 teenage sons and cooking to suit everyone's taste is always a challenge. Recipezaar has certainly made life easier in that regard, with so many great recipes to choose from. <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e347/Saturn6666/KiwiDutch/3chefstag1.jpg"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/TasteofYellow.jpg"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Derfcookathon.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/smPACp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/Adopted1smp.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/personal/FRENCH-foodfun.jpg"> <img src="http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1956/holidaylightssticker.jpg"> <img src="http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/Other/photo-swap-7sticky.jpg"> <img src="http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1956/SoupsandsaladSTICKER.jpg"> <img src="http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1956/PotLuckSTICKER.jpg"> <img src="http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/237330/CameraLesschef-STICKER.jpg"> <img src="http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/237330/TEXMEXstickr.jpg"> <img src="http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s124/Cookin-jo/banners%20and%20stickers/piggysticker.jpg">

View Full Profile