I wonder if anyone else hates winter as much as I do? I don’t mean to be all negative but winter just kills it for me. Since this is a food blog, I won’t go into details about my skin drying and cracking, the headaches from wind blowing at my head (this is NOT psychological), and my seasonal affective disorder. However, I feel entitled to go off on a rant about how terrible New York produce is in winter. I’m going through tomato withdrawal, daydreaming about cracking open fresh pea pods, and cursing at the boxes labeled “raspberries”. As I stared at the emptiness in the farmer’s market, I thought to myself, that’s enough, I can’t just eat apples and celery root all winter.
When you head into the supermarkets, there are tons of vegetables shipped from far off lands, where the sun shines beyond 2 pm. Though available, not all are good, but zucchini, though it’s a summer squash is decent in the winter. You can get reasonably taut and smooth skinned green zucchini all year long. So, use this recipe now or save it and file it under “Good Any Time”. Don’t forget to tag it: 10 minute recipe!
This recipe calls for Israeli cous cous which is larger than regular cous cous, and frankly, after trying these pearly balls, I never went back to the teeny ones, which feel so much drier after you have Isreali cous cous. I’ve seen Israeli cous cous at Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, health food stores, and even some regular supermarkets, so you shouldn’t have a problem finding them.
This dish is light and fragrant, but not super strong. It’s meant to be a side dish.
Zucchini Cous Cous
~3 to 4 side servings
- 1 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- scant 3/4 cup Israeli cous cous
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup sliced (in rings) leeks (light parts only)
- 3 tablespoons chopped scallions
- 2 cups diced zucchini
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped oregano
- freshly grated parmesan to taste
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions –
1. Bring broth to a boil in a small pot. Add Israeli cous cous and reduce heat to gently simmer for 5 minutes. (If all of the liquid evaporates before 5 minutes, you should add a little bit more.) Remove from heat and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium saute pan. Add leeks and scallions. Sprinkle with salt and stir for a minute, or until they start to soften. Add zucchini with some salt. Stir or flip until zucchini soften. Stir in cous cous and oregano and remove from heat.
3. Adjust salt, pepper, and parmesan to taste. Be generous with black pepper and parmesan.
There are a few seasonal vegetables of course but I know what you mean about winter – I often wonder if it is a lot harder for the upscale restaurants to come up with a truly seasonal winter menu. I like the idea of zucchini cous cous – very yummy!
Natasha, I do think it’s harder for restaurants to do a true winter menu in places like New York, especially if it’s a tasting menu with many courses. You just don’t want root vegetables in every other dish.
Wish you were here. It has been in the 70s and sunny this week (other than a little rain this morning). I made fresh-squeezed lemonade this weekend from lemons I picked from our aunt’s tree.
::Sigh:: I know what you mean. I’m essentially going into withdrawal as well. Especially since the tomato crop this year wasn’t amazing. I’m in super withdrawal.
This recipe looks great though and would have me dreaming of summer with every bite!
i also bemoan the winter weather and lack of produce. so frustrating and annoying. but hey–what a delightful side this is! i love the feel of israeli couscous in my mouth, and the other components of the dish are appealing too. good stuff, jessica–hang in there against the winter woes!
I am with you on parched skin and so on… My hands are in distress come the first sign of cold, so right now…. eeekkk… That being said, I also rage about strawberries that only look like strawberries and same applies for tomatoes, raspberries… 🙁
I understand, I want my berries!
Olivia, wish I was there too, but can’t wait till your back in NY!