Couscous Salad With Cucumber, Red Onion and Herbs
35 days ago
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If you haven’t discovered the virtues of couscous yet, give this salad a try. The tiny pasta is low in fat, and high in fiber and protein, making it stand out from other pastas. It is given a flavor boost in this recipe Couscous Salad With Cucumber, Red Onion and Herbs.
Created by our friends at New York Kitchen, the salad’s fresh ingredients make it a great side dish for summer. But, honestly, it tastes good any time of year.
Preparing the Ingredients
English cucumber and red onion are the featured veggies. Use a Traditional Cheese Knife to trim off the ends of the cucumber, slice lengthwise and then thinly slice.
The sharp Micro-D™ edge of the cheese knife easily slice the cucumber and the holes along the blade prevent the watery slices from sticking to it. The knife really is great for more than just cheese.
The recipe calls for very thinly slicing the red onion, which is easily done with a good prep knife, like the 7-5/8″ Petite Chef.
I like my onion to be super thin, almost shaved. Along with the knife, you could also try using a Vegetable Peeler to shave off thin slices of onion. But, it’s really up to your preference how thick you like it.
Lemon zest adds some brightness and a touch of zip to the couscous. If you don’t have a lemon zester, Cutco has an easy way to make it using a Vegetable Peeler and 7″ Santoku knife. Peel away some of the lemon rind, being careful not to peel into the white part of the fruit. Lay the peel down on a Cutting Board and mince as fine as you can to create zest.
For information on how to make lemon zest without a zester, check out our handy step-by-step tutorial.
Making the Salad
The lemon flavor is enhanced by some lemon juice in the dressing, which is oh, so tasty. It also includes olive oil, honey, chili powder and cumin. The result is a slightly sweet and tangy dressing with some smoky undertones.
The couscous is actually cooked off of the stove. Boiling water is poured over the dry pasta in a bowl to cook it, which only takes a few minutes.
Finely chopped cilantro and Italian parsley, cucumber and onion, and lemon zest are all tossed with the couscous. The dressing is drizzled in and then toasted pine nuts are added to add a bit of crunch to the dish.
The cucumber in this salad refreshes the palate, while the onion adds a bit of sharpness, the herbs lend some earthiness and the lemon brightens it up.
All that combined makes this Couscous Salad With Cucumber, Red Onion and Herbs a well-rounded side dish that goes well with everything from grilled salmon to pot roast.
About New York Kitchen:
New York Kitchen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that uses the stories of agriculture, food and craft beverage to inspire creative exploration to educate, excite and engage the world in a celebration of the incredible bounty of New York State. The mission is driven forward through educational hands-on cooking and craft beverage pairing classes and programs, industry certifications and professional development, Junior Chefs camps and Youth Summit, and a 100% New York State Tasting Room.
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1 cup loosely packed cilantro, finely chopped
- 1 cup loosely packed Italian parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, cut lengthwise and very thinly sliced
- 1/2 red onion, cut in half and shaved extremely thin
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 3 ounces feta cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions
- Put the couscous in a large bowl and pour the boiling water over it. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Then remove cover and fluff with a fork.
- In a small pan, toast the pine nuts over a low flame.
- Toss the finely chopped herbs with the couscous, as well as the sliced cucumber, onion and lemon zest.
- In a small bowl whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, honey, chili powder and cumin.
- Drizzle the dressing over the couscous mixture and then toss until well combined.
- Stir in the pine nuts. Crumble the feta and stir that in as well. Taste and season generously with salt and pepper.
Recipe courtesy of New York Kitchen in Canandaigua, a center that showcases New York State’s agriculture through cooking classes, beverage pairings and other programs.
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