Couscous with chicken sausage and summer vegetables ~ Ham Pie Sandwiches

27 July 2012

Couscous with chicken sausage and summer vegetables

Chicken sausage, corn, green beans, grape tomatoes, and couscous

Instant lunch: GO!

Couscous with chicken sausage and summer vegetables

Find yourself a half cup of instant couscous, a precooked chicken sausage, a couple cloves of garlic, an ear of corn, a handful of green beans, and another handful of grape or cherry tomatoes.

Make the couscous by covering it in boiling water fresh from the teapot. The water level should be a finger's width above the couscous. Cover with a cloth and let steam while you cook everything else.

Chicken sausage with corn and green beans

Cut your sausage into reasonable chunks and brown them in a saute pan over medium-high heat, adding a little olive oil if necessary. Add a little crushed & minced garlic after both sides of most pieces have browned.

Husk your corn and cut it off the cob; trim and chop your green beans. Add corn, beans, and a pinch of salt to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, until done to your liking. Deglaze the pan with dry vermouth or a little water if needed. Halve your tomatoes and add them to the pan for the last two minutes of cooking. Add a couple grinds of pepper at the very end.

Chicken sausage, corn, green beans, and grape tomatoes

When everything is done, take the cloth off your couscous, season with salt, pepper, and a little olive oil, and fluff it with a fork.

Dump your couscous into your sausage and veg and mix well, coating the couscous with the pan juices. Correct the seasonings and eat with vigor.

Chicken sausage, corn, green beans, grape tomatoes, and couscous

DELIGHTFUL.

Have a great weekend!


6 comments:

Heather S-G said...

Oh my gosh - this just SCREAMS summer! I have some couscous that I need to use...this sounds like what I want to do with it.

Caz said...

Sounds delicious and great for a speedy after work dinner!

Stephanie said...

I like that tip-I've never made couscous with a tea kettle before.

kristina said...

Deglazing with vermouth is genius!

Also, do you have a recommended brand? I tend to just avoid vermouth-y recipes since I really have no idea what to look for (or I wait to make them till I have white wine leftovers, which isn't ideal).

Eileen said...

Thanks for the comments, everyone! Glad you like it!

Couscous with teakettle H2O is one of my favorite tricks. If you have a hot water tap at work--the red tap on a water cooler or industrial coffeemaker--you can use it to make instant couscous for lunch too! Just keep some couscous, salt & pepper, and a little bottle of olive oil at work, and you'll always have something to eat.

Deglazing with dry vermouth is actually a Julia Child trick! It's the best since vermouth doesn't go off like wine does. I use almost any brand. The main thing is that it has to be dry; sweet vermouth would be super gross. We have Lehon right now, but Martini & Rossi or whatever you can get your hands on will work fine. You can also deglaze with a little water--no need to angst about sourcing there!

Kat said...

This can double as a great instant dinner too! Couscous has been a life saver for me for quick dinners. This sounds extra perfect with sausage and vermouth!