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.
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.
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.
DELIGHTFUL.
Have a great weekend!
6 comments:
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.
Sounds delicious and great for a speedy after work dinner!
I like that tip-I've never made couscous with a tea kettle before.
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).
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!
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!
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