Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Hot Green Peppers

Couscous is a fine pellet made from semolina flour, each golden grain a bit larger than the head of a pin. Some chefs call it “Moroccan pasta” because it is made with the same durum wheat used to make pasta. Here, cooked couscous is combined with roasted green peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. The resulting salad is similar to Middle Eastern tabouleh and perfect for a summer picnic.

• 
  
  1-1/2 cups couscous
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 cup water
  
  


• 
  
  1/2 tsp. salt
  
  


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  2 green bell peppers, roasted and diced 
  
  


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  2 cups coarsely chopped cherry tomatoes or 2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
  


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  1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced
  
  


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  1 hot green or red chili pepper (jalapeño or serrano), minced 
  
  


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  1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  
  


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  1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or coriander leaves
  
  


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  5 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
  
  


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  2 to 4 Tbs. lemon juice
  
  


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  1 tsp. ground cumin
  
  


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  1/4 tsp. sweet paprika
  
  


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  3 cloves garlic, minced
  
  


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  Freshly ground black pepper
  
  

Wash the couscous in cold water and drain immediately. Lift and rake the grains with your fingertips to separate them. Let rest 10 minutes.

Heat water in the bottom of a soup pot fitted with a steamer. The steamer should fit snugly into the pot, and the bottom of the steamer should not touch the water. Line the steamer with 3 layers of cheesecloth that cover both the bottom and the sides of the steamer and go up over the top. Add the couscous to the steamer and steam for 20 minutes, fluffing the grains halfway through the cooking.

Remove the couscous from the steamer and put it into a baking pan. Combine the water and salt. Sprinkle the couscous with the salt water. Lift and rake the grains with your fingertips to separate them. Let rest 10 minutes.

Place the steamer back in the soup pot and return the couscous to the cheesecloth-lined steamer. Steam slowly for 15 minutes. Remove the steamer and the couscous. Let the couscous cool completely.

The couscous can be prepared to this point up to 2 days in advance.

Place the couscous in a bowl and add the peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, chili pepper, parsley, and cilantro.

In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, paprika, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with the couscous and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper.

Venezuelan Chocolate Chile Chicken

There are very many versions of chocolate chile chicken, but I chose to include this one as it’s fantastically quick and easy to make. I can’t promise it’s authentic, but it does have the wow factor, and the Venezuelan chocolate adds a deep, rich, glossy finish and flavor.  

• 
  
  4 banana shallots, finely chopped
  
  


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  2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
  


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  1 Tbs. light olive oil
  
  


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  4 organic chicken thighs
  
  


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  4 organic chicken drumsticks
  
  


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  Juice and zest of 3 oranges 
  
  


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  3 fresh red chiles, finely diced
  
  


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  2 tsp. dried mulato chiles (or any other mild chiles)
  
  


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  1 Tbs. coriander seeds
  
  


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  400 grams canned chopped tomatoes
  
  


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  1 Tbs. dark muscovado sugar
  
  


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  150 grams Venezuelan dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  
  


• 
  
  Bunch of coriander leaves (about 25 g)
  
  

Heat the oven to 400°F.

In a casserole dish, sauté the shallots and the garlic in the olive oil, then add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add the orange juice and zest, fresh and dried chiles, coriander seeds, tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, lift out the chicken and stir the chocolate into the remaining sauce. Serve with the sauce smothered over the chicken with generous amounts of chopped or torn coriander leaves.

Venezuelan Chocolate Chile Chicken

There are very many versions of chocolate chile chicken, but I chose to include this one as it’s fantastically quick and easy to make. I can’t promise it’s authentic, but it does have the wow factor, and the Venezuelan chocolate adds a deep, rich, glossy finish and flavor.  

• 
  
  4 banana shallots, finely chopped
  
  


• 
  
  2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  
  


• 
  
  1 Tbs. light olive oil
  
  


• 
  
  4 organic chicken thighs
  
  


• 
  
  4 organic chicken drumsticks
  
  


• 
  
  Juice and zest of 3 oranges 
  
  


• 
  
  3 fresh red chiles, finely diced
  
  


• 
  
  2 tsp. dried mulato chiles (or any other mild chiles)
  
  


• 
  
  1 Tbs. coriander seeds
  
  


• 
  
  400 grams canned chopped tomatoes
  
  


• 
  
  1 Tbs. dark muscovado sugar
  
  


• 
  
  150 grams Venezuelan dark chocolate, broken into pieces
  
  


• 
  
  Bunch of coriander leaves (about 25 g)
  
  

Heat the oven to 400°F.

In a casserole dish, sauté the shallots and the garlic in the olive oil, then add the chicken pieces and brown on all sides. Add the orange juice and zest, fresh and dried chiles, coriander seeds, tomatoes and sugar and simmer for 5 minutes. Pop on the lid and cook in the oven for 20 minutes.

Remove from oven, lift out the chicken and stir the chocolate into the remaining sauce. Serve with the sauce smothered over the chicken with generous amounts of chopped or torn coriander leaves.

Moroccan-Style Spice Rub

Give your vegetables a Moroccan kick by tossing them with this warm spice mix before roasting. It pairs especially well with sweeter or starchy vegetables such as butternut squash, carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and turnips.

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  2 tsp. ground cumin
  
  


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  1 tsp. ground coriander
  
  


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  1/2 tsp. chili powder
  
  


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  1/2 tsp. sweet paprika, preferably Hungarian
  
  


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  1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
  
  


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  1/4 tsp. ground allspice
  
  


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  1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  
  


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  1/8 tsp. cayenne
  
  


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  Pinch ground cloves
  
  

In a small bowl, mix all of the spices. In addition to the oil, salt, and pepper in the master recipe, toss 1 tsp. of the spice blend with a batch of vegetables before roasting.