Recipes
Couscous Salad using left over lamb
Serves 4
2 garlic cloves, minced
Vegetable broth – 2 cups
1 cup couscous (see note below regarding bulgur)
1 - 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed, drained
1 large green onion, sliced
1 celery stalk chopped
1/4 cup cucumber seeded & chopped
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 pound cold cooked leg of lamb, thinly sliced (for this meal the lamb was served on the side… or some people put it on top of the salad. If I were a carnivore I would have diced it up into small chunks and put it in the salad but I’m not so I didn’t. Sallie claims that in the fancy restaurants it would be sliced thinly and decoratively placed on the top of the salad. This was not a fancy restaurant.)
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Additional fresh cilantro sprigs
Cook couscous according to instructions on package – using vegetable broth for liquid. (Typically put dry couscous in a large bowl. Bring vegetable broth to a bowl and pour over the couscous – stir once. Cover and let stand 5 minutes then fluff with fork.) Cool.
* I used 1/2 couscous and 1/2 bulgur and if I made it again I would use more bulgur than couscous but you’re making this recipe and you get to do what you want. If you use bulgur – follow directions on the package – which usually involves boiling vegetable broth and adding it to the bulgur and letting it sit for about 30 – 60 minutes. Drain in a strainer before adding to the couscous. If it’s too wet when you add it to the couscous it will make the couscous soggy (which is why you don’t add the chopped tomatoes until the end).
In a 2 cup measuring cup or small bowl pour olive oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, green onion &, cilantro. Season with pepper to taste. (Don’t add salt yet because you may find the salad salty enough when you add the feta cheese). Add this mixture to the couscous when it is cool(ish). You may add the garbanzo beans at this time.
Refrigerate until about ½ hour before you’re ready to serve. At that time add the tomatoes and feta cheese to the salad and mix well. (And if you’re a carnivore this is where you would either add the lamb or set it aside to serve it on top of the salad when it’s time to dish up).
Thanks to Sallie for this recipe and help with making it as well.