COUSCOUS

Couscous

It’s really hard to believe we are approaching the end of summer. A good indicator for me that the summer is over is our family picnic. It’s always held at the end of the summer. Most the younger kids are heading back to school shortly. It just marks the end of the ‘silly season’ (Auntie Rosy coined that phrase years ago – and I have some great stories about her at a later time).

All the summer outdoor parties and picnics are winding down and I want to get this recipe in before the summer ends. About 12 or 13 years ago I was watching a PBS food program. They were doing a program on Italian cooking. The chef made a comment that couscous was not exclusively a Middle Eastern dish but was also used in some Italian dishes. Most of time, I simply watch these programs and don’t pay close attention to the recipe and methods. But this one caught my attention and I quickly grabbed a pencil.

What I especially like about this recipe is you do not have to ‘cook’ the couscous. The ingredients have sufficient moisture to be absorbed into the couscous given enough time to set. Actually, by NOT cooking the couscous, more of the flavors are absorbed into this tiny ‘pasta’. The ingredients are basic and there is no need to go to a specialty store to purchase. In the summer time, it makes a great dish for picnics. Unlike potato salad made with mayonnaise, this salad can be left out on the table for a while without refrigeration.

Enjoy!!!

TUSCAN COUSCOUS

10 ounces couscous

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil

The zest of one lemon

The juice of two lemons

One medium red onion, diced

One cucumber, peeled and coarsely chopped

Two red ripen tomatoes, seeded and chopped, or

One 12-ounce can chopped tomatoes

One bunch green onions (about 6), chopped

One cup Calamata olives, chopped

1. In a large bowl, combine and whisk olive oil, lemon zest and lemon juice.

2. Add chopped tomatoes.

3. Toss couscous into mixture.

4. Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

5. Let set at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Molasses

I was talking a good friend today. I really don’t know how this happened but I remember a silly little joke my mom told me as really young kid. Those of you who knew my mom also knew she had a great sense of humor and could laugh at an off-colored joke (‘ribald’ as she referred to them).  I remember when Uncle Jerry and Auntie Ang were visiting and the TV show “Bennie Hill” was being televised, they would sit in the kitchen and watch it.  Uncle Jerry and my mom would laugh our loud at some of the routines on the program while Auntie Ang would loudly “TSK” and call Bennie Hill a pig.  I think that made Uncle Jerry and my mom laugh even more.

Well this is the silly little joke she told me!  There were three moles, papa mole, mama mole and, of course, baby mole.  Seems like they were all in their little burrow when they started to smell something.  Papa mole ran up to the entrance of the burrow and exclaimed “I smell eggs cooking”.  Mama mole ran up and squealed “I smell bacon cooking”.  Poor little baby mole tried to get to the entrance but was blocked my papa’s and mama’s bodies and could only yell “I smell molasses”.   I actually remember wondering why my mom thought that was so funny. I don’t remember exactly when it finally hit me, but the punch line was supposed to read “I smell MOLE ASSESS”.  Sorry folks!!  It was at this time I finally became aware of my mom’s sense of humor.  And until she died, she retained that sense of humor for which I will always be grateful.

All of my mom’s siblings possessed this humor and I think it was this humor that got them through some very rough times. I have hundreds of stories that at various times I will try to narrate to you. I sometimes remember these stories and actually laugh at loud.  They are treasures in my mind and I hope to share them with you.

I know you are expecting a recipe and I searched my files for an appropriate one. Molasses is not an ingredient fount in many of the Italian/American recipes of which I am familiar. However, I found a cookie recipe using molasses that I used in one of my classes.  Enjoy! And please leave a comment at the very end of this recipe!!!

GINGERBREAD PEOPLE

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, room temperature

¾ cup of firmly packed brown sugar

1 large egg

½ cup of molasses

3 ¼ cups of flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

¼ teaspoon of cloves

Dry raisons or cranberries for decorating, optional

Icing (optional)

2/3  cup of powdered sugar

2 tablespoon of water

Food coloring, if desired

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

1.     In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until thoroughly mixed. It will be grainy.

2.     Add egg and molasses and beat until smooth.

3.     Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves in another bowl and mix.

4.     Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and mix until thoroughly combined. Do not overmix.

5.     Separate dough into two balls and flatten into two discs.

6.     Wrap each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.

7.     On a flat surface, roll out dough to about a ¼ inch thickness.

8.     Flour your gingerbread person cutter and cut into dough.

9.     Gather the scraps and roll out as before until all the dough is used

10. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

11. Decorate with raison and/or cranberries, if desired

12. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, be careful not to brown to much

13. Transfer to a cool flat surface.

Icing

1.     Combine powdered sugar, water and food coloring until smooth.  Make sure it is liquid enough for a smooth but not runny flow. Add more water if necessary.

2.     Place icing in a pastry bag with a small tip and decorate the people as desired.