Couscous Primavera – Because I Don't Get Enough Hate Mail from Morocco

Well, it started before I even posted the recipe. Here's a comment from the couscous primavera tease post I did yesterday:

Soukaina said... "plz plz plzzzzzzzzzz !! I am begging you !! stop massacring couscous !! I'm a Moroccan ; been born there , lived there my entire life so I know what I'm talking about !! there's one way and one way only to make couscous , and yours is just not it !! but if you prefer changing some ingredients or adding some stuff to it? that's fine ! do as you wish !! just don't call it couscous."

First of all, I'm only calling this couscous because the package says, "Couscous," and the stuff inside the package was couscous – or at least what we Americans get as couscous. 

Secondly, as with all my ethnically inspired dishes, I don't claim this is in any way authentic. I'm sure it's not, but not having ever had "real" Moroccan couscous I can't argue which version is better, so I'll just assume mine is.

Anyway, the point is, we're not trying to "massacre" anyone's cultural/culinary heritage. This is how we do couscous around these parts, and it's tough to knock a healthy, delicious, and easy side dish that takes about 10 minutes to make.

I'm obviously borrowing the name from the ubiquitous spring dish, Pasta Primavera, which like this recipe hopes to take advantage of fresh, seasonal, green produce. Speaking of which, you are highly encouraged to use whatever vegetables look good at your local (hopefully farmer's) market.

Please note: check the instructions on whatever package of couscous you happen to use. Times vary from 5-10 minutes depending on the brand. Enjoy!


Couscous Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
big pinch of cayenne
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 small bunch asparagus, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup freshly shucked green peas (or sub frozen like me)
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, or other sweet herbs

View the complete recipe

Categories: , Baca selengkapnya »

Couscous Primavera – Because I Don't Get Enough Hate Mail from Morocco

Well, it started before I even posted the recipe. Here's a comment from the couscous primavera tease post I did yesterday:

Soukaina said... "plz plz plzzzzzzzzzz !! I am begging you !! stop massacring couscous !! I'm a Moroccan ; been born there , lived there my entire life so I know what I'm talking about !! there's one way and one way only to make couscous , and yours is just not it !! but if you prefer changing some ingredients or adding some stuff to it? that's fine ! do as you wish !! just don't call it couscous."

First of all, I'm only calling this couscous because the package says, "Couscous," and the stuff inside the package was couscous – or at least what we Americans get as couscous. 

Secondly, as with all my ethnically inspired dishes, I don't claim this is in any way authentic. I'm sure it's not, but not having ever had "real" Moroccan couscous I can't argue which version is better, so I'll just assume mine is.

Anyway, the point is, we're not trying to "massacre" anyone's cultural/culinary heritage. This is how we do couscous around these parts, and it's tough to knock a healthy, delicious, and easy side dish that takes about 10 minutes to make.

I'm obviously borrowing the name from the ubiquitous spring dish, Pasta Primavera, which like this recipe hopes to take advantage of fresh, seasonal, green produce. Speaking of which, you are highly encouraged to use whatever vegetables look good at your local (hopefully farmer's) market.

Please note: check the instructions on whatever package of couscous you happen to use. Times vary from 5-10 minutes depending on the brand. Enjoy!


Couscous Ingredients:
2 cups couscous
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 jalapeno, minced
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1/2 tsp cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
big pinch of cayenne
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 small bunch asparagus, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup freshly shucked green peas (or sub frozen like me)
2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, or other sweet herbs
Categories: , Baca selengkapnya »

I've Been Hacked! Please Help Me Find and Kill Those Responsible

"Hacker" by Luiso
Okay, just kidding, I don't mean killed, but maybe hurt badly, or at least tied to a chair and forced to watch Hell's Kitchen. Someone has used my foodwishes@yahoo.com email address to send a whole bunch of spam, some of which you may have received.

As much as I'd like to help you get a great deal on Viagra and/or mail-order brides from Thailand, I had nothing to do with these emails, and have taken measures to insure this doesn’t happen again.

Speaking of which, besides changing my mail account password(s), should I be doing anything else? Sorry, and thanks!
Categories: Baca selengkapnya »

I've Been Hacked! Please Help Me Find and Kill Those Responsible

"Hacker" by Luiso
Okay, just kidding, I don't mean killed, but maybe hurt badly, or at least tied to a chair and forced to watch Hell's Kitchen. Someone has used my foodwishes@yahoo.com email address to send a whole bunch of spam, some of which you may have received.

As much as I'd like to help you get a great deal on Viagra and/or mail-order brides from Thailand, I had nothing to do with these emails, and have taken measures to insure this doesn’t happen again.

Speaking of which, besides changing my mail account password(s), should I be doing anything else? Sorry, and thanks!
Categories: Baca selengkapnya »

A Few Random Scenes from my All-Clad Demo at Macy's

I feel pretty good these days when I get two new recipe videos posted in a week, and I was hoping to sneak in a third one today, but due to tax preparation, the opening of baseball season, spring fever, and other forces beyond my control, you'll have to settle for this. Here's a little glimpse into the duck sous vide demo I did for All-Clad at Macy's in San Francisco. This is dedicated to all of you loyal, but possibly-misguided souls who keep emailing me, telling me I need to have my own show. Enjoy!

A very special thanks to Lenny Ferreira, from Chezus.com, who filmed this segment! Also, a big thanks to Megan, from Macy's, and Earl from All-Clad for taking such good care of me, and to everyone who came down to watch!

Categories: Baca selengkapnya »

A Few Random Scenes from my All-Clad Demo at Macy's

I feel pretty good these days when I get two new recipe videos posted in a week, and I was hoping to sneak in a third one today, but due to tax preparation, the opening of baseball season, spring fever, and other forces beyond my control, you'll have to settle for this. Here's a little glimpse into the duck sous vide demo I did for All-Clad at Macy's in San Francisco. This is dedicated to all of you loyal, but possibly-misguided souls who keep emailing me, telling me I need to have my own show. Enjoy!

A very special thanks to Lenny Ferreira, from Chezus.com, who filmed this segment! Also, a big thanks to Megan, from Macy's, and Earl from All-Clad for taking such good care of me, and to everyone who came down to watch!

Categories: Baca selengkapnya »

These Cherry Folditups Only Sound Easy and Inexpensive

Why am I calling this a cherry folditup, and not a cherry galette, its correct culinary name? Because one sounds like something that's easy to make, and one doesn't.

You may think it's silly to dumb-down the name just so a few more people watching on YouTube will give it a try, but it's very important to me that these recipes are accessible to as many people as possible. Oh, and by the way, did I mention you need to buy a $18 jar of cherries to make it? 

So much for that whole accessibility angle. Yes, I did use the world's most exclusive jarred cherries. Luxardo make's what they claim are the original Maraschino cherries. The deep, dark fruit is candied in Marasca cherry syrup, and I find the taste and texture totally irresistible.

And no, I didn't hit the lottery; I had these on hand because of some recipe testing I was doing for a client, and I couldn't think of any finer way to use them up. If things are going well, here's the Amazon link is case you want to try Luxardo cherries for yourself. However, as I say in the video, any cherry or other fruit pie filling will work beautifully.

As far as the crust goes, we have a couple of surprises for you. I decided to use whole wheat flour, as I wanted a dough that was a little nuttier and rougher around the edges, and this did the trick. I also used some orange vodka I had in the freezer for part of the liquid in the dough.

I'd seen Alton brown do this, and apparently the vodka adds moisture, but doesn't create gluten, and somehow that makes a tender, flakier crust, or something like that. I can’t be bothered to do any more research, but I can say it made one hell of a crust.

Of course, if anyone want to go all food nerd on us and explain what's going on molecularly, I think we'd all pretend to be interested. Enjoy!

Update! I call for whole wheat flour for this, but want to let you know I used the oxymoronically-named King Arthur Unbleached White Whole Wheat Flour. It's a very light wheat flour, and can probably be simulated by using 1/2 regular wheat flour and white flour. 


Ingredients:
6 oz whole wheat flour by weight (about 1 1/3 cup)
6 tablespoons ice cold butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup ice water (plus 1 tablespoon if not using vodka)
1 tablespoon ice cold orange or plain vodka, optional
1 cup cherry pie filling

View the complete recipe

Categories: Baca selengkapnya »
Published by : Death Of Notes

Copyright © 2011-2012 Death Of Notes : Simply Recipes Food and Cooking Blog - All Rights Reserved