Day 3: Couscous Salad with French Vinaigrette
My mother makes a mean couscous salad that's fresh and light and fabulous. I was missing the key flavor ingredients though--sliced green onions and feta cheese--so it took me a few minutes to figure out a flavor alternative. Enter French vinaigrette. Homemade French vinaigrette. (Yes, I went to the fridge to grab the bottled kind and found that someone had kindly put it back on the shelf with only a few drops left. That may have been me.) This dressing has just the right touches of mustard and vinegar. My usual liberality with the salt and pepper came in handy with this dressing and, of course, once I tossed the salad with the dressing, I was liberal with the parmesan cheese too.
The Salad
Inspired by Mom
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup couscous, uncooked
1 cucumber, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
3 celery stalks, sliced
S&P
parmesan cheese
In a small saucepan, bring chicken broth to a boil. Stir in couscous and remove from heat. Cover for five to six minutes. Fluff with a fork when all liquid has been absorbed.
Transfer couscous to a medium bowl and add chopped vegetables. Toss with vinaigrette (recipe below).
Serve with liberal sprinklings of S&P and parmesan.
The Vinaigrette
Inspired by David Lebovitz
sea salt
1/4 yellow onion, diced as finely as you can get it
white vinegar
Dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil (rough amount)
freshly ground pepper
fresh / dried herbs of your choice (I used dried parsley)
In a jar or your own equivalent, stir together sea salt, onion, and vinegar* until combined. Add Dijon mustard and stir. Add olive oil and stir until well combined**. Give it a little taste test. If it needs more zing, add more mustard / vinegar; to cut down on the bite, add more olive oil.
Just before serving, stir in freshly ground pepper and herbs. Toss with mixed greens or couscous salad, or use as a dip for fresh veggies.
*I have no idea how much mustard and vinegar I ultimately put in; I kept adding it little by little. Experiment to find your ideal flavor (for the couscous salad, I found that more zing is better).
**David says the dressing can stand for eight hours at room temperature. If you're making the vinaigrette ahead of time, it's best to leave the onion out until just before you're ready to serve.
