This was my virgin couscous attempt, and I’m not quite sold. I think they cooked a tad too long, with a tad too much liquid. In fact, they were moist enough before adding the ¼ cup of lemon juice the recipe called for, but after a bit they soaked it all up. The Israeli couscous used here is a bit larger than the usual couscous. I used a recipe found online that called for fresh parsley, fresh rosemary, and fresh tarragon – only the rosemary was lacking from the garden, but the tarragon I had planted was so feeble I asked Andy to pick up a bunch of that too. Both the rosemary and tarragon are powerful additions, so use sparingly (I like a lot of flavor, but I might cut back on each in the future.) Along with chicken broth, some scallions, and salt and pepper, it made for a flavorful dish, perfectly complementary with the lemon rosemary chicken rotisserie that they had already cooked at The Fresh Market.
As for the couscous itself, I’m not head-over-heels in love just yet. Between this and the quinoa, I think I’d give the quinoa the edge. Of course, it may have been my over-cooking that ruined its chances, so I’ll try again in the future. The fact is, when it comes to supportive side dishes, I’ll always be a Filipino steamed rice queen at heart.
