Couscous Gone Wild

Sometimes I just feel the need to break out of my cooking rut and do something different.  The problem is that I am also a devout recipe follower and I really like the comfort of making things that have been tried and tried again.

But every once in a while I feel bold and just go for it in the kitchen.  Tonight was one of those nights.  I went wild with the couscous and the final result could become a classic in our family.  And maybe in yours.

Recipe:  You Little Tarte's Couscous

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, diced

1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

1 cup couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon lemon zest

3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley, chopped

3 scallions, chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

In a medium skillet, warm the olive oil.  Add the onion and apricots and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.  Set aside.  

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil.  Add the onion and apricot mixture to the stock along with the couscous and the lemon zest.  Stir to combine.  Cover and remove from the heat.  Let sit for 10 minutes, or until the couscous has absorbed all the liquid.    Add the almonds, parsley, and scallions.  Stir with a fork to combine.  Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.  Toss gently to combine.

Serve warm.