So, at work we’ve got these potlucks. We generally have them once every other month or so, sometimes more frequently, sometimes less. To most of them, I bring fresh baked bread. Quite frankly, I get bored of always bringing the same thing. Other people always bring the same thing (fucking green bean casseroles), but I think that is because they always eat the same thing at home.

I will be the first person to admit that I am a cheap bastard frugal. So I don’t like to spend a lot of money on these things. I’ve made some things before that were nicer, but I don’t think people truly appreciated them. So, fuck ‘em.

I made up this recipe sitting at my desk. It’s cost effective because bulk mushrooms are cheap as is couscous. The sundried tomatoes are also pretty cheap if you don’t go to those fancy hippie stores to get them. I get them at my local farmers market for about $2 a container. I should hope that anyone who is going to make this already has the spices laying about.

So anyway, this recipe is not only kosher, but also vegetarian (I think even vegan … I don’t know if they use egg in couscous or not). I am actually modifying it out of one of my Jewish cookbooks.

Spiced Couscous with Mushrooms and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

1 cup dry couscous
1 cup sun dried tomatoes
1 to 1.5 cups mixed mushrooms (Portabella, shitake, white caps, oyster and whatever other mushrooms you like will work. The mushroom mixture is purely up to the chef…this makes it different every time)
2 to 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1.5 cups water
~1 teaspoon cumin
~1 teaspoon turmeric
~1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 clove garlic, chopped
chopped parsley
chopped cilantro

1. Place the sun dried tomatoes in the water to reconstitute. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Go spend some quality time with your spouse, or call your mother on the phone. Maybe pick up a good book and read a couple of chapters.
2. Remove tomatoes from water and slice along with the mushrooms. You can food process the tomatoes if you really want to, I don’t suppose it really matters.
3. In a large pan, slowly heat the olive oil before adding the mushrooms, tomatoes and garlic. Cook until the mushrooms are barely soft. They should cook down a lot, 1.5 cups of fresh mushrooms never equates to 1.5 cups of cooked mushrooms.
4. Add in remaining spices, parsley and cilantro. You can dabble here, you may want more cumin and less cinnamon, that’s fine, just make sure that you have enough spices to get some on all the mushrooms. I usually just eyeball spices.
5. Add couscous to the pan and briefly mix with the mix until coated in olive oil. you may have to add a touch more olive oil depending on what sort of mushrooms you used. Some mushrooms absorb more oil than others when they cook (like portabella).
6. Add water used to reconstitute tomatoes making sure there is still 1.5 cups (you may want to add a touch more water if you used extra mushrooms). Many people cook the couscous separately and I disagree with that method, no matter what you do when you cook it separately, it always comes out flavorless. Cook everything together so the rich mushroom and tomato flavor permeates everything.
7. Mix again and cover. Turn to low heat and let simmer until couscous is tender.
8. When done, take off heat and fluff with a fork before serving.

Options: Substitute part of the sun dried tomato with dried red chili for a spicier couscous. You can also add chili powder or cayenne as one of the spices. Yum!

Posted by Utopia at January 30, 2007 08:24 AM

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