Couscous with Garlic & Scallions

Fluffy couscous with garlic and scallions. It's the perfect side dish that's ready in 10 minutes or less!

Couscous is similar to rice but smaller in size. I tried it for the first time two years ago and it become an instant favorite. It has a very light, almost buttery texture. I sometimes prefer to make couscous over rice because it's quick and easy. Rice can be kind of tricky to make: I either get it perfect or get it too soft. Couscous is very easy to prepare--I don't feel like you can mess it up.

Simply saute some garlic and scallions (green onions) in butter until fragrant. Add water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Once it's boiling, add the couscous, give it a quick stir and cover. Let the couscous sit off the heat for 5 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork and it is ready to serve! Seriously, so easy...

I developed this recipe while developing a recipe for garlic-lime chicken (recipe to come). The citrus flavors of the marinade I used needed something light to accompany it. I thought couscous was the perfect pairing. I have kept this recipe simple so that it can accompany the fresh flavors of the garlic and scallions. This dish is very versatile and can be paired with many dishes. I think it goes best with chicken or fish. I prefer using scallions in this recipe because they give a light onion flavor without being overpowering.

Speaking of scallions. I hate to admit this, but for the longest time I didn't realize scallions and green onions were the same thing. I would watch cooking shows and the chefs would be like: "chop some scallions" and I would get discouraged because I could never find "scallions" in the store I could only find "green onions." The green onions looked like the exact same thing they were using, but I figured scallions were an onion that were not available in my area(I live in a small Midwest town where it is hard to find certain ingredients). Nope, scallion is just a different word for green onion. It depends on the area you are from, but both names are for this the same onion. Occasionally you will run across multiple names for the same food. Another area of the country may call an ingredient a name completely different than what you know it as. You just have to do a little research(in my case, Google) to see if it's the same ingredient.

Okay, enough of my embarrassing story. Try this couscous!

Couscous with Garlic & Scallions

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely minced
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup couscous
• 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper, adjust as needed
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add chopped scallions and garlic and stir. Saute for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in water, and a little salt and pepper. Once water begins to boil, add couscous and stir just to incorporate. Cover.

2. Turn off the burner and allow the couscous to sit, covered, for 5 minutes. Refer to package directions as well, times may varies for different varieties of couscous.

3. Uncover and fluff couscous with a fork. Serve with chicken or fish.

Fried Okra

Fresh okra, tossed with a simple breading and fried until golden brown. This comfort food favorite is a cinch to make and very economical! 

Last week was insanely muggy around here. I had planned to barbecue early last week, but it was just too hot to mess with it. As we got near the weekend, the weather started to cool down, so my husband and I decided to barbeque one evening and experiment with a new recipe. While the meat was on the grill, I fried up a quick batch of okra.

Speaking of weather...it's supposed to be really nice this week. We opened our windows last night and it felt like a cool, fall morning when I got up this morning.

Okay, back to the okra...

Frying okra is pretty simple, but there are a few tricks to get it right. I use half flour, half cornmeal in my breading--I feel it adheres better than straight cornmeal. I always season the breading instead of seasoning afterwards. All it needs is a little salt, pepper and paprika. The Paprika is totally optional, it won't make or break the dish if you don't have it.  Paprika gives food a great color and adds just a hint of smoky flavor that I think goes well with the fried food.

I rarely fry food since it tends to be messy and a bit dangerous (oil pops...and sometimes pops at you and burns). When I do fry, I prefer to shallow fry. For this recipe, I only use enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Since I cut the okra into pretty small pieces, very little oil is needed.

To Prepare the okra: soak in buttermilk and coat in breading mixture, then allow to sit for 3-5 minutes while the oil heats up. Once you have breaded your okra (or anything you are frying for that matter) it is best to shake off the excess and then spread on a pan and allow to sit for 3-5 minutes (or while your oil heats up). This allows the the milk and breading to gel together and stay on while frying. If you throw the okra immediately into the hot oil, much of the breading will come off and settle in the bottom of the pan (making a mess and burning). I have made that mistake several times when I was in a hurry and didn't want to wait. You will get a better product in the end if you let it sit those extra five minutes.

While the okra is sitting, pour canola oil (or oil of choice) into a frying pan. Just enough so that it covers the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until oil starts to "shimmer." I like to test to the oil with one piece of okra. If the oil starts to sizzle once the okra hits, it is ready. Spoon the okra into the pan and spread out evenly (you may have to fry okra in 2-3 batches).  Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden and turn. Fry on the other side an additional 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying!

Frying tips: always stand away when frying and monitor the heat of your oil, it needs to hot enough to "sizzle" and brown the okra, but if it stops popping, turn the heat down. I have an electric stove top and I find that it is hard to control the heat levels when frying. It usually takes a moment for the cook top to cool down to the correct temperature. I typically start heating the oil up on medium-high, but turn down to medium once it's reached temperature. Every stove top is different, you kind of have to play around to figure out the perfect settings.

 

Fried Okra

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound okra, cut into small pieces--about 2 cups chopped
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• Vegetable or canola oil for frying

Directions

1. Wash okra thoroughly; pat dry with paper towels. Slice okra into 1/2 pieces. Transfer okra to a small mixing bowl. Pour buttermilk over okra and stir until coated. Allow okra to soak in the buttermilk while you prepare the breading.

2. In a shallow dish (I like to use a pie plate), mix together the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, and paprika until blended. Drain okra and toss with breading mixture. Use a slotted spoon to transfer okra to a cookie sheet, shaking off any excess breading. Spread okra out onto cookie sheet and allow to sit for at least 5 minutes.

3. In a deep frying pan, pour oil until it barely covers the bottom. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Once the oil start to shimmer, add the okra to frying pan. Fry okra in batches to ensure even cooking. Fry 3-5 minutes and turn okra over using spoon or a spatula. Fry an additional 3-5 minutes or until golden brown. Using a slotted spoon, transfer okra to a plate lined with paper towels. Allow okra to drain and cool before eating, about 5 minutes.

Yields: 3-4 servings

Oven Fries

These homemade oven fries have a even brown, crisp texture on the outside, and are nice and creamy on the inside. Best part: no frying involved!

I don't know that there's anything more satisfying than a good french fry.

I don't deep fry very often, it's a mess and I don't like using a lot of oil. Oven fries have delicious homemade flavor, but can be kind of tricky. Oven fries take a long time to bake and it takes time to get a evenly browned exterior. I've found a quicker method to make these fries, and solved the browning problem.

The goal with this recipe was to cut down on oil, but still produce a fry that has a golden exterior and crunch. There a few things I did to accomplish the perfect, baked french fry.

First, add a  tablespoon of oil to a large rimmed baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the oven is hot and ready to go, remove the pan from the oven and evenly spread the potatoes on the baking sheet. Note: How do you know when the pan is hot and ready? You should hear the potatoes "sizzle" when they hit the hot pan.

Don't overcrowd! The potatoes need plenty of space to brown evenly--I slightly overcrowded mine in the picture below. If you want them a little soft, then you can move them closer together.

It only takes about 20-25 to bake the potatoes until they are tender. To brown the potatoes, you typically would need to bake the potatoes an additional 20-30 minutes for a brown, crunchy exterior. To speed up that process I use the broiler. Leave the pan in the oven, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. It only takes about 5 minutes for the potatoes to have a beautiful brown exterior. The potatoes brown quickly, so make sure you don't leave the oven during this process!

The finished product is a perfectly crisp and creamy, oven french fry. No fryer needed.

 

Homemade Oven Fries

Ingredients

• 3 large russet potatoes (or 4 if the russets are on the small side), washed and dried
• 2-3 tablespoons canola oil
• kosher salt, to taste
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon freshly ground, black pepper 

Directions

1.  Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Pour 1 tablespoon of canola oil on a rimmed baking sheet and evenly coat the pan with oil. Place baking sheet in oven and allow pan to warm up with the oven (about 10-15 minutes).

2. Slice potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices and again longwise. Fries should measure approximately 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch. In a bowl, toss fries with one tablespoon of oil,  kosher salt, and black pepper. Make sure that potatoes are evenly coated, if needed, add more oil 1/2 tablespoon at a time until potatoes are well coated. Remove baking sheet from oven and evenly spread potatoes onto pan. Do not overcrowd pan. If needed, use two baking sheets and rotate pans halfway through.

3. Bake fries for 20-25 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. Bake until you can easily insert a paring knife into the potatoes. Turn off the oven and turn on the broiler (leave pan in the oven). Broil until potatoes are browned on the outside, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer fries to a place lined with paper towels. Allow fries to drain cool for 2-3 minutes before serving. Sprinkle extra kosher salt on the fries if desired (I like the added texture from a little more salt) Enjoy with ketchup or your favorite condiment!


Yields: 4 servings

Source: Tasteful Cuisine