Cuckoo for couscous!

On a recent trip to the new Whole Foods in Paramus, I encountered their copious offerings of dried beans and grains. I have come to find that buying these items in bulk is inexpensive compared to their boxed or bagged, or even canned, counterparts. I find this to be especially true of couscous. For under $1, you can get two cups of this versatile "pasta" (couscous isn't really a pasta, but it's remarkably similar).

The nice thing about couscous is that you don't need to cook it. It's a grain that simply needs to be reconstituted. On a warm day like today, the last thing you want to do in the kitchen is cook! Couscous is the answer. All you need to do is boil some water or stock (this can even be done in the microwave if you don't even want to turn on a burner!), add it to the couscous, and in five minutes you have the base of a tasty lunch or light dinner. Just add a few simple ingredients like toasted pine nuts (which can easily be toasted in the toaster oven!) and some dried spices to that and presto! Dinner is served!

Couscous with Raisins, Cinnamon and Pine Nuts

1 1/4 cups water

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon dark seedless raisins

1 tablespoon unsalted butter*

1 cup dried couscous

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

In a 3-quart saucepan, combine 1 1/4 cups water with cinnamon, turmeric, cumin, salt, raisins and butter; bring to a boil. Stir in couscous; immediately remove from heat and cover. Let stand 5 minutes, then toss in the toasted pine nuts. Using a fork, fluff couscous and place in a serving bowl.

*If you don't have unsalted butter, it's ok to use salted butter but omit the teaspoon of salt from the ingredients.

Enjoy!