Recipe For Couscous With Tomato, Feta, and Mint

Ingredients

Kosher salt
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 medium English cucumber, peeled and finely diced (2 cups)
1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh spearmint or pineapple mint leaves; additional sprigs for garnish
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice; more as needed
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup small-diced feta cheese

Directions

I love couscous! Recently at the store I came across Israeli couscous, while I have eaten it as restaurants but have never prepared it myself. I found a great and easy recipe on Fine Cooking to try. The couscous was easy to prepare but think it might be easier to toast it in the oven rather than a skillet. Even my largest skillet didn't seem quite big enough. While I cooked the couscous, I prepped the rest of the ingredients. The original recipe only called for cucumbers but I had some cherry tomatoes on hand, so I threw those in as well. The salad was light, delicious and full of flavor. I definitely will keep Israeli couscous on hand for easy salads.

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts well-salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet over medium heat, toast the couscous, stirring frequently, until golden-brown, about 7 minutes.
3. Cook the couscous in the boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water until cool. Pour the couscous into a large mixing bowl. Stir in the cucumber, tomatoes, and mint.
4. In a small bowl, mix the oil, lemon juice and zest, 3/4 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Stir in the feta. Add the feta mixture to the couscous, season to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, and mix well. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with the mint sprigs.

Serves 4 to 6.

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