Vegetable Salad with Couscous
This is perhaps one of the most colorful dishes ever placed before diners, a rainbow masterpiece of fresh summer vegetables. Even the couscous has a special fillip: it is cold-smoked. Couscous is prepared by a long process of working cool water into the grains and steaming them, then working in more cool water. If you are not familiar with this somewhat tedious process, you may prefer to use packaged pre-cooked couscous.
Ingredients
- Vegetables
- carrot, pared and cut in fine julienne - 1
- eggplant, julienned - 1
- turnip, pared and cut in fine julienne - 1
- potato, pared and cut in fine julienne - 1
- green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and julienned - 1
- red bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and julienned - 1
- 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded, deribbed and julienned 1 zucchini, julienned - 1
- rutabaga, pared and cut in fine julienne - 1
- artichoke, cut in thin slices - 1
- green cabbage, finely shredded - 1
- red cabbage, finely shredded - 1
- red pepper, seeded, deribbed and cut in matchstick julienne - 1
- green asparagus stalks, peeled - 4
- endives, cut in thin slices - 2
- cauliflower, broken into small florets - 1/2
- daikon radish, julienned - 1
- bunch green onions, julienned - 1
- large tomato, peeled, seeded and julienned 1 leek, cleaned and split into quarters - 1
- broad (fava) beans - 1 cup
- onion, julienned - 1
- celery, julienned - 2 stalks
- snap peas - 1 cup
- broccoli, broken into small florettes - 1/2 Bunch
- Couscous
- uncooked couscous - 4 ounces
- Cool water
- extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- Spicy Tomato Sauce
- extra-virgin olive oil - 1 tablespoon
- garlic clove, minced - 1
- cooked (canned) tomatoes - 1 cup
- large tomatoes, peeled and seeded - 2
- fresh marjoram, minced - 1 sprig
- Fresh Rosemary - 2 sprigs
- fresh tarragon - 1 Sprig
- fresh sage leaves, minced - 2
- fresh mint, stemmed and minced - 2 Sprigs
- gingerroot - 1 inch piece
- curry powder - 1 teaspoon
- cinnamon powder - 1/4 teaspoon
- powdered vanilla bean - 1/4 teaspoon
- bay leaf, powdered - 1
- nutmeg - Pinch
- dried cilantro - 1/2 teaspoon
- black pepper - to taste
Instructions
To prepare the vegetables: For all the vegetables, individually clean, trim and prepare each vegetable. Steam each just until slightly softened; plunge into cold water to stop the cooking and set the color. Peel the fava beans. Set the vegetables aside.
To prepare the couscous: Soak the couscous in cool salted water to cover for 5 minutes. Work it with your hands, rubbing it between your fingers, until it has absorbed the water. Put the couscous in the top of a steamer basket over simmering water. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in a little cool water, working it in with your fingers, then put back on the heat for another 3 to 5 minutes. Repeat this process a total of 5 to 6 times, until the couscous is cooked al dente and every piece has absorbed water. Remove and work again with your fingers to remove any lumps. Or, prepare prepackaged couscous according to package directions.
Prepare a cold smoker. Spread the couscous in a heatproof dish and place to one side of the smoker, opposite the fire and wood; cover and smoke 35 minutes. Remove and add 1tablespoon olive oil, working it into the couscous with your fingers. Wrap the couscous in plastic wrap and set aside.
To make the tomato sauce: Heat the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and add the garlic. Cook 1to 2 minutes, until the garlic begins to soften, then add the tomatoes. Stir together with a wooden spoon. Add the herbs and spices and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes.
To serve: Pool the sauce in the bottoms of four deep serving plates. Place a 3 inch ring mold or cylindrical mold in the bottom of each plate and fill with couscous; press gently to pack down. Gently lift the molds. Divide the vegetables among the plates and pile them over the sauce and couscous.
