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This pretty little gem of a recipe is the kind of meal my dreams are made of: simple to make, beautiful to look at, impossible to stop eating after one bowl, and perfect as a side dish or full meal.
It also includes all of my favorite ingredients… so maybe my opinion is biased.
Roasting the tomatoes and garlic brings out incredible natural flavors from the already wonderful ingredients. I’ve been obsessed with roasting tomatoes all Summer, and I’m not stopping anytime soon. Olives and fresh herbs (hello mint, parsley, and thyme!) made this dish undeniably awesome in the flavor department! The small speckles of couscous absorbed all the beauty of each ingredient gorgeously.
P.S. This was my first go with couscous, I am – again – a woman in love! I don’t know where these tiny dots of pasta have been hiding from me, but we have some major making up to do. If you want to make this dish vegetarian friendly, cook the couscous in vegetable stock instead of the chicken stock.
I made this as a side dish to some heartier fare, but somehow there still was not much of this left by morning…
I snuck bites all night long during quick “water” breaks to the kitchen. I was totally caught each time. But I can live with the shame pride of eating half of this alone… it’s really that good!
Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes – Gourmet | September 2002
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
- 2 pints red grape or cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 pound)
- 3 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For couscous
- 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 1/4 cups pearl (Israeli) couscous
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup Kalamata or other brine-cured black olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast in middle of oven until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in pan on a rack 30 minutes.
Peel garlic and purée with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is very smooth.
Make couscous:
Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.
Spread couscous in 1 layer on a baking sheet and cool 15 minutes.
Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.
Cooks’ note: ·Roasted tomatoes, dressing, and couscous can be made 1 day ahead and kept separately, covered and chilled. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.
You did such a wonderful job with this Couscous.. it looks amazing. So now I’m hungry lol
Hungry? Well… we need to fix that!
Roasted tomatoes are magic, aren’t they! More important (well, almost) than the great flavors in this dish is the fact that it’s just so absolutely gorgeous!
Magic is a perfect way to describe the transformation from raw to roasted.
Love your ‘water’ breaks! I’m guilty of the same trick when I’ve made something yummy! And the cous cous looks delicious. Mr doesn’t like the small cous cous much but I have a feeling he would love this as I often make roasted vegetables for our side. Yum again!
Give this a shot; my mister loved it, and he’s a picky one 🙂
I love this couscous…and love how you prepared it…so colorful. I didn’t know that was called pearl..
Hope you are having a great week 🙂
It’s also referred to as Israeli couscous. I would love this by any name really – so so good!
I’ve never actually gotten hold of pearl couscous, only those itty-bitty ones. The bigger pearls somehow make this salad look positively delicious and filling!
Hey Maya! I actually had to go to wholefoods to find them. I was only finding the teeny-tiny ones at first, but I finally hunted these down; if you have a wholefoods near by, check it out.
This is absolutely stunning and I LOVE cous-cous! what a beautiful dish!
Thank you, Ann. I am now a converted couscous lover as well – it’s amazing!
this makes me happy now that I can buy GF couscous!! yipppeee!
Yay!!
Israeli or “pearl” couscous is SO much better than regualr couscous. I could live off the stuff 🙂 This is a great way to use up my mint plant before the cold kills it. Looks delicious!
Hi Gina. I have yet to try the smaller version of couscous, but I think I already agree with you. The larger “pearl”/ Israeli variety is a new favorite already. I’m jealous of your mint plant; next year I swear I am having a windowsill garden.
Now that is some gorgeous couscous…so colorful! This would be a wonderful and healthy side dish.
Thanks, Caroline! It was super pretty, and equally as beautiful in the taste department.
Love roasted tomatoes!!
This looks amazing… so many flavors in one bowl =)
Hi Lisa. I cannot get enough roasted tomatoes in my life… I even ate them for breakfast last week.