Israeli couscous is a wheat based pasta that is most commonly produced in a pearl shape–a bit larger than traditional couscous. My cousin recently served a cold israeli couscous salad at her wedding, this coupled with my basil plant being in full bloom gave me the inspiration for this dish.
Israeli Couscous Pesto Salad
- Pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1 box Israeli Couscous
- 2 ears of fresh corn
- 1 red onion
- Cherry tomatoes
I chose to make homemade pesto, since I had a large supply of basil in my own backyard as well as time on my hands–although making pesto is a fast process. I roasted 4 cloves of garlic and combined it with basil, olive oil and parmesan cheese in my Cuisinart and mixed until it reach the right consistency. I added more olive oil until it was adequately “thinned” out.
- Cook the couscous according to the instructions on the box.
- While the couscous is cookingm in a separate pot boil the ears of corn for about 10 mins. Remove from water allowing to cool. After the corn has cooled, take a knife and run it down the side of the corn removing all of the kernels.
- Chop onion and cut the cherry tomatoes in half
- Combine all ingredients and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving. I made this a day in advance so that all of the flavors could really melt together. If you do this, I suggest not adding the tomatoes until a few hours before you serve so that they don’t get soggy.
Enjoy!
[Lizzie]
We Cook When We Can 