COUSCOUS RISOTTO WITH TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA
A quick evening recipe from New York Times cooking. Watch how much salt you add! I put in too much to start. Add more at the end, if needed.
Ingredients:
1 medium shallot minced or ½ small yellow onion, finely chopped
8 ounces fresh mozzarella (I got the pre-packaged pearls. Break into pieces if you get a fresh mozzarella ball. )
2 pints of cherry tomatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
1 ½ cup pearl couscous
½ cup white cooking wine or dry white wine
½ cup basil pesto
Torn basil leaves for serving
Prep:
Heat oven to 450 F
While the oven is heating, mince the shallot or finely chop the onion
Place the tomatoes on a baking sheet then drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil then season lightly with salt and pepper. Shake the sheet to coat.
Roast the tomatoes for about 20 minutes until they are blistered and some are burnt. Shake the pan half way through the cooking process.
While the tomatoes are roasting, heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a dutch oven. Add the couscous and shallot or onion and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Cook until the couscous is lightly toasted and the shallot or onion softens, about 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine and cook until evaporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape up any browned bits from the pan.
Stir in 3 cups of water then raise the heat to high and cover until the mixture reaches a simmer.
Remove the cover, stirring frequently until most of the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Once cooked, remove from the heat. Take the roasted tomatoes and add to the dutch oven along with the pesto and mozzarella. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Top with torn basil leaves and serve.