Couscous with Prawns, Summer Vegetables and Wine
By: Sally James
Israeli couscous is a larger grained “pasta” than regular couscous. It has delightful silky texture and meld with all kind of flavors served either hot or cold. I love wine to be the first liquid added to it after dry toasting the grains for just a minute – it adds a real vibrant freshness to the flavor, particularly a fruity dry white! My favorite for the recipes is South Australia’s wonderful dry Riesling such as the Rathbone.
By Sally James
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Course: Entrée
Ingredients
- 2 cups summer vegetables, chopped e.g. asparagus, zucchini, squash, peas
- 1 cup Israeli couscous
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, optional
- 1 cup white wine
- 16 peeled uncooked prawns
- 8-10 large fresh basil leaves, torn
- juice and grated zest of 1/2 a lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Directions
- Blanch vegetables until nearly cooked
- Refresh in iced water, drain and set aside.
- Toast the couscous and fennel for 1-2 minutes in a dry Anolon Tri-Ply Skillet, shaking pan over heat. Add the wine and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and cook until liquid is nearly absorbed.
- Add 1 – 1 1/2 cups cup salted water or stock and cook for a further 6-8 minutes or until tender, adding more water if it is absorbed before couscous is cooked.
- When couscous is nearly cooked, bring a splash more wine to the boil in a pan and add the prawns, cooking until opaque. Add the vegetables and cook just to reheat.
- Pour over the couscous with the basil, lemon juice and oil and toss to combine. Serve straight away and top with the zest.