Couscous with Prawns, Summer Vegetables and Wine

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

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.

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

Yield: 4 Servings

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