Greek Salad made with Israeli couscous

A couple years ago, I was browsing the "ethnic foods" section in Albertson's. It's small because I live in a predominantly Caucasian area but I was pleasantly surprised to find some food stuffs I wasn't familiar with such as Israeli couscous. Naturally, I bought a box to try out. Israeli couscous is larger in diameter than what most people are used to because it's not true couscous; it's made from hard wheat and is more like pasta. Created during the "austerity" period in Israel, 1949 to 1959, "ptitim" was developed as a substitute for rice. I like Israeli couscous because it's sturdier than some of the smaller pastas like orzo and even better, it doesn't clump. It remains fluffy rather than merging into one dense mass in the bottom of the bowl. Ptitim also has a chewier texture so if texture is an issue for you, don't even bother. Seriously. 

This is yet another recipe which I threw together late one night for a family dinner the following day, so it's been recreated as well as I can. 

Ingredients:

1 box of Israeli couscous, cooked according to the directions on the box

1 cucumber, peeled and diced

3 medium tomatoes, diced

quarter cup or so of sliced kalamata olives

half cup or so of crumbled feta cheese

half a red onion, diced

juice from 1 lemon

quarter cup or so of good olive oil

2 TBSPS or so of fresh dill, minced

salt and pepper to taste

Cook couscous according to the directions on the box OR boil 2 cups of water with a pinch of salt, add 1 1/4 cups of Israeli couscous, bring back to a boil, cover, turn down to a simmer and cook 8 to 10 minutes. Don't drain--all the liquid should be absorbed. Let cool. Put in a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix thoroughly, taste, and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Cook's Notes:

1. Seriously, use FRESH dill and FRESH lemon juice for the dressing.  If you don't, may the fleas of a thousand camels infest your underwear.  Neither item is very expensive and the dill will last a couple weeks if you keep it in its original packaging and store it in the fridge.

2. When I tell you to taste and adjust your seasonings, there's a couple reasons for it. One is because seasonings added at different points in cooking taste different. Fresh pepper loses its bite when added at the beginning stages of a dish whereas if you add it at the end of cooking or right before serving the dish, you're able to appreciate to taste and appreciate the flavor. Dried herbs need to be added earlier in the cooking process in order to extract their full measure of flavor and fresh herbs are used more as a garnish or a finishing touch otherwise they lose all their brightness and taste.

Another reason you need to taste and adjust is because taste is subjective. What I like is not necessarily what you like. You're making the recipe, you make it taste how you want it to taste.

Holly's Potato Salad

Summer is nearly done as I write this and it may actually be fall by the time I publish it. Potato salad is a quintessential summer food, present at barbecues, picnics, and tailgating parties throughout the hot summer months. Speaking of tailgating, this is a great recipe for all you football fans out there. I am not a football fan (is there such thing as an anti-fan?) but I'm more than happy to provide you with recipes.

As some of you may know, I don’t have specific recipes for any of my potato or pasta salads, so this is how I’d talk you through it if I was in the kitchen with you. I think it's a better way to learn how to cook because then you have to rely on your instincts which makes you a better cook in the long run. But that's a completely different post.

Ingredients:

8 or 10 small red or yellow potatoes, scrubbed, unpeeled, cut into uniform chunks (depends on how many people you’ll be feeding)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
Five or six slices of good bacon, sliced into uniform pieces
about 1/2 cup Best Foods mayo (my preferred brand of mayo)
about 1/2 cup sour cream (I like "Daisy" brand because it's just cream.  No weird additives.)
about 1 teaspoon spicy brown or Dijon mustard (if you want a little more "tang")
about 1/4 cup white vinegar
about 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill (or chives)

Boil the potatoes in a large stockpot and make sure you heavily salt the water so the potatoes absorb it (I personally don’t add extra salt to the salad later on but always taste and adjust the seasonings to your personal preference). The potatoes are done when you can easily pierce one with a paring knife. Drain the potatoes but DO NOT rinse them. Pour the white vinegar over the potatoes, transfer them to a rimmed baking sheet, and let them cool for 20 minutes or so in the fridge. While they cool, fry up the bacon pieces til they’re nice and crispy. Use a slotted spoon to scoop them out and drain on some paper towels. When you’re ready to finish assembling the salad, transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and add most of the bacon and dill (or chives), reserving some of each to garnish the top. Add the mustard and equal amounts of the mayo and sour cream; I use a silicone spatula and just kinda gob it in the bowl. Mix everything together gently but thoroughly, sprinkle the reserved bacon bits and dill (or chives) over the top and refrigerate for a couple hours or until ready to eat.

Cook’s notes:

1.  The vinegar adds a nice base flavor to the potatoes which, let’s face, can be really bland even with various dressings.

2.  I like to use equal parts sour cream and mayo (and there’s is only one kind of mayo, people!) as the sour cream adds a tangy flavor whereas just mayo can be too rich. Use the best bacon you can afford; I like to buy it from the butcher block at Albertson’s when it’s on sale and freeze it.

3.  As for the dill or chives, I am fortunate enough to grow both in my little herb garden so I can walk right out and snip some. If you don’t have that option, you can find fresh herbs in little plastic containers in the produce section. You’re unlikely to use all the herbs in the containers before they wilt or rot, so my side note to you is to use the dill on salmon or chicken and if you buy chives, try them in a green salad or mixed into a simple biscuit recipe (heck, use Bisquick!).

4.  Reading through the “recipe”, I noticed that I specified “uniform” pieces twice. The first reason is so that the food cooks uniformly (ha!); but seriously, you want all your potatoes to be the same consistency and not have some mushy, some perfect and some “bony”. The second reason is aesthetics; it’s all about the presentation.

5.  One other thing; if you don’t have a Dijon mustard, use what you have. If you really like Miracle Whip, well, you have issues, but by all means, use that instead. Love onions?  Finely dice a slice or two and toss them in. Garnish your salad with sliced hard-boiled eggs. Add black or green olives. Potatoes are versatile and can take just about anything you throw at them.

I made a batch of this potato salad for the cast and crew of a web series last time I catered their shoot and the director told me how much they loved it. I'm always a little amazed that such a simple recipe can elicit such praise, and on the other hand, that's exactly what I strive to do: use a handful of great ingredients to make delicious food.