Turmeric Couscous with Toasted Pistachios

Ingredients

• 1 cup pearl couscous

• 2 tsps turmeric

• Olive oil

• Salt to taste

• Pistachios

• Herbs for topping: mint, parsley, dill

~3-4 servings as a side dish

Method

• Put olive oil in a pan and add 1 cup of pearl couscous 

• Add a teaspoon or two of turmeric

  • I also added a pinch of cumin, feel free to add any other spices you like here and adjust the quantities to your liking depending on what you want to be the dominant flavor

• Toss the couscous in the olive oil and spices and let it toast a little. Once you start to smell that toasty spicy flavor it's done

• Add roughly 2 cups of water (could also use stock or a mixture of water and stock) with a couple generous pinches of salt

  • Tip: as a general rule of thumb when cooking grains (quinoa, lentils, rice, etc.) I use a 2:1 ratio of water to grain—you can always read the packaging for more specific instructions but that’s a solid fall-back approach

• Bring water to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer and let it cook uncovered until the water has been almost entirely absorbed

• Before its entirely done cooking, I recommend taste testing it to see if there is enough salt--add as needed 

• While couscous is cooking, add some pistachios to a pan and quickly toasted them to release the flavors. After, give them a rough chop (optional) 

• Put the couscous in a bowl and topped with pistachios and herbs and a small drizzle of olive oil 

Note: this recipe is designed to be extremely adaptable. You can use this method with whatever spices you like and add in any variety of toppings. This would be great with a variety of nuts, currents/raisins or dried apricots, lots of herbs, caramelized onions or shallots, carmelized lemon, you name it! View this as a blueprint for a flavorful grain dish and customize it based on your preferences or the other dishes you are pairing it with.