Cous Cous Salad with Mixed Peppers

It was only when started working on this post did I realize that I am in love with peppers; yes, the red, green and yellow variety. In the last less than a year of me writing this blog, and me cooking/documenting a lot, I have made a lot of dishes with peppers and repeatedly. I am surprised people around me haven’t killed me yet. But then again, maybe, it is the prettiness and varied nature of the peppers and for some, the healthy aspect that prevents us from getting bored. In fact, I also realized, that there are so many recipes that I haven’t even documented, but I guess they will find their way in soon.

Today’s post is Cous Cous with mixed peppers. I have always loved Cous Cous and now, it is a regular on our dinner menu. Couscous is a North African semolina dish that is traditionally served with a stew or accompanied with vegetables. Extremely simple to make and very, very versatile, Cous Cous is available in dried, instant form, and can be cooked and is ready to eat in under 5 minutes. Even though it resembles pasta, it is much and is among the healthiest grain-based products. It has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, and In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta etc. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now that I have justified the wonderful qualities of Cous Cous, how about an actual recipe? This is a great summer salad; can be had warm or cold, and variations can be adopted. I served it as an accompaniment to some bread and pasta with mushrooms in white sauce- however, I am sure its a much healthier meal, just by itself.

Spaghetti with Bacon and wine + Italiano Grilled Vegetables

Ak called it “The Quickie Part 2”. I would just say- it was ‘The Use- everything- in- the- Fridge Quickie’.

So, Ak was away yet another time; and that has its advantages and disadvantages. The plus being- I spent the night at parents (Ak+My parents+His Mom: of course- I couldn’t stay alone! Yes people- I have never stayed alone!), and the minus being- the mixed bag of emotions, it brought along. I hate leaving my parents place- yes. I do. each and every time I walk out. Finally when I was back, I was trying to evaluate the pros and cons while feeling horrible - and I did not find a winner.

+@Tk Home: I get to eat stuff that My mom knows I love

-@261: I do consider it home- which means that I miss it.

+@261: I appreciate it much more. That bed is definitely now my bed

-@Tk Home: My room is not my room anymore + Living out of a bag is not fun

+@Tk Home: The unnecessary chit chat till late hours of the night

-@261: All the fresh veggies were not so fresh after my 2 days of being away!

+@261: Well- I get to indulge in more cooking to drown my sorrows for the day J

Simply unacceptable, but Alas, such is life. 

Life in fact, has been so hectic in the last few weeks that my fridge has been stocking up. I have been mostly on a baking spree, and suddenly realized that in the absence of no cooking for 2 days- we had enough things that needed to be cooked on an ASAP basis. So, Brother Ak came over to help me with technology, and got treated to my favorite ham sandwiches, while the other Ak was driving back to Delhi, to be in time for dinner.

I discovered that I had a lot of bacon and peppers (red, green and yellow- Yes, I like to keep my options open) to work with. One of my all-time favorite dishes has been the Penne with Bacon at one of Delhi’s first few Truly Italian restaurants- The Big Chill. Not only does the place hold a lot of special memories for anyone who has been in the age group of 18-26, during that time, but till date, it serves some wonderful food and scrumptious desserts. In due course of time, I have grown over my need to pay a visit there every week, and only occasionally go for dessert, but the food, is surely worth the frequent visit. The Penne with bacon is one of the lighter pasta dishes (most of the others are heavy on cheese and are baked) and has a slightly spicy touch to it. Since Ak is not a Spicy food person, I skipped the dried red chilies and did my own take on it with some left over red wine.  Further, I used spaghetti instead of Penne– simply for its appeal as comfort food. The results were suitably impressive- if I may say so myself, and the accompanying grilled peppers were a brilliant addition to the otherwise unadorned meal. The vegetables are just something that I have cooked up- from my understanding of Italian ingredients. Have been quite the winner, almost everytime I have cooked them. Feel free to improvise!

p.s Sadly, there are no process shots- I wasn’t planning to post this. But the results were so good, Ak convinced me to document it.