One Pot Couscous with Leeks & Tomatoes
travel news + the ingredient you need in your pantry for easy meals
I don’t think I can put into words how excited I am to flip the calendar over to April!!
The days are getting longer (the sun doesn’t set until after 7:30!), our cherry tree is totally showing off right now, and we’ve had some really gloriously sunny days. As soon as I send this, I’m grabbing my book, an iced latte and heading to my favorite chair on our deck.
Another reason I’m thrilled it’s April is March was wildly busy with travel. First stop, my husband and I visited our son in Colorado. He’s a 1st grade teacher and gave us a tour of his classroom which was so fun!
A trip to Colorado wouldn’t be the same without spending the day in Estes Park. Such a cute mountain town with the best book store!! If you love books, you definitely need to add this as a stop. It’s in an old mercantile building and dates back 125 years. Jane won’t think that’s very old (and it isn’t compared to all the historical buildings in the UK!), but for the US it’s practically ancient.
We also visited Boulder — such a cute town - and, this should come as no surprise, we spent time strolling the aisles of a fabulous book store!
After Colorado, I had 2 days to unpack, do laundry and repack for NYC and Boston. My daughter is graduating this year and wanted to spend her Spring break exploring both cities to see if she wants to move back East. Which, of course, meant every night I whispered in her ear as she slept…..”stay in Seattle, stay in Seattle”……I’m joking, sort of. 😉
Ooooopphhh…it’s so hard to see your kids fly off, especially to the opposite coast!! But, I’m so awed by her adventurous spirit!! I wasn’t even half as brave at her age…..actually, I’m still not as brave….lol.
We had a fabulous week eating, shopping, exploring, and walking. And walking. So.Much.Walking. We did take the subway in NYC and the T (Boston’s super cute underground trolley/train) to save some time. And my weary feet and back were extremely grateful!
I mean, seriously, how cute is the T! Such a fun way to get around Boston!
I haven’t been to NYC in over 10 years and it was my very first time in Boston. To say we had a good time would be a huge understatement. Especially considering I know mother/daughter trips don’t happen very often, which makes me even more grateful.
At one point my daughter looked at me and said “Mom, think about where your feet are right now” — and it was such a good way to remind me to be in the moment. To really be present and think about how my feet were walking the streets of NYC and Boston with my 22 year old daughter.
Not to be overly dramatic (ok, maybe slightly dramatic), but if you’re an empty nester too, you know these moments with our adult kids are precious because we don’t get them as often as we’d like.
I promise I’ll write up a full recap of Colorado, Boston & NYC with all our favorite spots……should I split it into 2 Substacks? Or keep it all in one?
I’ve been back for a week and still digging out from emails, mail, laundry and work. Which is one reason why Substack is a bit late this week…….so sorry about that, but life has been life”ing”…….
There are several recipes from my trips that I can’t wait to recreate for you! Which one should I make first?
Shaved artichoke salad with toasted pine nuts and Parmesan
Crispy roasted baby potatoes with crème fraîche, chives and caviar
Cold Wheatberry salad with English peas, asparagus and a citrus vinagrette
Until next Friday, Foodie Friends!!
xo
Lisa and Jane
PS……Jane’s been focusing on her health these past few months and will be back soon!!
Easy One-Pot Couscous with Pearl Tomatoes and Leeks
Jane and I talk all the time about the importance of a well stocked pantry. If you have ingredients on hand, you don’t have to constantly run to the store. You have everything it takes to make a really delicious meal and can whip something up easily!
This dish has been on repeat in my house for years. It’s so versatile — add whatever veggies you have, add roast chicken or last night’s leftover grilled steak, serve it hot or room temp…..the options are practically endless!
A word about the ingredients…..
I love using the Harvest blend from Trader Joe’s which is a combo of couscous, quinoa, orzo, and garbanzo beans, but any couscous will work. I prefer Israeli couscous for it’s larger, more pasta-like quality, but you can use Moroccan couscous instead. You’ll need to adjust the cooking time, so follow what it says on the package.
Ghee gives a toasty flavor, but unsalted butter works, too.
Chicken broth — use homemade chicken stock if you have it, but store bought broth is a good back up choice. Read the label to be sure the ingredients are good quality and there aren’t fillers or preservatives. It really makes a difference when it comes to the flavor that any store bought broth or stock you use has whole ingredients.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 big spoonful ghee
1 large leek white part only, thinly sliced
1/2 pint small pearl tomatoes
2 cups pearl couscous
1 clove garlic , minced
1 tablespoon Za'atar seasoning
4 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons of butter
Fresh herbs to stir in at the end: Italian flat leaf parsley and chives
Fresh Lemon zest from 1/2 lemon
Instructions
In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil and ghee over medium heat until shimmering.
Add leek and tomatoes and sauté until softened, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
When the tomatoes start to break down and the leeks soften, stir in the couscous.
Stirring often, toast the couscous until it smells fragrant and you notice it turns a light brown. This should take about 5-8 minutes.
Add the garlic and za'atar and stir to incorporate into the other ingredients. As soon as you smell the garlic (about 1-2 minutes), add the broth and butter.
Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, covered, for about 15-20 minutes. The couscous is done when the liquid is absorbed, and the couscous tastes al dente. You want it to have some bite similar to pasta.
Take the pot off the heat, use a fork to fluff the couscous, stir in fresh herbs and lemon zest.
Serve immediately, or at room temperature.
EXTRA TIPS
Garlic — by only cooking the garlic until you can smell it, you’re infusing the dish with the flavor and not allowing the garlic to burn. Burnt garlic will ruin your dish, and you’ll have to start over…..and who has time for that, right? But no need to worry….just cook the garlic until you can smell it and be sure your burner is on medium to low heat.
Tomatoes — Depending on your preference, you can leave the tomatoes whole, or cut them in half. If you can’t find small pearl tomatoes, use Roma or beefsteak tomatoes and dice them before adding. You want the tomatoes to break down a bit, so the smaller, the better.
To make this vegetarian — use vegetable broth or vegetable stock instead of chicken broth/stock.
Add rotisserie chicken – to make this a more substantial and filling meal, slice or shred a rotisserie chicken and serve alongside the couscous.