Am I about to show you too many photographs of couscous?

I think the answer is maybe. But can you really look at too many photographs of beautiful food? I think not. At least that is what I have learned from Pinterest and FoodGawker.

So there.

See what I mean?

Anyways, so you remember that yummy looking lemon chicken recipe from Monday? (If not, you can scroll down. It’s still there.) This is the perfect thing to serve with it. This couscous is delicious on its own, but it serves as an excellent side to soak up all of that juicy goodness from the chicken. You could also enjoy this with roasted vegetables, grilled seafood, pork tenderloin, and about a million other things. It is simple to make, beautiful to present, and easy to devour. I mean, it is an altered recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. Of course it is going to be good. 

Just so you know, you should make this when you are having people over. It makes a ton. If it is for a small household, I would half the recipe, or just decide that you are going on a super healthy all couscous binge for the week or something.

Lemon Couscous with Toasted Pine Nuts
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
2 cups yellow onion, chopped (2 onions)
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups couscous
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
1 lemon

Directions:

Step one. Toast the pine nuts.

You do this by putting them in a dry pan over medium heat. Stir them frequently and pull them as they start to turn golden brown. Be sure to keep an eye on them, because once they start to turn, it will happen very quickly and you can easily go from golden to burnt in a minute.

Then, in a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft. Add the chicken stock, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous and immediately turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan and allow the couscous to steam for 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Move to a serving dish because it will basically double in size. Stir in the pine nuts. Add the parsley.

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 a lemon over the top. Taste. Squeeze the juice of the other half if you want a more citrusy dish. Me? I like it really lemony, so I went with a whole lemon. When the couscous is still warm, it really soaks up the extra liquid, making it very flavorful.

And then eat it and enjoy!

Fabulous photographs by Jessica Yager

Aren’t they just great? I don’t think I showed you too many after all.