Georgia Magazine - May 2024 - 36

GEORGIA Cooks
Fruit makes a great base for salad and can
accompany a main dish or serve as a dessert. In
Italy, strawberries, balsamic vinegar and basil are
a popular combination in summer. An important
note: Do not serve this chilled, as cold temperatures
dim the flavor of the fruits.
STRAWBERRY TOMATO BASIL SALAD
Round pearl or Israeli couscous is the foundation for this healthy salad.
1 cup sliced strawberries
1 cup cocktail tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles (or feta, goat cheese or
Boursin)
1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, torn or snipped
Dressing
1/8 cup balsamic glaze (a reduced balsamic vinegar,
widely available in grocery stores)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground sea salt and black or white pepper, to
taste
Place the strawberries and tomatoes in a
serving bowl. Top with cheese crumbles of choice
and torn basil leaves. Set aside.
Place the balsamic glaze in a glass bowl or
measuring cup. Drizzle in the olive oil, whisking as
you pour. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently.
Let rest for about 30 minutes, then serve at room
temperature. Serves 4 as a side dish.
Couscous is a wheat pasta product that is a staple of North African
cuisine. Israeli or pearl couscous is a larger, round bead of the same pasta
and provides a bit more texture to dishes. Most grocery stores sell it in the
grain aisle.
You can vary this salad by adding other ingredients or using orzo.
To reduce carbs, substitute cauliflower rice for the couscous.
This salad can be served as a main dish or on the side with lamb or
grilled Moroccan lamb sausages.
PEARL COUSCOUS SALAD
2 cups cooked pearl couscous, prepared according to package directions
1/2 cup diced cocktail tomatoes
1 cup diced Persian or mini cucumbers
3/4 cup diced red or green pepper (about 1/2 large bell pepper), stems, seeds
and ribs removed
1/2 cup canned garbanzo beans (preferably no-salt-added), drained*
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, cut in half
1/2 cup feta or goat cheese crumbles or herbed Boursin
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf (Italian) parsley
1/4 cup minced fresh marjoram
Dressing
1/4 cup lemon juice (preferably Meyer lemon)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt or Himalayan pink salt
3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white or black pepper or to taste
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
*Note: If using canned garbanzos to which salt has been added, rinse
and drain them before using.
Drain the cooked couscous and let it cool. Fluff with a fork. Add the
tomatoes, cucumbers, diced bell pepper, drained garbanzo beans, red
onion, kalamata olives, feta or goat cheese crumbles (or herbed Boursin),
parsley and marjoram. Combine to evenly distribute vegetables with the
couscous.
In a separate glass bowl or measuring cup, combine the lemon juice,
Cocktail tomatoes, strawberries and basil pair well
together in salad. Cocktail tomatoes are about the size of
golf balls and are often sold on the vine.
36 Georgia Magazine May 2024
white wine vinegar, kosher sea salt or Himalayan pink salt, garlic and
ground pepper. Whisk all together and slowly add in the olive oil in a
steady stream, whisking constantly.
Pour the dressing over the couscous and vegetables and toss to
distribute it evenly among the ingredients. Serves 4 as a main dish or
6 as a side dish.
JANE F. GARVEY
JANE F. GARVEY
Georgia Magazine - May 2024

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