Contessa's Curried Couscous

I was pretty excited to see this Barefoot Bloggers recipe selection, chosen by Ellyn of Recipe Collector and Tester. McHubby and I eat couscous pretty frequently. I love that it takes virtually no time or effort to make and is consistently tasty and comforting. I was further delighted when I checked my pantry and cabinets to discover that I practically had all the ingredients already—“how easy is that?” as Ina would say.

What a treat this dish turned out to be! I have never added so many ingredients to my couscous before—it was like a salad. The carrots, onions, and almonds gave it a crunchy texture while the curried yogurt sauce added a rounded smoky body to the mixture. So delicious!

Source: Curried Couscous, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients
1 ½ cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 ½ cups boiling water
¼ cup plain yogurt
¼ cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup small-diced carrots
½ cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
½ cup dried currants or raisins
¼ cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
¼ cup small-diced red onion

Directions
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.