Israeli Couscous with Cherries, Basil, Goat Cheese and Shaved Fennel
Cherry season is upon us and my family and I are the new proud owners of 17 lbs. of cherries from our recent cherry picking excursion. Needless to say, we’ve all been constantly snacking on cherries!
While there’s nothing quite like a sweet cherry eaten on its own, I’ve been trying to find creative ways to incorporate them into both sweet and savory dishes. My first cherry recipe out the gate was a cherry + rosemary focaccia (duh) and second up was a cherry pie (quickly found out that it’s not really my thing…).
Now I’m onto a savory dish with this insanely fresh and delicious Israeli couscous. It’s bright from the herbs, slightly sweet from the cherries, crunchy from the shaved fennel and creamy + tangy from the goat cheese. The simple lemon sherry vinaigrette has the perfect amount of acidity to stand up to the couscous and really pulls the whole thing together! You could totally add nuts to this too – roasted almonds or pistachios would be particularly delicious.
I hope you give this a try! It’s great on it’s own but would also be great served alongside grilled chicken, pork, or even a mild white fish.
Serves 4-5 as a side dish
INGREDIENTS
1/2 lb dry Israeli (pearl) couscous
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp sherry vinegar
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp EVOO
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 large bulb fennel, thinly shaved (I use a mandolin)
2 cups cherries, pitted and halved
3 Tbsp minced parsley
1/4 cup thinly sliced ribbons (chiffonade) of basil
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
METHOD
Cook the Israeli couscous in a medium pot of salted boiling water until al dente (the method of cooking is just like normal pasta). Drain the cooked couscous, transfer to a sheet tray and spread out into a thin layer to cool.
Meanwhile, make the dressing. Add the lemon zest + juice, sherry vinegar, EVOO, a pinch of kosher salt and a couple turns of freshly ground black pepper to a container with a lid (I like to use a deli container or mason jar). Secure the lid tightly and shake for 15 seconds, until the dressing is creamy.
Assemble the salad – combine the cooled couscous with the fennel, cherries, minced parsley, chiffonade basil and goat cheese. Add the dressing, and kosher salt, to taste. Enjoy!