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Couscous with Olives and Lemon

3.7

(26)

Couscous is one of the fastest side dishes to prepare, but this jazzed-up, garlicky rendition shows that it need not be bland. Serve it with the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Paillards or with grilled Italian sausages.

Cooks' note:

Taste your olives before you start cooking; if they are very salty, reduce the salt in this recipe.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    20 min

  • Yield

    Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups water
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups couscous (10 oz)
16 oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated fresh lemon zest

Preparation

  1. Cook garlic in oil in a 2- to 3-quart wide heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add water and salt and bring to a boil. Stir in remaining ingredients, then cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand, undisturbed, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

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