Roasted Vegetable Couscous

ROASTED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

ON BIG BLEND RADIO: Celebrate Arizona Wine Month and Women’s History Month with a special Women in Wine panel discussion about regional wine varietals, winemaking, food and wine pairings (including the recipe below), wine terminology, and more. Featured guests include Peggy Fiandaca, Brooke Lowry Ide, Kati Spencer. Watch here in the YouTube player or download the podcast on Acast.

Serving 4 to 6, with options to add chicken or shrimp, this light recipe is from Peggy Fiandaca, co-owner of LDV Winery in Arizona.

Ingredients –

1 cup small broccoli florets (about ½ head)

2 medium carrots, cut into ¼-inch rounds (about 1 cup)

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 1 cup)

½ yellow onion, cut into ¾-inch large dice (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

1 ¼ cups chicken stock

One 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed.

1 cup couscous

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes, for serving.

Juice of ½ lemon

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Directions –

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Toss the broccoli florets, carrots, bell pepper, and onion together with 2 tablespoons olive oil and some salt and pepper spread out in an even layer on a sheet tray. Roast until the vegetables are softened and slightly brown; for about 15-18 minutes.
3. Bring the chicken stock to a boil in a small saucepot.
4. Once roasted, put the vegetables into a large serving bowl. Sprinkle the chickpeas and couscous on an even layer on top of the vegetables.
5. Pour the boiling chicken stock over the top of the couscous and vegetables and cover with aluminum foil.
6. Let sit until the couscous is cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the foil and fluff the couscous with a fork. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes, drizzle with lemon juice over the top, and garnish with chiffonade of basil leaves.

Optional –
Consider tossing the salad with store-bought rotisserie chicken or shredded poached chicken. Or add cooked shrimp.

To Serve –
Serve hot or cold. To reheat the couscous before serving, cover with foil and place in a 350-degree F oven for 10 minutes.

Wine Pairing –

Pair the dish with medium bodied red. Think about the other items you might be serving with the couscous. Choose the same wine you use to poach the chicken. Suggest using an unoaked Grenache similar to LDV Winery 2017 Sky Island Grenache which was aged in neutral oak barrels. This dish would also pair beautifully with LDV Winery’s 2020 Rosé of Grenache.