Culinary Guides

Couscous is a blank canvas, and this is about the simplest thing you can do with it: pearly Israeli couscous tossed with a big handful of fresh parsley. Light, green, and quick, it goes with almost any main.

Ingredients

• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Cook the couscous according to the package, usually about 8 to 10 minutes in boiling salted water, until tender. Drain off any excess water.
2. Fluff the couscous with a fork to separate the grains.
3. While it cooks, finely chop the parsley, using the leaves and tender stems.
4. Combine the couscous and parsley in a bowl and stir to distribute the parsley evenly.
5. Season with salt and pepper. A drizzle of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon are nice here too.
6. Serve warm or at room temperature, alongside grilled chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables.

Cook the couscous in vegetable or chicken broth instead of water for more flavor. To turn it into a meal, stir in chickpeas, grilled shrimp, or diced chicken, or add diced tomatoes and cucumber.

Grower's tip: Parsley is a biennial, so it grows leaves the first year and goes to seed the second. Sow a fresh patch each spring for the best flavor, and always cut the outer stems first so the center keeps sending up new growth.

A pot of parsley by the kitchen door makes dishes like this effortless. Grow some parsley, and add tomatoes and cucumbers to stir through it in summer.