Chef Monsta: I cook, therefore I blog

The newest Whole Foods in New York City has the coolest thing: a “grain bar”. Conceptually, it is exactly like a candy shop that has plastic bins and scoopers. You grab a bag, scoop up your treats of choice, and pay by weight. This grain bar consists of a wall of rices, flours, dried legumes, granola, nuts, whole grains, and more. Every time I stop by, I am a kid in a candy store, and all the products are usually ranging between .99 and 1.99 a pound. Perf.

This ain’t no Whole Foods advert, but the idea is pretty brilliant. If you are making one meal, do you really need to buy a 5 lb bag of rice? Nope. Sometimes a recipe just calls for a measly “cup” of something, and you can do so as you please. I grabbed a bag of Moroccan couscous (not to be confused with Israeli couscous, which is pasta) and thought of what to do with one of my fave grains.

Daniel Boloud’s couscous at Le Fooding was amazing, and I wanted to create a play on that, but using louder flavors that scream Mediterranean. So the stars of this dish emerged as fresh veggies and dried spices such as cumin, tumeric, curry powder, spicy paprika, and cinnamon.

My friends: zucchini, onion, squash, chickpeas, peppers, eggplant

I heated some olive oil in a pot and cubed my legumes in 1 inch cubes.

Then I added A LOT of spice to this. DO NOT ACT STINGY WITH SPICES, it really pays off.

I added about a cup of chicken stock to soften the vegetables, and after 15 minutes, they became tender, and a can of tomato paste joined them. Note***** If you stopped here….and pureed the spiced veggies in a blender/food processor, an awesome soup would result….

Actually making the couscous is so easy I would parallel it to the skill level of making a bowl of cereal. Two parts boiling water to every 1 part of couscous. Pour hot water over dry couscous in a bowl, cover it, and about 7 minutes later it’s doneso.

Spoon the vegetable “ratatouille” over the couscous, and lunch/dinner/snack is served.