Couscous Panzanella Salad

This Couscous Panzanella Salad is as fresh as the day is long.

Now – I realize this proclamation would pack a much bigger punch if it were say June 14th and not October 14th, with daylight savings, skip ahead, fall back, jump aside, summer equinox, winter solstice…you know where I’m going here…I know our days are short and getting shorter by the minute, but I promise this salad goes long and wide in the freshness department.

We’re combining some of my favorite veggies – red pepper, yellow pepper, hot pepper, red onion, cherry tomatoes and organic whole peeled tomatoes. Yep, even my canned tomatoes are as fresh as fresh can be as they go from the field to the can in just eight hours.

I happened to be in the right place at the right time recently and was selected to receive a fun foodie pack from Muir Glen. It contained all sorts of awesome items with these juicy tomatoes at the center. Wow! The folks at Muir Glen do not mess around. Every summer for decades their farmers have harvested sun-drenched tomatoes from California Central Valley (Oh hey, California!) and canned them within eight hours so that we might savor the flavor of summer all year long. I will take it.

These tomatoes are sweet and delicious and a perfect complement to my panzanella.

You’re probably looking at this and saying, wait – where’s the bread? If you’ve had panzanella then you’re aware that it’s a Tuscan bread salad which comes together fresh in a bowl and includes crusty bread to sop up the delectable juices from the veggies.

We’re switching out our bread today for couscous, and like panzanella – there is no cooking required.

It’s made right in the serving bowl.

Once your olive oil, fresh lemon juice and veggies are assembled, you’ll pour the couscous over top, mix until the grains are completely combined, then – watch the cooking begin.

You’ll allow the salad to sit covered in the fridge for a couple hours or more, with a few stirs in the middle, and when you’re ready to eat, the couscous will be as soft and delicious as if you had boiled it separately and then added to the mix.

Yep, it’s that easy.

This technique comes from one of my favorite Italian chefs, David Rocco. And although the idea for panzanella came way before David, the idea for cooking couscous in the salad comes from his beautiful book, Made in Italy.

Which means, we can’t miss!

Buon Appetito!

Couscous Panzanella Salad

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• Author: Ciao Chow Bambina
• Category: Salad
• Cuisine: Italian

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup olive oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 cups (14.5 oz.) canned, whole peeled tomatoes, chopped with juices
• 1 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 hot Italian pepper, chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, chopped
• 10 oz. cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1 bunch fresh basil leaves, torn
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/4 cups (10 oz.) unprepared couscous

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Instructions

1. In a large serving bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, peeled tomatoes with juices, red onion, chopped peppers, cherry tomatoes, half the basil, salt and pepper.
2. Pour the uncooked couscous into the middle of the bowl and mix with the oil, herbs and vegetables very well, making sure the couscous is thoroughly mixed in.
3. Let sit in the fridge until couscous has absorbed all the liquid, could take a few hours.
4. About halfway through chilling, stir again.
5. When the couscous is ready, add the remaining basil, mix and serve.

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Ciao!