The Story Behind The Stomach
On a particular day some time ago, I was making purchases at the Shabazz Healthy Food Hub at the close of a particular lazy shopping day. I had come to discover on that day that I was presently maxed out on a backlog of vegetable produce and thought I would use this shopping visit to increase my spice supply and grab a few pieces of fruit while I had the opportunity. I am a fairly lackadaisical shopper and make no qualms about throwing bread at the bottom of the bag or letting fruit, vegetables, and spices all commingle in a single container.
On this day, the apples found themselves placed close to the taco and berbere seasonings later coming to acquire their unique aroma. As I bit into this apple, the wealth of my senses became activated. My nose dangled on the edge of the berbere scent and my tongue danced across the sweetness of the Honey Crisp while my mind began to wonder what the two flavors would do if we locked them behind the walls of the stew pot or dutch oven.
As I am usually inclined to do when so inspired, I scoured the internet for a recipe that might pique my interest and spark my taste buds which I found at fantastic food lover’s blog 101 Cookbooks as authored by Heidi Swanson. The concoction that follows originates from there. I have not yet had an opportunity to attempt this recipe myself, but it received extremely high markings from my good sister Safia Rashid when she prepared it for the Rashid clan. Perhaps I will post a follow up when I am occasioned sit down and work out the recipe for myself.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp. Unsalted Butter (or Butter Substitute)
- 1 tbsp. Curry Powder
- 1 Medium Apple, cored & chopped
- 3 Green Onions, washed, trimmed, & thinly sliced
- 1 c. Whole Wheat Couscous (or regular)
- 3/4 c. Water
- 1 tsp. Sea Salt
- 1/2 c. Pine Nuts, toasted
- Small handful of Mint, chopped
Directions
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add 3 tablespoons of the butter, the curry powder, and a couple generous pinches of salt, and cook for a minute or until the spices are fragrant.
- Stir in the chopped apples and cook for about 3 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up a bit and absorb some of the curry.
- Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.
- In the same pan, again over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter.
- Stir in the green onions, let them soften up a bit and then add the water and salt.
- Bring to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat.
- Steam for 5 to 10 minutes and then use a fork to fluff up the couscous.
- Stir in the apples, pine nuts, and chopped mint.
- Season with more salt and curry powder to taste.