Lemon Parsley Couscous and Chickpea Salad

When we moved into our house six years ago, we had plans to redo our kitchen. It’s on the small side (not really big enough to dine in and definitely not for congregating with friends) and there wasn’t much in the way of pantry cabinets. We’ve gone back and forth about whether to renovate and after lots of research we have decided against it. The cost just doesn’t make sense when we could find another house at some point. In the meantime, modifications are being made to make it a bit more functional. Over the holidays, Eric added shelves to a cabinet that was used mostly for storage (I think the previous owners used it as a coat closet… which seems funny for a kitchen) so that we didn’t have to jam our food in a few tight spaces or keep it all it in the basement.

This means I have easier access to canned goods, a staple ingredient for us. There’s never a moment we don’t have stacks of canned tomatoes, tuna, coconut milk, and beans. I love finding ways to use these items to create a meal. Paired with something fresh and bright, some herbs and citrus, maybe a little crunch from chopped vegetables. It feels doubly impressive when the results are as super satisfying as this lemony couscous salad. It’s the kind of dish that nourishes but also makes you forget that winter has just begun.

lemon parsley couscous and chickpea salad

Yield:
4-6 servings, as a side

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
3 cups vegetable broth
Olive oil
1 - 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
Green beans, washed and trimmed
3/4 cup chopped roasted red pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 lemon, zest and juice
1 packed cup parsley leaves
Smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add couscous and cook, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes, until golden. Add the vegetable broth to the pot. Once the broth comes to a boil, cover the saucepan with a lid and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until all the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 15 minutes. Take the lid off and let the couscous cool to room temperature.

While this is cooking, prepare the green beans. Start by creating an ice bath. Bring a medium pot of salted water to a rapid boil. Add green beans and cook about 3-5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the cooked green beans to the ice bath and let chill for 5 minutes. This will stop the cooking process and will leave them bright and crisp. Drain the green beans, transfer to a cutting board, and cut them in half (or smaller, if necessary).

Make the dressing by adding the garlic, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper to a medium mixing bowl. Whisk these ingredients together and then slowly drizzle in 1/2 cup olive oil.

Add couscous and toss to combine. Add green beans, chickpeas, roasted red pepper, and parsley leaves and combine. Sprinkle smoked paprika on top before serving.

The Last Word

This isn’t my first draft of this post. It’s more like my fifth. I’ve been feeling the weight of everything and I unloaded a lot in those words… all in a long, somewhat sensical paragraph. It was good to get it down, to express my heartbreak over the pandemic, to share a bit about these complicated emotions that I (and so many others) are having to deal with. What came out was something along the lines of “Everything is awful. How will anything get better?” Elements of this linger in my thoughts. But I don’t want to leave out the good, the joy, the gratitude. When I revisit this entry years from now, the mixture of devastation and hope and uncertainty and warmth is what I wish to remember.

Support. Laughter. Anger. Learning. Tears. Books. Connecting. Dancing. Hugs. Alone. Together. Fear. Confusion. Singing. Volunteer. Distant. Zoom. Birthdays. Backyard drinks. Bread. Companionship. Masks. Walks. Funerals. Debates. Tension. Vote. Relax.

The Last Word

Yield:
1 cocktail

Ingredients:
3/4 oz gin
3/4 oz green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Luxardo maraschino liqueur
3/4 oz lime juice
Lime twist (optional garnish)
Maraschino cherry (optional garnish)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake until chilled, about 10 seconds. Strain into a coupe (or cocktail glass of an equivalent size).

Garnish with lime twist and/or maraschino cherry.

Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Dried Dark Cherries)

No matter the stresses that come our way, Eric and I try our best to find little things each night to end on a bright note. We’ve become avid viewers of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, two shows that always remain light and invite us to interact with one another while also decompressing. While we watch, we’ll often scream out whatever we think the answer is. Sometimes we’re correct and we’ll congratulate one another. When we’re not, we laugh at our silly guesses. It’s a little bit of joy to end our day.

Most weeknights, after a glass of wine with dinner and before a nightcap of whiskey, Eric and I will pour mugs of tea and cozy up on the couch together. I bring out something sweet to nibble on, typically cookies or cake or one of the many other treats tucked in our freezer.

Now, I know everyone has strong feelings about chocolate chip cookies and, for me, I’m looking for a few things. One, they need to have a decent amount of salt. Salt and chocolate are meant to go together and if my cookies don’t have a pronounced saltiness, then they really won’t do much for me. Next, I’m looking for crunch and chew. Crispy outside, chewy inside. When I stumbled across this recipe from Amanda Hesser, I knew I had to give it a try. And oh have they delivered. I’ve made these a few times over the last couple of months and they truly hit the spot.

While I don’t mind nuts in my baked goods, there are people out there (I won’t name names) who are not fans and when you’re under quarantine with such an individual, sometimes you have to concede. The first time I made the recipe as is, with toasted walnuts, and I got a few comments (that person, however, continued to eat them for many weeks, so I guess they could get over it). For the next batch, I decided to use up some dried tart cherries we had tucked in our cabinet and I really feel like it brought these cookies to a whole new place. Just like salt, a little sourness pairs magically with chocolate. Anyway, I think it’s the perfect balance. Of course, you do you… add other things or leave them out. No matter what, these cookies won’t disappoint.

Amanda Hesser's Flat and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies (with Dried Cherries)

Source:
Slightly modified from Amanda Hesser’s recipe in The New York Times

Yield:
30-35 cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings) (Or, if all you have are chocolate chips, those work just fine)
3/4 cup dried dark sour cherries (unsweetened)

Directions:

Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or, alternatively, this can be done using a hand mixer), blend together the butter and both sugars until fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing until thoroughly incorporated, followed by the vanilla extract.

Carefully pour in the flour mixture and mix until a dough has formed. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, spoon in the chocolate and dried cherries. Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and let chill for 1 hour.

Set racks to the top 1/3 and bottom 1/3 of the oven. Preheat to 325 degrees.

Roll 2 1/2 tablespoons of the dough into balls and place on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten the dough into 1/2 inch thick disks and make sure they’re 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 14-16 minutes, swapping racks halfway through bake time.

Remove from oven and let the cookies cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes before transferring to baking racks.