Couscous: The Basics

• What Ingredient: Couscous
• Pronunciation: [koos-koos]
• Etymology: Algerian for “nourishment”
• Category: Semolina Grain
• Location in grocery store: Near rice and pasta.

Couscous is a staple dish in North Africa and the Middle-East that originates back to the 13th century. Best described as a mix between rice and pasta, couscous feels like large grains of sand and is the golden color of pasta noodles.

This grain can take on spicy seasoning or can be subtle with sweetness. Couscous dishes are served both cool or warm. Typically you will find the dish flavored by meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, or nuts.

There are several traditional types of this grain: Israeli, Lebanese or Moroccan. Couscous offered at the grocery store is commonly the instant kind which, luckily for us, cooks very quickly.

Cooking the instant kind resembles making rice or oatmeal. The grains absorb boiling liquid (water, milk or a flavored stock) and fluff up in no time. This is a great option for college students looking for a filling, inexpensive, and simple dinner. At the store you can find instant and pre-seasoned couscous that can be eaten on its own or as a side dish to some chicken or veggies.

The traditional couscous is cooked in a couscousiere, which is a two-pot contraction where a stew cooks in the bottom pot and the couscous is steamed in the top pot from the heat rising from the stew. No need to invest in one of these, though.

Now that you know a little background on the North African/Middle-Eastern grain, couscous, you are now prepared to make the dish for yourself. Later this week I’ll post a couple of recipe ideas for what you can do with couscous yourself!

One Year Anniversary

One year ago today I published the first post on Gourmet Gab. The first year of blogging has been a memory filled, and obviously very delicious, experience. I would like to take a moment to give my thanks.

My family provided me with endless positive feedback and was the greatest team of cheerleaders. My patient boyfriend Alexander listened and exchanged ideas with me for countless hours. My journalism professor Mr. Brian Snyder along with my knowledgable, generous peers played an instrumental role in turning my cooking segments into a reality. My friend Haley Madden presented me with the opportunity to expose my blog on an Arizona television show, Sonoran Living.

But…my biggest thanks goes to you, my readers.

Without you, blogging would not be as rewarding of an experience as it is. Thank you for being the audience I share my passion with. Thank you for your comments, for your subscriptions and for sharing in my celebration of food. I hope you have enjoyed Gourmet Gab’s journey thus far as much as I have. You rock!

In celebration of a successful year of blogging, Gourmet Gab has taken on a new design and a new approach. Read the About page to learn more about my focus on unique and versatile ingredients.

I humbly thank you all for your support over the past year and cannot wait to see what the next year holds for Gourmet Gab.

Remember to love the food you eat, love who you are, and love the life you are living!

-Gabriela

Aunt Sherri’s Pesto

Every summer it is a tradition to visit my family in Minnesota. My grandparents, my mom’s 7 siblings, all their kids and grandkids gather at our lake cabin to enjoy time together on West McDonald Lake.

Family dinners are always one of my favorite things while we are together at the lake. Everyone pitches in to help making the meal and once it’s complete, we eat under the ambience of a radiantly pastel sunset and enjoy the cool evening weather.

Lakeside Dinner: Pesto Pasta with Baked Asparagus and Pesto & Mozzarella Garlic Bread.

Last week when my aunt Sherri came to visit the fam at West McDonald she brought her famous homemade pesto, which is made with her own organic basil. P.S. Sherri grows her herbs in an Earth Box, probably the coolest invention I have ever seen, especially for those people who lack a green thumb like myself.

Aunt Sherri’s Pesto

What You’ll Need:

2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

4 cloves garlic

Easy as Pie:

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend until desired consistency! Store in an airtight container in the fridge. To freeze, spoon pesto into ice-cube trays, freeze, and once frozen, place pesto cubes sealable plastic bags for up to 6 months. Defrost on the counter, on the stove or in the micro. 

Try switching up your go-to pasta red sauce with pesto!

You can make a million and one meals with pesto, but for our dinner we tossed it over some pasta and cooked shrimp. Spread on bruschetta, pizza or a sandwich, add it to soups, top it over meats or fish, use as a cracker dip, or if you love it as much as me–eat it by the spoonful.

Love food. Love self. Love life.

Chocolate Caramel Popcorn

While I was in Minnesota last week visiting family at our lake cabin I tasted an oh-so-sweet dessert that is an absolute must to make. If you have ever had “Scotcheroos” or “Special K Bars” imagine the peanut butter chocolate flavors…but imagine them with the salty crunch of popcorn.

My Aunt Buffy enlightened my taste buds with this recipe for Pop-A-Roos. This sweet and savory dessert is ideal for entertaining a large crowd because: 1. It will keep fresh even if made beforehand and 2. It takes almost no time to make. If you have leftovers it makes a fab snack to munch on throughout the day (but beware it’s easily addicting).

Pop-A-Roos

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
3 bags microwave popcorn
3/4 cup Butterscotch chips
3/4 cup Chocolate chips

Time to make:

1. Pop the bags of popcorn and put into a very large bowl. Pick out the kernels and set aside.
2. Combine corn syrup, butter, and sugar in kettle on stove. Just before it boils, remove from heat and mix in the peanut butter. Pour over popcorn and gently mix so the popcorn is covered. As Pop-a-roos sit, you may need to break up the pieces as they may stick together.
3. Combine butterscotch chips with chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl. Cook 30 seconds then stir and repeat until chips are melted (do not overcook the chips). Slowly and sparingly drizzle the chocolate-butterscotch mixture over the popcorn and gently stir. Enjoy! Store in an airtight container or sealed storage bags.

Love food. Love self. Love life.

Sonoran Living

All my life I have dreamed of hosting my own cooking show and this summer I became one step closer to my dream! I was asked to appear on a local Arizona television show called Sonoran Living to share a simple and fun dessert recipe. The experience of being a part of a live television show was unexplainable…I was on cloud nine!

For the first section of the show I was a guest judge for a Chef Challenge. You can watch a little bit of that segment here!

Later in the show I also had a short segment making Peanut Butter Nutella Ice Cream Sandwiches….YUM! These are great to make in the summertime with the whole family and can be customized in infinite number of ways. Watch the segment of me making this treat with Andi Barness here! You can also get the recipe on the link.

Here are a few snapshots of my experience!

Me and Sonoran Living host Andi Barness

Me with Chef Challenge judges Susie Timm and Chef Jon Paul Hutchins, celebrities Chefs Matt Carter and Eric Guerin, and hosts Stephanie Sandoval and Andi Barness.

Overall, the experience of appearing on Sonoran Living is something I will never forget. The crew and hosts were so welcoming to me, and the support I received from friends and family was amazing. (Thank you!) I am more certain, now than ever, that this is exactly the career that I want to pursue and how I want to make my mark in the world. Food Network–here I come!

Love food. Love self. Love life.