Aromatic Curried Couscous

I'm a big fan of couscous, although I don't cook with it very often. I like the dry texture, kind of like Vietnamese com tam, and the Moroccan seasonings commonly used with it. Thus, when I found this recipe in The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook, it seemed like a surefire winner. The bacon spinach salad I served before it was a tough act to follow, but the couscous held its own, displaying a sufficiently complex flavor profile to be enjoyed on its own while complementing my seafood entree nicely. Incidentally, I was informed by the Test Kitchen that couscous is technically not a grain but a pasta. Nevertheless, I am putting it in the "grains" category, as they did in the cookbook, because, well, you can't deny that it tastes and feels like a grain.

Recipe by The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 shallots, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder (for a little fusion action I used Vietnamese curry powder)
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 cup couscous
• 1/4 cup minced fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and curry powder and cook for about 15 seconds, then pour in the chicken broth and add the raisins. Bring to a boil, then stir in the couscous. Remove the pot from the heat and cover it. After 5 minutes, the couscous will be cooked; take off the lid and stir in the mint and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Yield: 4 servings
Estimated Start-to-Finish Time: 15 minutes
Actual Start-to-Finish Time: 30 minutes