Pearl couscous green salad {vegan}

(cliccate qui per la versione italiana)

Happy Monday everyone!

As I start my 11^th week of self-isolation I want to share with you one of the easiest recipes you’ll find on this website. It’s not really a recipe, more like an assembling of ingredients into a fresh and very very green spring salad 🙂

Start ahead and make the (effortless) pickled onions, you won’t regret it.

PEARL COUSCOUS GREEN SALAD {vegan}
by Marta Giaccone

Recipe
3 portions
prep time: 10 mins, cook time: 10 mins, total: 20 mins (+ at least 1 hr for pickling onion)

Cous cous salad
1 + ¼ cup / 200 gr pearl couscous (or other grains)
150 gr fresh fava beans (from about 500 gr fava pods)
250 gr asparagus
big handful of any herbs you have (I used mint, basil, coriander, celery leaves)
pickled red onion (see recipe below)
evo oil
lemon juice
salt + pepper

Method

1. Rinse and drain couscous.
2. Add a couple of tbsp of evo oil to a medium pot and, when hot, add couscous and let toast for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly golden. Add a pinch of salt and enough water so as to cover the couscous completely and bring to a boil. Let simmer until cooked, which will only take a few minutes. If there’s any liquid left, drain and let sit in the colander.
3. Rinse the asparagus and discard the sturdy tips.
4. Fill the pot again with water and a pinch of salt and, when boiling, add fava beans and asparagus. Cook for 5 minutes. Slice the asparagus at an angle and peel the fava beans.
5. Add cous cous, asparagus, fava beans and a few pieces of the pickled red onion to a large serving plate.
6. Wash, pat try and finely chop all your herbs and add to the plate.
7. In a small bowl mix 4 tbsp evo oil, 4 tbsp lemon juice, salt, pepper, then pour over the salad. Stir and serve at room temperature.
8. Any leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge.

Pickled onions
1 red onion
½ cup / 125 ml apple cider vinegar
1 cup / 250 ml water
1 tbsp sugar
pinch salt

Method

1. Add all ingredients, except the onion, to a medium bowl. Mix until the sugar is dissolved.
2. Slice the onion thinly, add to bowl and let sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour (highly recommended: after a couple of hours, transfer to fridge and let sit overnight. This way the onion will turn pink)