Couscous salad à la AnnaMaria

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup water
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes
• 1 cucumber(s)
• 1 lemon(s), juice
• 5 tbsp olive oil, good quality
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 bunch of chives
• 1 bunch of basil
• Salt and pepper, black, freshly ground

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Total time approx. 4 hours 30 minutes

my version

Using a larger cup (250 ml), measure the couscous and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large salad bowl. Boil water in a kettle and measure again using the same cup. Pour the boiling water over the couscous, mix thoroughly, and let it swell. Wash the tomatoes and cucumber. For this recipe, I don’t peel the cucumber if I have organic cucumbers available. If you have a sensitive stomach, you can, of course, peel them. Halve the cucumber, then use a long paring knife to cut out the seeds from the center in a V shape. Then cut the halves lengthwise into long sticks, finely dice these sticks, and add them to the couscous. Halve the tomato, remove the stem, and then finely dice (approximately 1/2 cm per side). Add the cubes and the resulting juice to the salad, as this aromatic juice will be absorbed by the couscous. Wash the herbs and shake dry. Cut the chives into fine rings. Pick the leaves off the parsley and basil and chop them finely. If the parsley bunch is more generous in summer, I use only half a bunch. Add the herbs to the salad. Squeeze the lemon and add it to the salad with the best-quality olive oil. Sprinkle with a little freshly ground pepper, then mix everything together, refrigerate, and let it sit for half a day. Season again with salt and pepper if desired before serving. Since I love a salad with a distinctly tart flavor, I sometimes add a little apple balsamic vinegar or another fruit balsamic vinegar. But that’s just a personal preference and not for purists.