A stunning dish with flavors as captivating as the colors of the season. Here we perfumed the couscous with warm, whole spices, roasted the vegetables to heighten their natural sweetness, and balanced those flavors with bright sumac and lemon dressing and sweet-warm-salty Baharat spiced pistachios. We tossed it all together with arugula create a beautifully bright salad, perfect for crispy fall weather.
Ingredients:
Vegetables:
- 2 purple onions cut into wedges
- 2 cups chopped and peeled butternut squash (seeds removed)
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 small sweet potato peeled & diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
Baharat Pistachios:
- 1/4 cup chopped pistachio
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon SKORDO Baharat Spice Blend
- 1 tablespoon raw honey (substitute with maple syrup for vegan option)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Cous Cous + Lettuce:
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 5 black peppercorns
- 1 bay leaf
- 5 green cardamom pods
- 5 allspice berries
- 9 ounces Moroccan Couscous
- 2 cups fresh arugula
Lemon Sumac Dressing:
- Juice of one lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of sumac
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 garlic clove, finely minced
Instructions:
1. Roast your vegetables. Preheat over to 425 degrees F. Add your cut up vegetables to a parchment paper lined sheet tray. Tip: Dice all vegetables in the same size so they cook evenly. Toss vegetables with olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Arrange in a single layer on your sheet tray and roast until cooked through, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temp.
2. Roast your Baharat Pistachios. Cover a small sheet tray with parchment paper and add your chopped pistachios. Cover the nuts in the honey, olive oil, salt, and Baharat, and mix to combine. Use a spatula to spread the nuts out so they are evenly disbursed on the sheet tray. Add the nuts to your oven (where your vegetables are roasting), and check them every 5 minutes until just caramelized but not burnt, this should take about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet tray.
3. Prepare your Couscous. Create a spice sachet using either cheesecloth or a tea bag. If you don't have those, simply add the spices whole and remove them individually at the end of the couscous cooking time. Cook couscous according to instructions and include the cheesecloth in your pot or bowl and the couscous steams. Fluff according to instructions, let cool, and remove spice sachet.
Warming spices to infuse your couscous: a cinnamon stick, black peppercorns, a bay leaf, green cardamom pods, & allspice berries
4. Prepare your salad. In a large bowl add the roasted vegetables and couscous. Mix up all the dressing ingredients in a mason jar. To the large bowl add the dressing, arugula, and pistachios. Toss the salad to combine and garnish with reserved pistachios. Serve at room temperature and enjoy!
