Excerpt: Jeff Koehler

Two recipes from -

Rice Pasta Couscous

by Jeff Koehler ('91)

Couscous Salad with Fresh Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Lemon (Northern Morocco)

On the corner of a tiny street running behind La Boqueria market in Barcelona sits Supermercat Rif, a small Moroccan grocery store that sells, among the standard basics, smen, harissa, ras el hanout, and various brands of Moroccan and Algerian pastas and couscous. One day, when I was buying a five kilogram sack of couscous, the two women who work there explained to me a typical summer salad they make with couscous. It's as lovely as it is simple. The grains of the couscous are surprisingly supple considering they're not steamed and the only liquid is from washing the grains and the juice of the tomatoes and lemons. It works with precooked "instant" couscous as well. To make it more substantial, scatter cooked chickpeas across the top.

Serves 6

1 pound medium-grain couscous (about 2 1/2 cups)
8 cups water
5 ripe medium tomatoes, halved, seeded, and grated
Juice of 2 lemons
2 heaping tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 heaping tablespoon finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Place the couscous in a large bowl and add the water. Swirl and sift with the fingers for 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large salad bowl.

Add the tomatoes to the couscous along with the lemon juice, cilantro, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mix well. Let sit for at least 1 hour for the flavors to blend and the lemon to mellow.

Add the olive oil and fluff just before serving.

Clams and Rice Served in the Shell (Dalmatia, Croatia)

Croatia's Dalmatian coast is known for its seafood and shellfish-the oysters of Ston are justifiably legendary-and its restaurants all serve variations of "shells salad." None that I ate, though, were as enticing as one this one I have adapted from the locally published Croatian Cookbook by Nikica Gamulin Gama. Use different sizes and types of clams, cockles, even mussels and scallops; just be sure to have some large-sized ones to stuff. Serve as an appetizer with a bottle of chilled white wine or rosé on a warm day.

Serves 4

3 pounds assorted clams, including some large-sized ones, purged of sand (see Note)
Salt
1/2 cup short- or medium-grain rice
8 black olives, pitted and chopped
8 green olives, pitted and chopped
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground pepper

Fill a pot 1/2- to 1-inch deep with water and add the clams. Bring to a boil, cover, and steam until the clams have opened, about 5 minutes. Drain the clams and transfer to a platter to cool, discarding any that did not open.

Without breaking the hinges of the clams, remove the meat. Reserve the largest shells. Chop the meatier clams into pieces; leave the smaller ones whole.

Meanwhile, in another pot, bring an abundant amount of water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and the rice, and boil until al dente, 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the rice, rinse briefly under cold water, and drain again.

In a medium bowl, combine the rice with the clams and olives. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Mix carefully.

Spoon the rice into the larger reserved shells and serve on a platter.

Note: To purge clams of sand, dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 4 cups of cool water. Add a few drops of vinegar and let the clams soak for 30 minutes. Change the water, add more salt, and soak for another 30 minutes. Drain, rinse well with fresh water, and drain again.

Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco.