Couscous with roasted tomatoes and olives is a delicious side dish. Brian Medford

Couscous has always been a bit of an enigma to me. Is it a grain? A pasta? And how on earth do you pronounce it? For the longest time, my friend Piper and I pronounced it “cuss-cuss” blissfully unaware — until someone rather bluntly corrected us. Turns out, it’s a type of pasta, though I had to discover that on my own, thanks for nothing Mr. Pasta Expert.  

Like most pasta, I find couscous a bit boring on its own. It needs strong supporting flavors to come alive. But when the weather’s warm and it is cookout season, a well-dressed couscous salad makes a great side dish and definitely earns its place at the table.

Couscous with Roasted Tomatoes and Olives 

Slightly adapted from Deb Perlman 

Serves 6 to 8 as a side 

Tomatoes and Dressing

2 pints cherry tomatoes (1 1/2 pounds)

3 large garlic cloves, unpeeled

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more 

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Couscous

2 3/4 cups vegetable broth

2 1/4 cup pearl couscous

1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup chopped herbs (flat leaf parsley, mint, thyme)

Extra virgin olive oil, to finish

Flaky salt, to finish

Preparation

Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Halve tomatoes and arrange, cut sides up, in one layer on a baking sheet. Add garlic to baking sheet and drizzle tomatoes and garlic lightly with oil (about 1 tablespoon). Sprinkle with salt. 

Roast until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan on a rack for 20 to 30 minutes.

Bring the broth to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer uncovered for 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 minutes. Spread couscous in one layer on a baking sheet or large plate and cool 15 minutes.

When tomatoes are done, make the dressing; peel cooled garlic and puree with 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 pepper, and 1/2 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is smooth. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Transfer cooled couscous to a bowl and stir in olives, roasted tomatoes, herbs, and dressing. Finish with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and season to taste with more salt and pepper.

Brian Medford is a baker, teacher and the owner of The Rusty Cup in Astoria. He has lived in the Northwest for more than 20 years and delights in Southern cooking. Contact him at blmedford@gmail.com.