israeli couscous with mushrooms

if you haven’t had it before, israeli couscous is a sort of toasted wheat pasta made in the size and shape of large tapioca pearls. you can probably find it in the bulk bins or ethnic foods section of the grocery store. it’s got a nice texture and very little flavor on its own--extremely versatile. this dish is quick and easy to prepare. the recipe makes about enough for two people (or one very hungry person) and is easily multiplied for larger batches.

1 cup israeli couscous
1 1/4 cup water
6 baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
6 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 tablespoons dehydrated onions
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon garlic salt (or garlic powder)
1 teaspoon cumin
olive oil

boil the water and add it to the couscous in a medium saucepan. stir in onions, parsley, garlic salt and cumin and simmer, covered, for about 8 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.

while the couscous is simmering, heat some olive oil in a large pan and sauté the mushrooms. make sure the pan is large enough so that the mushrooms can cook in a single layer.

add mushrooms to couscous and stir; or, serve mushrooms as a topping on a bed of couscous.

variations:
instead of dehydrated onions, dice half a medium-sized onion and sauté with the mushrooms.
use vegetable broth instead of water to cook the couscous (and garlic powder instead of garlic salt, so it’s not too salty).