a curried apple couscous.

one month has passed since i celebrated my birthday in bremen. since then, i'm moved up and out of germany, into the US, stayed with my parents in tucson, made pit stops in chicago and san diego, and have now resettled in palo alto. whew! even typing all those transitions makes me want to kick my feet up and take a breather.while i've been cooking a bit in the past few weeks (stay tuned for some vegan oatmeal raisin cookies and a summer curry sauté), there's also been an unusual amount of eating out. while most of the food has been really tasty, i must confess that i'm looking forward to cooking more meals now that i've finally "landed" in what will be my home for the next years. (and this time, i've brought my recipe books with me!).

the first recipe i'll be repeating is this one from that aforementioned birthday gathering in august (stolen and adapted from one of my all-time favorite cooking blogs). filled with fresh apples and green onions, it's the ideal potluck dish to help ease the transition from summer into fall. the fresh mint adds a much-needed kick, and i would venture that throwing in chives or cilantro wouldn't hurt one bit.

curried apple couscous

from 101 cookbooks

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons curry powder

2 gala apples, cored and chopped

5 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cups couscous

3 ½ cups water

3 teaspoons salt

2 large handfuls mint, roughly chopped

salt and pepper to taste

heat three tablespoons of the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. add the curry powder and 1 teaspoon salt. cook, stirring regularly for about 1 minute. add the apples and cook for another 5 or 6 minutes, until they are slightly softened and absorbed with curry. remove from pan and place in a large serving bowl.

in the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil over medium high heat. add the green onions and cook for a couple of minutes, until they are slightly softened. add the water, another teaspoon salt, and the couscous. give the couscous a good stir, then cover the pan and remove from the heat. let steam for about 10 minutes.

when the couscous is cooked through, fork it up with a fork and add in the apples and mint. season with salt, pepper, and curry to taste. let sit for at least a half hour to reach room temperature, and transfer back to the large serving bowl when ready to be consumed.