Couscous

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

This recipe can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Couscous is frequently thought of as a grain, but it's actually a pasta. This is more apparent in rounds of toasted Israeli couscous, which are larger and chewier than the familiar Moroccan kind. Try this dish with chicken or fish.

Active time: 1 1/2 hr Start to finish: 3 1/2 hr This recipe, which accompanied our 1954 article on Tunisia, called for what were then two very exotic ingredients. One, the granular pasta called couscous, is now commonplace in supermarkets across America. The other, dried rose petals, is available by mail order.

This couscous with coriander seeds and apricots is a nice alternative to rice. Try it with roasted chicken or vegetables.

Kathy Lee, Valley Center, Calif.
If you can't find a package of thighs at the market, buy whole chickens. You (or the butcher) can cut up the chickens and freeze the leftover pieces for another use.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less but requires additional unattended time.

This meatless salad combines couscous with roasted eggplant, zucchini, red bell pepper and leeks. Cooked sausage may be added to make it heartier. Serve with rolls or baguette slices and iced tea or white wine.

Currants, roasted peppers, chick-peas, olives, green onions and cilantro add color and flavor to this portable salad. To start, dip wedges of pita bread into store-bought hummus (a creamy puree of chick-peas and sesame paste, available at Middle Eastern markets). A slightly chilled Beaujolais or lemonade is a refreshing beverage choice.

Stir some chopped fresh mint into yogurt for a cool topping on sliced tomato and cucumber salad, with warm pita bread alongside. Pistachio ice cream on sweetened orange segments is perfect afterward.

I like using Israeli couscous for this dish, although pearl barley may be substituted. This couscous is quite starchy and should be rinsed after cooking.

Saffron lends authenticity to this fragrant dish, which draws its inspiration from the paellas of Spain. Serve a green salad alongside, and uncork a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

I leave the roots on the leeks until after cooking, so they don't fall apart. Just wash and trim beforehand.

From the Spa at Doral in Miami.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.

Marisol likes to serve the Candied Butternut Squash atop the couscous.