Tomato infused couscous with sauteed celery

By TFerg

creaming couscous with a bit of a kick from the tomato paste and a nice crunch with the celery.

Ingredients

• 1/2 C couscous (small grain)
• 3 stalks celery - cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
• 2 TBS tomato paste
• 3/4 C water
• 1 clove of garlic - roughly chopped
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 TBS creme fraiche (I use plain Greek yogurt)
• salt/pepper for seasoning (I use Mrs. Dash no salt original)
• olive oil

Details

Servings 2
Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 30mins

Preparation

Step 1

Combine couscous with 1/2 cup of water in a medium pan, heat to boiling on high. Once boiling, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 6-8 minutes or until the water has been absorbed and the couscous in tender. Fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and season with salt/pepper to taste.

In medium non-stick pan heat olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add celery and half of the garlic, season with salt/pepper. Cook stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until softened and fragrant. Add the tomato paste and up to 3/4 of the red pepper flakes, season with salt/pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened and saucy. Turn off the heat.

Transfer the cooked celery mixture to the pot of cooked couscous, then stir in the creme fraiche. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt/pepper to taste.