Couscous

Couscous, or kuskus as it is called in its North African and Middle Eastern countries of origin, is one of those foundational starch staples. We can get two kinds: the fine-grained Moroccan couscous and more recently, Israeli couscous. Both kinds are made from semolina wheat flour. Think of couscous as more like pasta, though, since neither type is actually a whole grain. Couscous is created by rubbing and rolling semolina flour with water to form little pellets or pearls. Most of what we can buy is the quick-cooking variety.

Also called pearl couscous or maftoul, plump Israeli couscous takes a little longer to cook, absorbs more flavor, and has a tender texture. Serve it warm or cook and cool it, break the pearls apart and toss it with salad ingredients.

Plump Israeli couscous is on the left, and Moroccan couscous on the right

Moroccan couscous cooks quickly and has a nutty, grainy feel. In the rice and grain section are several flavored couscous varieties, but they can be salty so mix in some plain couscous to cut the salt. Start with an onion lightly browned in some olive oil, add a little garlic, and use chicken stock for the liquid to flavor plain couscous.