Shrimp Scampi With Couscous

Shrimp Scampi with couscous

By Joseph Parish

Today I wanted something different to eat since my wife was on a vacation to Vermont to visit our son, so I decided to make a shrimp scampi.  This served to solve two problems. I had green beans which I had previously purchased at a drastically reduced price at the Dover Produce Market, unfortunately it came in a two-pound package. That is much more than I can finish off in a couple of meals, therefore I am tired of them. It was either they got eaten up or tossed in the trash. Luckily, I finished them today. Secondly, it provided me with a different meal, then the usual soups I have been making.

The meal had whole wheat couscous in it. I was going to use rice but decided otherwise. To those readers who may not be familiar with couscous, I will offer a bit of explanation. Couscous is a popular food which is often eaten in North African countries such as Algeria, Libya, and Morocco. Years ago, I had a meal in Libya made with couscous, but had completely forgotten what it tasted like. If you have ever tried it eat Cream of Wheat cereal than you will have a close sample of what the taste is like.

Regardless[JP1]  of its spelling, couscous is a popular staple on the dinner table in Northern Africa. Couscous dates back to before the 13th century, as it was mentioned in a Moroccan cookbook during that time frame. Even today it is known as the Moroccan national dish. Couscous is created from semolina, which consists of the hard part of the wheat grain.

After cooking my meal and tasting it, I realized why I never liked the couscous when in Northern Africa, it was the texture. Nevertheless, I will post my recipe here in case you wish to try it.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of Butter

1 pound of large Shrimp

1 touch of parsley

A touch of rice vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste (I use a salt, paper combination)

Garlic powder

1 cup of whole wheat couscous

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Lemon

2 cups of Green beans

1 ½ cups of Water

1 can of Fire roasted tomatoes

To prepare this meal, take a large skillet and place half the butter in it. Insert the shrimp and cook them until they turn pink. This should take about three minutes or so. Don’t make the same mistake that I did. I used small cocktail shrimp in place of the larger ones. My advice is to stay with the bigger shrimp. Add the tomatoes and cook them with the shrimp. This will involve another minute or two. When finished set the mixture aside and begin the next part of the recipe.

Take the remaining butter and place it in the skillet. On a medium heat, cook the green beans for five minutes or until they start to get tender.

Add the water to the pan, and bring to a boil. Add the spices, vinegar, olive oil, the couscous and the lemon at this time, after boiling return the mixture to a simmer. Cover and remove from heat. Let it sit for five minutes.

If you enjoy trying different foods from around the world you will enjoy this one.

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