Cous Cous with Charred Corn and Cilantro
Hurry up! Fire up the grill and grab those last ears of corn before they are gone so you can make this!
My dad gave me a few ears of corn and I wanted to do something different with them. I considered making this Grilled Corn with Chipotle-Lime Butter, but then decided that I'd rather incorporate the corn into some sort of side. I started to browse recipes and brainstorm when I came across a Mario Batali recipe for Sweet Corn and Cous Cous. The recipe used Israeli cous cous which is larger and has a different consistency than the fluffy, "regular" cous cous. It reminds me of barley without the earthy bite that barley has.
I loved the idea of charring the corn and adding it to the cous cous. I decided to add a few more flavors, so I also grilled red onion and stirred in some cilantro before serving. What a taste of summer in a bowl!
Cous Cous with Charred Corn and Cilantro
Adapted from: Mario Batali
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
- 2 ears corn, shucked
- 1/2 red onion sliced into rings
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated
- Handful fresh cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
Directions
- Heat the grill. Brush corn and onions with olive oil and place on a hot grill. Cook corn until charred on all sides; cook the onion until charred in spots and slightly wilted. Once cooked, chop onions into bite sized pieces. Using a knife and standing the corn on one end, remove all of the kernels (see second picture above).
- Cook cous cous according to package directions
- Once the cous cous is cooked, stir in the corn, cilantro, and red onion.
- Season liberally with salt and pepper, and stir in the cheese.
- Serve immediately.
