Cous Cous with Green Beans and Cherries

Please, please tell me the first thing that came to your mind when you read the title! Yummy... Yuck... Interesting... Curious...
I didn't give myself lots of time for thinking. I'm a curious cat and I had to give it a go.
My verdict: surprisingly good, tasty dish, perfect for hot summer weather. Nutricious and healthy, I simply couldn't ask for more.
And... don't worry about cherries sounding strange in a savoury combination, they fit in so good you won't be sorry if you give them a chance. And since the cherry season is almost over (at least where I live), you might give this dish a try using peaches or nectarines as well.

I found this recipe in last month's issue of my favourite food magazine, Cucina naturale, where you can find a monthly list of the most important fruit, vegetables and herbs in season that month. As well as useful advice and recipes based on those particular ingredients.

Cous Cous with Green Beans and Cherries

(4 servings):
* 400 g green beans
* 200 g cherries
* 100 g black olives
* 200 g cous cous
* 40 g sliced almonds
* a small bunch of fresh basil leaves
* extra virgin olive oil
* turmeric
* salt

Wash the green beens, cut off the ends and cook them for 5 minutes in boiling, salted water.
Drain with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Take 250 ml of the water you cooked the green beans in, still boiling hot, add a little turmeric and pour it over the cous cous you put into a bowl. Stir well and quickly, cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
Dry toast the sliced almonds at low heat and set aside to cool.
Chop the basil leaves, mix them with 3-4 TBspoons of olive oil.
Cut the green beans into small pieces; pit and chop the cherries and the olives.
Stirr the cous cous with a fork. add the green beans and the oil with the basil. In the end stir in the cherries.
Serve the cous cous sprinkled with the toasted almonds.

Cuscus con fagiolini e ciliegie


(per 4 persone)
* 400 g di fagiolini freschi
* 200 g di ciliegie
* 100 g olive nere
* 200 g cuscus
* 40 g mandorle in scaglie
* un mazzetto di basilico fresco
* olio extra vergine d'oliva
* curcuma
* sale


Lavate e spuntate i fagiolini. Lessateli per 5 minuti in acqua bollente, leggermente salata. Scolateli quando sono ancora croccanti.
Prelevate 250 ml di acqua di cottura dei fagiolini ancora bollente, aggiungete un pizzico di curcuma e versatela sul cuscus in una ciotola. Mescolate, coprite e lasciate riposare per 10 minuti.
Tostate le mandorle in un pentolino a fuoco basso.
Tritate le foglie di basilico e mescolatele con 3-4 cucchiai di olio EVO.
Tagliate i fagiolini, le olive e le ciliegie snocciolate a tocchetti.
Sgranate il cuscus con una forchetta, unite i fagiolini e l'olio aromatizzato al basilico. Alla fine aggiungete anche le ciliegie.
Servite il cuscus decorandolo con le mandorle tostate.

Tek sam polovicom ovog mjeseca otkrila da je tema igrice Ajme koliko nas je, trešnje. Temu je zadala Petra s bloga THURSDAYSCOOKING, a kako ja trešnjama jako teško odolijevam prilažem osim ovog recepta za Cous cous još nekoliko novijih i starijih recepata objavljenih na ovom blogu (još gomila ih nije ugledala svjetlo dana i čami u draftu do daljnjeg).
Sladoled od pečenih trešanja, Torta s bijelom čokoladom, sirom i trešnjama, Čokoladni muffini s narančom (i trešnjama), Pekmez od trešanja s cimetom, Vijenac s trešnjama,  Savijača s vrhnjem i trešnjama,  Muffini s trešnjama (bez glutena)

Cous cous sa zelenim mahunama i trešnjama


(za 4 osobe)
* 400 g zelenih mahuna
* 200 g trešanja
* 100 g crnih maslina
* 200 g cous cousa
* 40 g badema u listićima
* svežnjić svježeg bosiljka
* ekstra djevičansko maslinovo ulje
* kurkuma
* sol


Operite mahune, odrežite im krajeve i stavite ih kuhati 5 minuta u posoljenu, ključalu vodu. Trebaju ostati krokantne, nikako raskuhane.
Ocijedite ih i ostavite da se ohlade.
Odvojite 250 ml vode u kojoj su se kuhale mahune, u još vrelu dodajte malo kurkume pa prelijte cous cous koji ste stavili u zdjelu. Dobro ga promiješajte, poklopite i ostavite da odstoji 10 minuta.
Listiće badema kratko tostirajte u tavi na suho, na tihoj vatri, a zatim ostavite da se ohlade.
Listove bosiljka sitno nasjeckajte i pomiješajte s 3-4 žlice maslinovog ulja.
Mahune i odkoštene trešnje i masline nasjeckajte na komadiće.
Pomiješajte cous cous s aromatičnim uljem s bosiljkom, dodajte mahune, masline i na kraju trešnje.
Poslužite cous cous posut tostiranim bademima.