Eastern couscous salad with feta and mint

Ingredients

1-1/3 cups uncooked tomato, spinach or plain couscous

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 red or green jalapeno chilies, stemmed, seeded and minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

2 cloves garlic, minced

sea salt or kosher salt, to taste

1-1/2 cups ready-to-eat fresh or frozen (and thawed) shelled edamame*
2 cups boiling water

1-1/2 pints cherry tomatoes

1 packed cup fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped

6 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced

1-1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

juice of half a lemon

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

tender lettuce leaves, such as Bibb, rinsed and dried

oil-cured olives, for garnish (optional)

* Cook’s note: Edamame are green (not dried) soybeans. While the fresh beans, in their fuzzy pods, are still hard to come by in American markets, most supermarkets of any size carry them, shelled and frozen, in the frozen-food aisle.

Combine couscous, 1 tablespoon of the oil, the jalapenos, cumin, coriander, garlic and a bit of salt in a large bowl; whisk together until the couscous is evenly coated. Scatter the edamame on top and pour on the boiling water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let stand 5 minutes until the water is absorbed. Uncover the bowl, fluff the mixture with a fork and cool completely.

In the meantime, halve the tomatoes. Put them in a large bowl. Add the mint, scallions and lemon zest. Add the cooled couscous mixture with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the lemon juice and salt to taste. Toss to combine. Add the feta and gently toss.

Line 6 plates with lettuce leaves and top with the couscous. Garnish with olives, if using, and serve.

Makes 6 servings