Curried Couscous

I'll be honest. I was not excited about making this recipe this week. We're not big curry fans at our house, but I kept telling myself that this is the reason that I joined Barefoot Bloggers. I wanted to make myself try recipes that I wouldn't on my own. I succeeded this week in trying something new, but did I succeed in finding a new recipe for our file? Not exactly. Phillip & I both said "Eh (shrug)" about this recipe. I thought that it was kind of dry (more dressing would help) and since we aren't big curry fans, the flavor wasn't my favorite. It wasn't as bad as I feared, and I will definitely make my own version of a couscous salad. I've never made it myself before, and it is great for a fast weeknight meal. Thanks Ellyn for making me step outside my comfort zone! The only substitute I made was exchanging feta cheese for raisins (I was out and didn't know it).

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins (I substituted feta cheese)
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion

Directions

Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

Source: Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook