2 smallish leeks (the packaged, pre-trimmed kind from Trader Joe's)
1 small red bliss potato
1 fennel bulb
4-5 crimini mushrooms
1/2 cup israeli couscous
1 tsp butter/ 1 tsp flour
1 sprig thyme
1/3 lb-ish turkey keilbasa (also of Trader Bro origin)
Place the couscous in a small saucepan along with 1 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, stirring occasionally until the water is absorbed. After the couscous has cooked, add some butter. I also chopped up the leafy portion of the fennel and added it to the couscous.
While the couscous is cooking, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Chop up the leeks**, fennel (the white part, below the stalk), and mushrooms. Slice the potato thinly (for fast cooking). Slice the sausage, add to the hot pan. Cook in place for a few minutes, until it develops a bit of crust. Lower the heat, add the leeks. Cook for a few minutes, add the fennel and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the leeks have softened considerably, add a cup of water, the thyme, and the potato slices, cover. Simmer the liquid for 10 or so minutes until the potato slices have softened. Add the flour/butter mixture to thicken the cooking liquid. Serve over the couscous.
*Yeah, I need to go grocery shopping, soon. Before cooking this meal, I assumed that I had considerably more types of foods on hand. Sadly, I was wrong. This was an attempt at cooking with what I had. I am pleased that I've overcome at least one personal cooking taboo: the potato. I've always seen it as something you bake, roast, mash, or generally cook up to be part of a stand alone thing (side dish, or whatever). Including it in the main dish worked well. It didn't combine with the couscous and over-starch everything, as I had feared. Potato/leek + aromatics (fennel, mushroom) + protein (sausage) + grain-ish (israeli couscous) = seriously hearty winter night fare.
While the couscous is cooking, heat a bit of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Chop up the leeks**, fennel (the white part, below the stalk), and mushrooms. Slice the potato thinly (for fast cooking). Slice the sausage, add to the hot pan. Cook in place for a few minutes, until it develops a bit of crust. Lower the heat, add the leeks. Cook for a few minutes, add the fennel and mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the leeks have softened considerably, add a cup of water, the thyme, and the potato slices, cover. Simmer the liquid for 10 or so minutes until the potato slices have softened. Add the flour/butter mixture to thicken the cooking liquid. Serve over the couscous.
*Yeah, I need to go grocery shopping, soon. Before cooking this meal, I assumed that I had considerably more types of foods on hand. Sadly, I was wrong. This was an attempt at cooking with what I had. I am pleased that I've overcome at least one personal cooking taboo: the potato. I've always seen it as something you bake, roast, mash, or generally cook up to be part of a stand alone thing (side dish, or whatever). Including it in the main dish worked well. It didn't combine with the couscous and over-starch everything, as I had feared. Potato/leek + aromatics (fennel, mushroom) + protein (sausage) + grain-ish (israeli couscous) = seriously hearty winter night fare.
**If you are using whole leeks (as opposed to the prepackaged Joe's variety), be sure to not include the wholly green (tough) portion of the stalk.
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