Backpacking food: Couscous with pistachios, scallions and apricots

[Guest guest]

COUSCOUS WITH PISTACHIOS, SCALLIONS AND APRICOTS

 

Ingredients

 

1/2 cup couscous

veggie instant broth of choice (to make 3/4 or 1 cup)

1/4 cup dried currants, soaked in

hot water for 15 minutes and drained or/and dried apricots

1/3 cup thinly sliced scallion (use dried for longer trips)

1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts,

toasted lightly and chopped fine

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves (use dried for longer trips)

1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or use ½ tsp powdered citric acid

if you are on a trip longer than 3 days

a pinch of cinnamon

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt to taste

 

 

preparation

 

at home: fill small bottles of olive oil and lemon juice. Toast

pistachios and place them with the couscous, along with the cinnamon

and put in zip lock bag. Place currants and apricots in separate bag.

Mince scallions and parsley very finely and blend with olive oil to

make a paste – this will act to keep the herbs fresh – pack in small

container or double zip lock bag.

NOTE: if you plan on eating this after a few days, you are hiking in

a HOT area, or you are picking up your food at a resupply point, this

will not work. In that case use the olive oil by itself and

substitute dried scallions or chives, dried parsley and add other

dried herb of choice (thyme works well, so does marjoram)

 

at camp: heat broth and add a little of the olive oil, when it starts

to boil add couscous. Take off heat and cover, let stand 5 minutes.

Break up any lumps, add rest of the ingredients and toss. Wait 10

minutes if you are able to do so and eat.