Un'Insalata Estiva Fantastic
- 1 pound israeli couscous, boiled until al dente, drained and rinsed briefly to cool
- 4 tubs, drained, fresh mozzarella mini-balls, called "pearls"
- 4 pint baskets cherry, pear or grape tomatoes - the mixed yellow, orange, and red ones are lovely if you can find them. but red ones work well too.
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves, finely shredded
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and mashed
- 1 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil
- 1 splash red wine vinegar (to taste, but not too much!)
- Sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper (lots!)
- Cook until al dente the israeli couscous, drain, rinse briefly to cool and stop cooking. Set aside. Peel and mash garlic. Halve cherry tomatoes. Rinse, pat dry and shred (chiffonade) basil leaves, saving a few of the tip bouquets for garnish.
- Combine these ingredients (couscous, garlic, tomatoes, and basil) and salt and pepper and toss well. Drizzle in olive oil slowly while tossing - the salt will begin to draw moisture from the tomatoes which will combine with the olive oil. Let site for 30 minutes before serving, toss again, and taste. Adjust olive oil and salt to taste. Sometimes I add a splash of red wine vinegar - this depends on the acidity of the tomatoes. Garnish with saved basil leaf tip bouquets.
couscous, tubs, baskets cherry, basil, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt
Taken from food52.com/recipes/5086-un-insalata-estiva-fantastic (may not work)