Food: Cheesy Bacon Israeli Couscous

Israeli couscous may be one of my favorite foods. I'm not entirely sure why - maybe it's the tiny round shape, or maybe it's the chewy al dente-ness, or maybe it's the fact that it's technically pasta, which is definitely one of my favorite foods (which I suppose was bound to happen with a half Italian family).  It's super quick to make and since it's really just little balls of pasta, you can get as creative as you want with it. 

I always like to start by toasting it in a dry skillet, over medium to medium-high heat, stirring frequently.  It toasts up pretty quickly, so keep an eye on it!

Once it starts getting nice and golden brown, it's time to add in the liquid.  You can use water (just like making pasta), but I like to use chicken or beef broth.  I imagine any liquid will do, really.  Vegetable broth, mushroom broth...you get the picture.  On this particular day, I used chicken broth, primarily because I grabbed the wrong container out of the refrigerator.  You want to cover the couscous with broth, and then I usually add a little more for good measure.

Cover the toasted couscous with stock/broth

From here, you just let the couscous cook until the liquid has evaporated.  Definitely keep a close eye on the couscous as it cooks, because once the broth has gone, it can start sticking to the pan.  If it does stick to the pan, just add a little more broth and stir until the couscous loosens from the pan and the broth has evaporated again.

 Off the heat, stir in your "extras". I usually add Parmesan cheese to my Israeli couscous (mmm, pasta with cheese), and we had some bacon leftover from breakfast, and I was itching to use up the chives I'd bought for another recipe. That's what I love about couscous - you can use it as a blank slate to use up whatever you have on hand.