I started out thinking I was inventing this dish. But when I Googled "pasta pudding" in order to get some basic parameters/proportions for a custard-like dish, up popped pasta pudding, making use of spaghetti. I wanted to use Israeli couscous in order to make it resemble a savory tapioca pudding. I succeeded pretty much completely. A couple ingredients are my own substitutions and were perfectly viable. The only thing I would change another time would be to increase the amount of cheese (perhaps use 2 varieties for ... well, variety) and put some cheese on top to melt during the final minutes of baking. All that aside, this was fun to make and really fun to eat. Peter and I had generous portions of it at three separate dinners.

Pasta pudding
1 cup Israeli couscous, cooked according to package directions (using broth or salted water will increase its flavor
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
14 oz can of fat-free evaporated milk
3 beaten eggs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (grated, naturally)
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.

Grease a 7 or 8 inch square (or similar area) casserole with Pam or butter.

Put the pasta pudding mix into this and bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes clean from the center. Allow to cool for a few minutes so that you don't get pizza mouth. Add some additional grated cheese on top if you wish.

Israeli couscous shrimp salad

What we have here is a box o’ leftovers. Didn’t have my camera with me last night.

We took a picnic to friends in Central City, CO yesterday. The occasion was for us to attend the opera, starring Emily Pulley (a long-time friend), and re-une with her and other friends. I debated for quite a while as to what to make. I settled on a cold salad with Israeli couscous (a particular favorite of mine) with shrimp and fresh beans from our garden.

I prepared everything in advance, but did not do final assembly until just before suppertime. (You know how pasta sucks up everything in its path.) I’ve mentioned castelvetrano olives before. They are bright green and only lightly marinated in a brine. I find their taste exquisite. I get them at Whole Foods’ salad bar. Another good find at Whole Foods is their house brand ("365") of feta cheese.

The couscous comes in varied packaging. I used two 6.3 oz. boxes so as to be sure to have enough for 5 people. I prepared everything 1 day ahead, but didn’t toss it all together until right before serving. The amount of green and yellow beans you use is completely negotiable. I had about a handful of each. Same with the roasted red pepper.

I adore Israeli couscous because of its mouth feel. Somehow the little balls of goodness make a salad like this seem light and refreshing.

I dressed this with a citrus dressing (lemon juice, lime juice, orange juice, olive oil), but a person could dress it with just about anything.

Israeli couscous shrimp salad
1 lb. shrimp, peeled, deveined, cooked and chilled
12.5 oz. Israeli couscous, cooked according to package
1/2 celery, finely diced, with some leaves if possible
1-2 cups yellow wax beans
1-2 cups green beans
2 scallions, white and green parts finely chopped
roasted red pepper
12 castelvetrano olives (or other olives), pitted and halved

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

When the couscous is cooked, rinse it under cold water, drain it well, and toss it with a little olive oil to prevent its sticking together.

Steam the beans 15-20 minutes (older beans obviously take longer). Rinse them under cold water and drain. Cut them into 1” pieces. If making ahead, mix the beans together with the celery, olives, roasted red pepper and scallions and store in the fridge until ready to use. Keep the feta separate until ready to toss together.

The best "not" tuna salad you will never make

Here he goes again I hear you all saying! Once again Peter and I took advantage of some miscellanea from the fridge and the pantry and last night’s leftover to make something unique and delicious.

On my 65th birthday last year I was given a gift card to a very high end market here in Denver. The amount: $650. Yep. We’ve been making visits off and on and “spending” nearly $100 each time and coming home with some spectacular goodies. I look forward to sharing photos and menus this coming week, during which time we will be feasting on some of the “free” bounty.

Yesterday we bought a piece of hebi, a fish I had never heard of. It’s a “short-billed spearfish” from Hawaii, quite dense in texture. It was cut into 2” thick steaks. In retrospect I wish I had sliced that down to 1” before broiling. I confess I slightly overcooked it. The flavor was good though, and the salad Peter made from it for lunch today was out of this world.

We had a salad with dinner last night and a bed of Israeli couscous under the fish. In the future I will consider preparing couscous and tuna or some other fish just for the purposes of such a salad for lunch.

We used Indian instant pappadums, a lentil or chickpea wafer, as a delivery vehicle for the salad. We find them at Whole Foods. Peter discovered the perfect way to cook them: brush with olive (using your fingers – they are very delicate right out of the box. He then puts them, one at a time, in the microwave for 49 seconds. Not 48, not 50, don’t ask me, I don’t know, but it works. You can see from the picture that they puff up and crisp and are a savory sort of cracker.

The ingredients you see below are nothing if not eclectic. Yet again, this is a function of “stuff” we had and needed to use up.

Accompanying our salad was a bowl of fruit and yogurt and my second bloody Mary of the day. Oh come on, it’s the weekend.

Be sure to tune in in another week or 2 for a report on my homemade sauerkraut, curing even as we speak in a crock on our dining room table.

The best not tuna salad you will never make
4 oz. cooked hebi fish
¾ cup cooked Israeli couscous
¼ green bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, diced (green and white parts)
2 tbsp mayo
2 tsp Dijon mustard
zest and juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper to taste½ cup baby arugula leaves

Flake the fish into a large bowl and mix with all the other stuff. That's it!