Israeli Couscous, Two Ways

I love Israeli (a.k.a. pearl) couscous with a passion that I just can't summon for the regular stuff. Instead of mushy grainy slop that I can never manage to make taste edible, pearl couscous is a bowl of delightful little pasta beads with a texture that makes every dish better. This dish was pretty delicious on its own (although I'd throw another pint of tomatoes in next time), and possibly even better the next night when I bulked up the leftovers with spinach and chicken.

So without further ado, here is my reduced and adjusted recipe - I doubled the tomatoes, reduced the salt (as the olives are pretty salty already) and made various other minor adjustments. It will feed 2 as a side if you go with the original, or as a main dish if you add the spinach and chicken.

Pearl Couscous with Olives and Roasted Tomatoes
For roasted tomatoes and dressing
2 pt red grape or cherry tomatoes
2 large garlic cloves, left unpeeled
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp warm water (I used one)
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper

For couscous
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup black olives, pitted and chopped
2 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 teaspoon thyme

Roast tomatoes and make dressing:
Preheat oven to 250°F.

Halve tomatoes through stem ends and arrange, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan. Add garlic to pan and roast until tomatoes are slightly shriveled around edges, about 1 hour.

Peel garlic and puree with oil, water, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup roasted tomatoes in a blender until dressing is smooth.

Make couscous: Bring broth to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan and stir in couscous, then simmer, uncovered, 6 minutes. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand 10 minutes.

Transfer couscous to a bowl and stir in remaining ingredients, dressing, roasted tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spinach and Chicken Option

Cut 2-4 chicken thighs into strips and saute until cooked through. Add a generous handful of spinach when chicken is just about done and saute until limp but not slimy. Add to couscous.