couscous

the other night we saw a movie called la graine et le mulet (http://tr.im/xAYD), which is titled the secret of the grain in the u.s., but should actually be named fish couscous. i really enjoyed this franco-arabic film, even though a couple of scenes were too close, too loud and too long, but realistic nonetheless. it reminded me of my love for couscous, which i developed at age seventeen upon my first encounter with the grain in the south of france.
i was lucky enough to spend my next-to-last semester of high school at a boarding school in sophia antipolis, which is basically le petit silicon valley français. i remember the first time i ate at the cafeteria i had a personal sized bottle of red wine to go with my meal, which would also be my last, and an invitation to the program director's office. when i innocently explained that i just wanted to get some local color, he kindly suggested i get it elsewhere.
it was at that same cafeteria, where most of the food was mediocre at best, where i tasted couscous. most of my female peers abhorred it, preferring instead to eat tuna salad, for which they each brought canned tuna and mixed it with three side salads. for me, the couscous, in its chunky vegetable sauce, was the culinary highlight of the week.
i have not dared try to recreate the dish, for fear of spoiling this very special taste memory, but i do make couscous in the form of a ridiculously simple side dish. so, to celebrate the goodness of the grain, i will share with you a recipe that martha stewart shared with me (and the millions who buy her everyday food magazine). voilà the recipe for chickpea couscous:http://tr.im/xAUF!