- Chopped Vegetable & Couscous Salad With Black Olive Vinaigrette
Serves 10 1/3 cup red-wine vinegar or sherry vinegar
1/4 cup finely chopped black olives, such as Kalamatas
1 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
Extra-virgin olive oil for brushing
Kosher salt
1 yellow bell pepper
3 small carrots, peeled and left whole
3 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1 small radicchio, core left in and cut lengthwise into quarters
1 medium eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch rounds
1 small bunch scallions, trimmed
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoons sea salt; more to taste
1-3/4 cups uncooked couscous
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint, basil, or flat-leaf parsley, or a mix
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh lemon juice to taste
In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, 1 Tbsp of the olives, and the
mustard. Whisk in the olive oil in a slow, steady stream, making
sure its emulsified before adding more oil. Whisk in the remaining
olives. Season to taste with pepper.
Brush a light coating of oil onto the vegetables and sprinkle lightly
with salt. Lay the whole yellow pepper, the carrots, and as many
of the remaining vegetables as will fit on the cooking grate,
directly over the heat. Grill, turning every few minutes as needed,
until the pepper is charred all over and the rest of the vegetables
are well marked and tender. Grilling time will vary: The zucchini,
radicchio, and scallions cook fastest, the eggplant will take a
little longer, and the carrots and pepper may take up to 15 min.
more. As they finish cooking, transfer the vegetables to a large
platter and add more raw vegetables to the grill. Continue until
all the vegetables are cooked. Let cool slightly.
While the vegetables cool, bring 2 cups of water, along with the
oil and salt, to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the couscous.
Stir well, remove from heat, cover, and let sit for 5 min.
When the pepper is cool enough to handle, peel and seed it. Coarsely
chop all the vegetables. Transfer them to a large serving bowl and toss them with 1/2 cup of the vinaigrette.
When the couscous is done, fluff it with a fork and add it to the
vegetables. Add the remaining vinaigrette and the chopped herbs.
Toss to distribute evenly. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice
to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.
