How to Cook Couscous Like an Award Winner

Christopher Kimball’s insight into home cooks’ cravings and aversions never fails to impress. He put this incomparable expertise on display in his most recent tome, Milk Street: Tuesday Nights, which brought home a 2019 James Beard Foundation Book Award and includes this innovative recipe for pearl couscous.

Kimball starts by toasting the couscous until lightly browned, then sautés garlic and shallots to imbue the starch with some aromatic lift. He then incorporates hot water little by little, stirring constantly to render the couscous creamy and tender. After seasoning it with butter, lemon juice, and scallions, he tops it off with a sumac–za’atar mixture and a garlic oil–fried egg. Part couscous and part risotto, it’s a deceptively simple but thoroughly satisfying weeknight dinner. Get the recipe.

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Frank Guerriero is the media assistant at the Beard Foundation. Find him on Instagram.