I woke up this morning to a gray world outside. The trees outside my window were obscured by a thin veil of drizzle—it wasn't raining in earnest yet, but the skies were a dull pewter and the roses climbing our neighbor’s trellis trembled in the wind.
Instead of staying under the covers—the pintucked white duvet pulled snugly around my still-sleepy form—I got up. (See, there’s this cool new kind of real life alarm clock called a 5-month-old baby. Works like a charm, man.)
I unloaded the dishwasher and made a cinnamon-carrot-walnut smoothie as raindrops started tap-tap-tapping more insistently against the skylight in the kitchen. This is stay-inside-and-read weather. Sweatpant-and-socked-feet weather. It’s lentil soup and honeyed tea and Van Morrison playing softly on the speakers.
But I’ll let you in on a little secret: true pleasure in life lies in contrast. So, all of those cozy things will feel a million times nicer if you get out there and immerse yourself in the rain for a bit.
It’s why you feel so great after a hard run, or a long hike, or a slow and quiet weekend after a busy week.
So I stepped out of my pajamas and into a swimsuit (this one, but in an old pattern of pale candy-pink vertical stripes). I wrapped a towel around my waist and pulled a thin neon yellow sweatshirt over my head for protection against the rain. I slid open the heavy glass door to the side yard, opened the wooden gate, and hauled my paddleboard up against my hip.
Walking down to the water was a struggle as the wind buffeted my board, making me fight to keep going straight. I reached the dock and slid the board into the water, quickly stepping down the ladder and balancing myself on top as I grabbed the paddle. As I made my way slowly across the mouth of the bay, the rolling waves spilled up and over the board. The water felt deliciously warm in contrast to the cold rain and after 30 minutes of hard paddling, I circled back to the dock, hauled my board out of the water, and jumped in for a quick dip.
Back to the house. Back to a brightly lit kitchen. A hot shower. Clean clothes. A snuggly, juicy, giggly baby in pajamas printed with rocket ships, wriggling in my arms, his soft hands opening and closing gently like a starfish against my chest as he eats.
Contrast. Discomfort to comfort. Cold to hot.
It’s applicable in cooking as well—a lesson most eaters are familiar with. After all, what’s a salad without croutons? (Crunchy against soft.) Lemonade balances tart-sour with sweet. Mac and cheese is much better with breadcrumbs on top (crispy paired with creamy).
As I’ve been cooking more and more “off the cuff” during these past months, making use of groceries in more creative ways, I’ve really tried to lean into contrast as a guiding principle. In particular, I love meals that pair both textural contrast with temperature contrast.
The other night I made couscous. (For the first time in SO LONG! Guys! Why haven’t we all been talking about couscous! It’s so easy. And so good. And so elegantly fluffy.) I let it cool while I roasted a few sausages in the oven. Just before serving, I sautéed some chopped spinach in a generous amount of olive oil, then cut up the sausage and tossed those in with the spinach. I spooned the hot sausage-spinach mixture over the cooled couscous.
The resulting dish had it all: crispy bits from the sausage, softness from the spinach, and a fluffy pasta-like texture from the couscous. It was room temperature and hot in varying degrees, and it all paired wonderfully well together.
I had made extra couscous (DO this!) and used it for lunch the next day.
First, I heated a bit of olive oil in a skillet (my favorite nonstick pan is great for this). I added the couscous and let it cook, stirring a few times now and again, until it began to get golden and crispy on the bottom.
I spooned the hot crispy couscous over a bed of arugula, then added a cup of cold leftover lentil salad (leftoooooovers I love you, but also, how about a better name for them?) and sprinkled a bit of flaky sea salt over it all.
So, there are two ideas for couscous. But I’ll offer a few more; first though, an argument for couscous. It serves the same purpose as pasta (comforting, carb-y, a good base) but it’s so much simpler to make and nearly impossible to mess up. You just boil water, add the couscous, remove it from the heat and cover it. It sits for 5 minutes…and that’s it.
You can make it plain, or add seasonings (another point in favor of couscous—the seasonings infuse the water which infuses the couscous evenly, whereas with pasta, you have to add herbs and spices to a sauce or tossed in after).
First, flavor: If you want to flavor the couscous itself, add flavor to the boiling water. You could add granulated garlic, onion powder, turmeric, grated Parmesan, a Parmesan rind, a bouillon cube, red pepper flakes, dried basil, lemon zest, and the list goes on.
*Mix cooked couscous with halved cherry tomatoes, crumbed ricotta salata, chopped mint, chopped cucumbers, and lemon juice.
*Toss couscous with slivered kale, toasted almonds, and cubes of crispy roasted butternut squash. Drizzle olive oil over it all.
*Saute shrimp and sugar snap peas together. Toss with couscous and plenty of melted butter.
*Slice the tops of tomatoes and scoop out some of the insides. Fill with a mixture of couscous and torn fresh mozzarella and basil. Top with a mixture of melted butter, panko, and grated Parmesan—bake until soft and the cheese is melted.
*Make a big salad of all sorts of greens: endive, radicchio, romaine, Bibb lettuce, etc. Add lots of fresh herbs (parsley, mint, dill, cilantro, or whatever your like). Dress lightly, season with salt and pepper, and then toss with about a cup of couscous—the couscous acts as more of an accent than the main event. Very good!
*Mix couscous with an egg and a splash of milk. Form into patties and shallow pan-fry them in oil to make crispy fritters.
*Turn them into waffles! Mix couscous with flour, eggs, and enough milk to make a pourable batter. Add plenty of grated cheese and ladle out enough to fill a waffle iron and cook til golden.
Perfect Couscous
Serves 2 to 4
1 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
pinch of salt
1 cup couscous
Add the water, butter or olive oil, and salt to a medium saucepan. If you’re adding flavorings, add them now as well.
Bring the water to a rolling boil. Add the couscous, stir briefly, and remove from the heat.
Immediately cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the top and fluff with a fork before serving.