Pentacost Sunday and My Favorite Salad

Sunday dawned bright, clear and warm. Flowers are blooming and the birds are singing. What a day to celebrate the feast of Pentacost at our church. Oh, and we are having a baptism as well! It’s expected to wear the color red. It symbolizes the joy and the fire of the holy spirit and gives us an opportunity to haul out our reddest and brightest clothes. And red is my favorite color!  Hallelujah!

After church we are having the traditional  barbecue, (the church provides hamburgers and hot dogs) and the parishioners bring the side dishes and desserts. I have decided to bring a Couscous, Garbanzo and Olive Salad.  I first met this savory delight when Ann, my Memoir Writing Class teacher, brought it for an end-of-semester potluck. After one delicious bite, I had to have the recipe. Ann generously sent it to me with the reminder that it comes from the book, The Best 50 Olive Recipes by Catherine Pagano Fulde. I prepared it Saturday night so the flavors could mingle and develop into scrumptiousness. Is that a word? Well, it should be.

This salad is a snap to prepare. The couscous practically makes itself. There is a little chopping involved and a couple of cans to open but generally speaking it only takes minutes to make. Here is how it goes.

Assemble your ingredients. Oops, I already juiced the lemon before I took the picture.

Make the couscous and cool it before pouring it into a large mixing bowl.

Add the rinsed and drained garbanzo beans.

 A few words about the handiest tool  in my kitchen: It is a lid popper. As the years creep up on me my hands have less and less gripping power and sometimes I have the devil's time opening a sealed lid. Well, this little baby fits just under the edge of the lid and with a slight pressure...Pop! and Bob's Your Uncle, as my mother used to say. In other words, the seal is broken and the lid opens without any difficulty. I would be lost without this little tool.

I love my lid popper!

Pop! So easy!

Start chopping!

Add the rest of the ingredients

Mix the dressing

Add the dressing and mix well. That's it!

Red and Ready for the potluck.

Couscous, Garbanzo and Olive Salad

1/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup lemon-infused virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 box Near East plain couscous, prepared as directed on package
2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tblsp. capers, rinsed and drained
1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup pitted mixed olives, drained and rough chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped green onion
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
Tomato wedges for garnish (optional)

In a small bowl, whisk lemon juice with oil, salt and pepper. In a medium sized pot prepare the couscous as directed. Let it stand about 5 minutes; fluff with fork and let cool for another 5-10 minutes. Pour into large mixing bowl. Fold remaining ingredients, except garnish, into couscous and add dressing. Mix well and chill. Garnish with tomatoes. Serves 6-8.