This month’s “Savor Cooks” recipe features currants. Try our recipe for Saffron Couscous with Currants and Pine Nuts.
Expand your food repertoire with currants. Fresh currants look like small berries clustered on a thin vine and the color ranges from white to red to deep purple. The best place to find fresh currants would be a farmers’ market or specialty grocery store. Use fresh currants in a yogurt parfait or baked into a quick bread.
Dried currants look like mini raisins and can be used in place of most recipes that call for raisins. They are often easier to find than fresh currants. Use dried currants in scone and bread recipes, or stirred into oatmeal. Or, try a savory preparation like our couscous recipe below.
Don’t forget to check out our Food of the Month post on currants.
Recipe
Couscous cooks almost instantly. Jazz up this quick cooking grain with some saffron, toasted pine nuts and currants.
Can’t find saffron? Try powdered turmeric. No currants? Sub raisins or dried cranberries. Dislike pine nuts? Use almonds or pumpkin seeds.
To turn this side dish into a main, mix in chickpeas, feta cheese, and baby spinach or chopped veggies.
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup currants
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon saffron threads
- ¼ cup boiled water
- 2 ½ cups broth (vegetable or chicken broth, or just use water)
- 1 12-oz box couscous
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Toast the pine nuts. Add pine nuts to a small dry skillet over medium heat, shaking the pan or stirring frequently, until fragrant and golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl or ramekin and set aside.
- Combine currants and vinegar in a small bowl or ramekin and set aside.
- Crush the saffron threads with your fingers and place in a small bowl. Pour the boiled water over the saffron and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium pot, bring the broth to a boil. Add the couscous, olive oil, salt and the saffron-water mixture. Bring back to a boil and then turn off the heat, cover the pot and let sit for 10 minutes. Remove cover and fluff couscous with a fork.
- Stir the toasted pine nuts and vinegar-ed currants into the couscous.
