Photo of pearl couscous salad with tomatoes and basil by Amber Karnes.

Dish of the Week: Israeli (pearl) couscous
Where: Rustico

For a long time, couscous was a food that I had a hard time liking. The times that I have had the granular bits of semolina, I’ve always found it dry, with a texture that made me think it must be what furniture stuffing tastes like. But a few weeks ago at Vices of Virginia, a fundraiser for the new Arcadia Center, I tried a pearled couscous carbonara dish from Chef Steve Mannino of Rustico that bowled me over.

At first, I thought it was the combination of ham, bacon, cream, and cheese that made this dish so much better than other couscous. But as it turns out, Israeli couscous is a very different animal from the couscous served at most restaurants. The most obvious difference is the larger size and pearl shape of the couscous. But the most important difference is that the grain is toasted rather than dried, which gives it a softer, more pasta-like texture.

We’ll share Chef Mannino’s recipe with you shortly, so that if you can’t make the journey down to one of the Rustico locations, you can try it at home. Stay tuned!