Mushroom Couscous

Fast, could not be easier, relatively low in fat. And really yummy.

In a 10 inch skillet, place 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat nearly to smoking point.

6 ounces any kind fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped
1/2 med onion, chopped
1-2 shallots, minced [optional but nice if you have them]
1 large clove garlic, minced
Throw all the mushrooms in at once, quickly spread out in the pan and saute without stirring until they are beginning to take on a bit of color, stir and add onion, shallot and garlic. Reduce heat and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

1 cup chicken broth
2-3 tablespoons half and half [optional, but nice]
I actually use a cup of reconstituted chicken soup base because it has more flavor, but if you have regular broth, you could throw in a bullion cube to jack up the flavor a little. If you are having this with beef or pork, you can use beef broth instead of chicken. Anyway – throw it and the cream in there with mushrooms and bring up to boiling, then turn off the heat.

1 cup plain couscous
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
Mix the couscous and herbs into the broth/mushroom mixture and cover. Let sit for 5 minutes, fluff with a fork and spoon into a serving bowl. Grate a little pecorino romano over the top. Makes 3-4 servings

We had this last night with chicken breasts sauteed with garlic and acorn squash out of the freezer. It goes really nicely with steak or pork chops too.