Israeli Couscous with Pine Nuts
3 tablespoons butter, divided
2/3 cup pine nuts (about 3 1/2 ounces)
3 cups (16 ounces) Israeli toasted couscous
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
3 3/4 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh Italian parsley
Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add pine nuts and stir until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer to small bowl.
Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in same pan over medium heat. Add shallots and sauté until golden, about 10 minutes. Add couscous, cinnamon stick, and 2 bay leaves and stir until couscous browns slightly, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Add broth and salt and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until couscous is tender and liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley and pine nuts. Season with black pepper. Transfer to serving dish.
Israeli Salad
2 large tomatoes
2 cucumbers
1/2 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon lemon juice
salt
pepper
Chop the vegetables into small pieces. The secret to a really good Israeli salad is finely chopped vegetables.
Immediately before serving, season with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. (Israelis tend to sprinkle on quite a bit of salt)
FUN FACTS:
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel has the largest raptor migration in the world, with hundreds of thousands of African birds of prey crossing as they fan out into Asia.
The cell phone was developed in Israel by Motorola-Israel.