Recipe for Couscous Carbonara with Pearl or Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
3/4 Cup Pearl Couscous (aka Israeli Couscous)
3 Strips Bacon (or Pancetta/Guanciale)
1 Whole Egg
2 Egg Yolks
1/2 Cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, grated
1/3 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
1 tsp Black Pepper
2 teaspoons Bacon Fat (for egg mixture)
1 ½ Tbsp Bacon Fat (for cooking onions)
½ Tsp Salt (for couscous water)
Steps
1. Cook bacon on low heat until golden and crispy, then remove to a plate.
2. While the bacon cooks, finely chop 1/3 of a yellow onion.
3. In a bowl, mix one egg, two yolks, the pecorino cheese, black pepper, and two teaspoons of bacon fat.
4. Pour off excess fat from the pan, leaving one and a half tablespoons. Add onion to same pan with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened.
5. Heat a small pot of water in a separate pan and add salt
6. Stir in couscous, toast for one to two minutes, then add a few ladles of the hot salted water. Continue cooking like risotto, adding ladles of water in stages waiting for it to be absorbed before adding more. Cook until al dente (8–9 minutes).
7. Crumble the bacon while couscous cooks.
8. Remove pan from heat with a little liquid still in it, stir in egg mixture quickly, and toss to coat.
9. Mix in half of the bacon, then return pan to low heat for 30 seconds to thicken slightly, then serve immediately topped with the rest of the bacon, black pepper, and extra pecorino cheese.
This recipe will teach you how to make the best pearl couscous, aka Israeli couscous. Since it is so similar to pasta it’s perfect for making it in the same style as carbonara. It’s easy, quick, and delicious.
00:00 Intro
00:16 Fry Bacon
00:28 Prep Egg Mixture
01:04 Sauté Onions
01:19 Cook Couscous
02:07 Add Egg Mixture
02:43 Finish & Serve
Pearl couscous is made from semolina flour just like traditional couscous, but it’s much larger and also toasted, making it more similar in texture to pasta, which is why my favorite way to make it is carbonara style. Let’s begin by cooking three strips of bacon in a mediumsized skillet on low heat. You can also use panchetta or guanchale, which is the traditional cut used for carbonara. While the bacon renders, finally chop a third of a yellow onion. Next, crack one egg into a bowl and separate two egg yolks from the whites and toss those in as well. Then, grate about a/2 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese. Toss the cheese into the eggs along with several grinds of black pepper or about one teaspoon. Mix that together and set aside. After you flip the bacon around a couple times and it’s golden brown and crispy, remove it to a plate and reserve for later. Pour out some of the bacon fat, but leave at least a tablespoon and a half in the pan. And you can also stir in about two teaspoons of bacon fat into the egg mixture. Now, with the pan on medium low heat, toss in the onions along with a pinch of salt and begin sautéing them for a few minutes. While the onions cook, start heating up a small pot of water, which we’ll use to make the couscous. After the onions have softened, pour in 3/4 cup of your pearl couscous and coat them in the oil in the onion before letting them toast for 1 to 2 minutes. Add a/ teaspoon of salt to the water right before you begin pouring it into the couscous. It’s important that the water is preheated so we don’t cool down the pan and slow the cooking process. Add a few ladles of water at a time and we’re going to cook it similar to risoto. Just control the heat so it stays at a slow simmer and stir it every once in a while. Once it absorbs most of the water, add in a couple more ladles. Since the couscous is so small, it shouldn’t take any longer than 8 to 9 minutes, but it’s important that you start tasting it for dness at around the 6 minute mark because you want it to be al dente. You can also crumble up the bacon while the couscous is cooking. I ended up adding three stages of water with a couple ladles each time. Once the couscous is cooked and there’s a tiny bit of liquid still in the pan, take it off the heat and add in the egg mixture. Begin stirring quickly so you don’t get any scrambled eggs. And you can toss it in the pan a few times so everything gets well incorporated. After all the couscous is coated evenly and it looks saucy, toss in about half of the bacon bits, reserving the rest to top each plate at the end. I like to place the pan back on low heat while stirring for about 30 more seconds to make sure all the egg is heated through and the sauce thickens slightly. Plate it up right away and finish with some of the reserved bacon. a little extra pepper and finally a fresh grating of Pecorino cheese. Please write any questions or thoughts in the comments and let me know if you plan on trying this one out. Thank you for watching.
2 Comments
This looks really good
Genius