Vegetable couscous pie

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 larges Onions
2 tablespoons Butter
½ pounds Mushrooms; halves
3 eaches Cloves garlic; chopped
1 pounds Carrots; peeled
2 smalls Zucchini; ends trimmed off
1 cup Couscous; uncooked
½ pounds Jarlsberg cheese; cut into large chunks (see Note)
2 larges Eggs
¼ teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Ground black pepper
¼ cup Chopped fresh basil
x Basil Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)
x Fresh basil sprigs (opt.)
x Fresh baby carrots (opt.)

Directions

1. Cut onions into wedges that will fit through the feed tube of the food processor. In food processor fitted with coarse shredding blade, shred the onions. In large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and saute 1 minute. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in same processor fitted with shredding blade, shred mushrooms. Add mushrooms and garlic to onions and saute until mushrooms soften slightly. Cover and cook 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cut carrots and zucchini into pieces that will fit the food processor's feed tube. Shred the carrots and add to onion-mushroom mixture. Cover and cook 5 minutes or until all vegetables are wilted.

4. Stir couscous into vegetables; cover and remove from heat. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes or until couscous absorbs all the liquid and the grains have softened, stirring twice while it stands.

5. Meanwhile, in same processor, coarsely shred cheese. In small bowl, with fork, beat eggs, salt and pepper. Generously grease a 9-inch pie plate. (If reheating pie later in a microwave, use a microwave-safe pie plate.) Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

6. Uncover vegetable couscous and fluff with fork to allow mixture to cool enough so that the eggs do not cook when they are stirred in.

Stir seasoned eggs into couscous until well blended. Reserve ¼ cup cheese; stir remaining cheese and the basil into couscous.

7. Spoon vegetable couscous into greased pie plate. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare Basil Tomato Sauce.

8. Uncover pie and bake 15 mintues longer or unti lightly browned around the rim. Sprinkle center of pie with reserved cheese. For easier cutting, let stand 10 minutes before serving. (Pie can be made ahead, cooled, covered and refrigerated. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F. 35 to 40 mintues. Or, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high 15 minutes, rotating plate every 5 minutes.)

9. To serve, cut pie into wedges and place on serving plates. Top each with some Basil Tomato Sauce and garnish with a basil sprig and baby carrot, if desired.

BASIL TOMATO SAUCE: Drain one 28-ounce can plum tomatoes packed in tomato juice and reserve the juice. Cut tomatoes in half, squeeze out and discard seeds; coarsely chop tomato pulp. In 2-quart saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add 1 small onion, chopped, and saute 1 minute. Stir in chopped tomatoes, 8 large fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste); and ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper.

Cover and heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes.

Remove basil leaves from tomato mixture. Pour mixture into blender or food processor fitted with chopping blade. Blend until smooth and return to saucepan; stir in ⅓ to ½ cup reserved juice until mixture is spoonable. Reheat just before serving.

Note: Substitute Jarlsberg Lite cheese to reduce calories per serving to 384, fat to 14 grams, sodium to 614 milligrams and cholesterol to 100 milligrams.

Per serving with Basil Tomato Sauce: PROTEIN 18g; FAT 18g; CARBOHYDRATE 44g; FIBER 7g; SODIUM 659mg; CHOLESTEROL 103mg; CALORIES 406, VITAMIN A 2,293 retinol equivalents.

From: COUNTRY LIVING magazine, 8/94.

Meal-Master format provided by iRis gRayson.

Submitted By IRIS GRAYSON On 09-09-95

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