COUSCOUS WITH DEPTH

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Our partners at Eastside Food Co-op are remarkably fun to work with on the Hearth newsletter. This is in part because their store is a font of high-quality regional food to cook with, and in part because touring that collection of edibles makes it easy to find new things to write about. At Eastside's suggestion, I took a spin through the bulk foods aisle - the heart of the traditional coop - to see if I could shift the lens away from the easy targets of luxe protein entrees (big cuts of pricey meat and imported cheeses) and return to something nourishing and homespun.

The result is this edition of the Hearth, which features two recipes that I would 100% make again - a toasted couscous and egg dish that is surprisingly flavorful and versatile, and an old-school mushroom-barley soup that is sustaining and delicious. — James Norton

Eggs may have gone up in price, but they clocked in at $5.50 a dozen when we shopped this entree at Eastside Food Co-op, meaning that the protein piece of this entree runs under 50 cents a serving, even after you count the cost of butter. The Middle Eastern couscous that's the bulk of this recipe is $3.29 a pound, meaning that the cup of it that this method uses is almost imperceptibly expensive. Your biggest outlay is likely to be the scallions and shallots, which don't exactly break the bank either

It should go without saying that this recipe is also delicious, but it's worth spelling out. Toasting the couscous before rehydrating and cooking it gives it an unexpectedly nutty depth of flavor, and the finished pasta is chewy and beautifully enhanced by garlic, butter, and scallions, set off with a kick of lemon juice.

TOASTED MIDDLE EASTERN COUSCOUS WITH FRIED EGGS
Lightly adapted from Milk Street Tuesday Nights

4 Tbsp olive oil divided into 1 Tbsp, 1 Tbsp, and 2 Tbsp amounts
1 cup Middle Eastern or pearl couscous
1 medium shallot, minced
2 1/2 cups of hot water
4 medium garlic cloves, all peeled; 2 smashed and 2 minced
Salt
4 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp butter
2 scallions, thinly sliced 
4 large eggs

To serve
1/2 tsp ground sumac and 1/2 tsp za'atar seasoning, mixed and sprinkled
Hot sauce or harissa (optional)

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a medium pan until shimmering. Add the couscous and cook while stirring until lightly browned, about 3-4 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, along with the shallot and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until the shallot softens, about a minute. Return the couscous to the pan with 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 cup of hot water. Stir until water is absorbed, about 2 minutes. Repeat this 4 more times until the couscous is tender but chewy, about 10-12 minutes. 

Remove from pan heat, and stir in lemon juice, butter, and scallions, then taste and season with salt. Cover and set aside.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp of oil and smashed garlic. Cook until garlic is golden, 2-3 minutes, then remove and discard the garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low, and crack four eggs into the pan, using a spatula to push the eggs whites away from each other to keep the eggs separate. Cover and cook until the whites are set, about 1-2 minutes. 

Serve the couscous in four bowls, each topped with an egg and a pinch of the sumac mixture, plus hot sauce or harissa if desired.