Grape, Celery, and Couscous Salad

Just about every time I tell someone I watch NASCAR I hear 1 of 3 things.

1) “What are you a redneck?!?” yep! I’m the first redneck ever born and raised from  Greenwich, CT. Le sigh…

2) “NASCAR isn’t a sport. It’s not that hard to drive. I drive everyday.” Sure, just drive 180 mph or so with 42 other cars trying to get in front of you. These guys are hardcore athletes.  Just check out Kasey Kahne and Carl Edwards working out and testing their reaction times with a system called Dynavision.  Insane.

3) “Do they every turn right?” Yeah, yeah, yeah, there is lots of turning left but there are road courses where they turn both left AND right.

If you want to get in an argument, please, feel free to annoy me with that junk.

With special focus on the last point, this week’s race is at Sonoma Raceway, which is a road course. The first thing that came to mind when I thought of Sonoma was wine, wine, wine!! Oh, how I wish to get out to wine country. Hmmm, not this summer! Anyway, how do you get wine? With grapes!

When I saw this Grape, Celery, and Couscous Salad I knew it would be perfect for this week’s edition of Sprint Cup Snacks. It was so refreshing with the grapes, crunchy celery, and the bright dressing. I’ve actually made it a few times since it’s so good and simple so I’ve made some notes and changes along the way. For one thing, I once tried it with white pepper… don’t do that! Use fresh cracked black pepper. As well, be generous with the salt. Lastly, I’ve played around with the dressing a bit and I like to add a bit use more than the original recipe.

 

I swear this will be great to enjoy during this weekend’s race or throughout the summer. It is a great summery hit to enjoy with a glass of wine. I won’t be jealous or anything…

Grape, Celery, and Couscous Salad

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup Israeli couscous
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest plus 1/4 cup juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
• Salt and pepper, freshly cracked
• 1/2 pound red seedless grapes, halved
• 3 thinly sliced stalks celery plus 1/2 cup celery leaves

Process

1. Cook the couscous according to the package instructions. Set aside and let cool a bit.
2. Whisk together the orange zest plus juice, olive oil, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Toss the couscous, grapes, celery stalks and leaves with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted From: Everyday Food, December 2012