Harvest Israeli Couscous Salad

I have been visiting Marvin every day for four months. One hundred and twenty-two visits. One hundred and twenty-two containers of food. One hundred and twenty-two hours of sitting beside him, reading to him, holding his hand, telling him about the grandchildren and the tomatoes and the book. The numbers are not impressive. The numbers are just numbers. But I count them because the counting is the evidence, the proof that I showed up, every day, rain or shine, good days and bad days, windows and no-windows, because showing up is the love, and the love is the number, and the number is one hundred and twenty-two and rising.

Marvin had a window on Thursday. A short one — maybe five minutes. I was reading him "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" — the chapter where Francie's father dies — and he looked at me and said, "That's sad." The story. He heard the story. He understood, for five minutes, that what I was reading was a story and that the story was sad, and the understanding was clear and present and Marvin, and I said, "Yes, it's sad. But it gets better." He said, "Things usually do." Things usually do. A sentence that could have come from Marvin at any point in our forty-one years of marriage, a sentence that is optimistic and pragmatic and slightly vague and entirely Marvin, and I wrote it down the moment I got to the car, on the back of a receipt, because sentences from Marvin are rare now and each one must be preserved, must be archived, must be kept in the vault where I keep everything that matters.

I made a summer corn salad — fresh corn cut from the cob, cherry tomatoes, basil, red onion, lime vinaigrette. The salad was bright and crunchy and tasted like July and the tasking of July was a relief after the sadness of Francie's father dying in the book and the sweetness of Marvin's five minutes of clarity, because the palate needs variety, and the variety is the corn salad, and the corn salad is the joy, and the joy is necessary, even in the middle of everything else.

That afternoon, after I’d written Marvin’s words down on the back of that receipt and driven home with my heart very full and very quiet, I needed something to do with my hands — something bright and tactile and alive. The corn salad I made was close cousin to this Harvest Israeli Couscous Salad, which I’ve returned to again and again through these months: it has that same cheerful combination of textures and fresh flavors, the kind of bowl that asks nothing of you except to enjoy it. When the emotional weight of a day is heavy, there is real mercy in a salad that tastes unmistakably like summer.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 10 minutes | Total Time: 25 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups Israeli (pearl) couscous
1 3/4 cups vegetable broth or water
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh basil, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the couscous. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in the Israeli couscous, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 8—10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender. Spread onto a baking sheet and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
Make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Char the corn (optional). If using fresh corn, heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat and cook the kernels for 3—4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred in spots. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the cooled couscous, corn, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red bell pepper, and dried cranberries. Drizzle the vinaigrette over the top and toss gently to combine.
Finish and serve. Fold in the basil and parsley. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and top with toasted pumpkin seeds and crumbled feta. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours — the flavors deepen as it rests. Toss once more before serving if made ahead.

Nutrition (per serving)

Harvest Israeli Couscous Salad — A Bowl Full of Color for the Days That Need It Most