Let me begin with an apology. I have not posted for over 5 weeks now because I have been on vacation. I never announce that I will be gone, for all the obvious reasons. But so far, the good Lord has allowed me to come home with new recipes and a travel log of our adventure to share with everyone. But please know that I was thinking of you the whole time. (Do you really believe that? If so, I have a banana ranch on Camano I would love to sell you. At a reduced price of course.) But I do think of the blog periodically. And each of you of course. And always with fondness, I assure you. And with the hopes that whatever new recipes I tried along the way and subsequently post for your edification, might meet with satisfaction. But more about this recipe and how it came to be.

For this trailer trip, we added a new piece of equipment. It’s called a Koolatron. The only mission in its rather boring existence is to keep things cold. Or hot if you want to warm something. (Very versatile.) We purchased this exciting new piece of camping equipment because I wanted to carry more veggies and fruit than our trailer refrigerator can reasonably accommodate. Don’t get me wrong. There is quite a bit of room in our fridge, but not enough to hold a bag of mandarin oranges, large bunch of grapes, apples, various and sundry salad fixings, fresh asparagus, celery, shallots, and mushrooms. Plus, whatever else I might decide is a perishable necessity. (I really am trying to cook healthier food, even if it means one more thing for Mr. C. to drag in and out of the truck at every new site.)

The cool thing about a Koolatron, is that while we are driving it can be plugged in to the console of our truck (one of those ports for which their use is totally unknown to me) so that the fruit and veggies can stay cool regardless of the temperature inside the cab of the truck. Then, when we arrive at our camp site and Mr. C. attaches the trailer to a current bush, the Koolatron can happily reside right up against our trailer for easy access. I simply wish to never leave home again without my Koolatron by my side. It is one of the best investments I ever made! Thank you Amazon Prime! But on to this recipe.

Because of my Koolatron, I was able to keep shiitake mushrooms from moldering before I was ready to prepare this dish. And my shallot stayed perfect even though it had been along for the ride for over two weeks by the time I was ready to chop it into tiny little pieces. Which by the way, helped turn this simple dish into a thing of beauty. And perfect for camping. Easy to prepare and not too much time on the stove.  

I wish I had a picture to share with you. But I was too busy to think about taking a picture while simultaneously working on other dishes. As soon as I make this again, I will add a picture. Rest assured.

So as always, have fun in your kitchen, be kind to everyone you know or meet, and stay safe. We aren’t out of the woods yet with covid-19. And all though I make jokes about how I feel about you as readers, I actually do care about each and every one of you. Of course, I’ll never understand why you read my blog and put up with my foolishness, but I’m never-the-less very pleased that you do.

Peace and Love to all.   

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

1 sm. shallot, finely minced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 c. thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (cremini, button, or even canned mushrooms are just fine too)

1½ c. water

1 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning

1 tsp. beef base (I use Better Than Bouillon)

1 c. Israeli (pearl) couscous

Heat the olive oil in a small, covered pan. Add the shallot and sauté just until tender. Add the garlic and mushrooms, and sauté gently until the garlic is soft and aromatic. Add the water, Montreal seasoning, and beef base. Stir and bring to a boil. Add the couscous, bring back to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Great with just about any grilled meat or seafood.