To Be Or Not To Be...A Foodie (Shrimp & Peas Couscous)

A non-foodie orders a meal in a restaurant and just eats and enjoys it. A foodie orders a meal in a restaurant and dissects the ingredients so it can be recreated at home. I am that foodie. Some eat to live....that's my husband Steve. Some live to eat...that's me, his wife. Steve tries something new, usually at the end of my fork as I stick it in his face and comments, "Pretty good." I try something new and exclaim, "Oh my God, this is unbelievable." My eyes nearly pop out of my face. Steve, well, he just shakes his head and smiles indulgently. How can two people be so different, yet so much in love....do ya hear that, honey?
Let's take a walk down Memory Lane....I was born at a very young age....the third child of seven. You ate what was put in front of you. There was no...this child doesn't like this or that child won't eat that. If lentils were put in front of you...you ate lentils. You could sit at the table for three hours and gag, but you still ate that bowl of lentils. I now love lentils. We pretty much ate in silence and listened to Mom and Dad chat. "Children should be seen and not heard" unless one was asked a direct question. Actually, this wasn't at all unpleasant. We learned to listen...we learned what made our parents tick, we learned respect, self-control and good behavior.  It was a time for my parents to have adult conversation, plan out loud and have the opportunity to look at their kids, really "see" their kids and be proud of them.  Believe me when we weren't at the table...the chatter never stopped. At some point in the day, my parents heard everything that went on in our lives...er, almost everything.
This blog's recipe comes from the original point I was trying to make.... foodies dissect their meal...blah, blah, blah. Each day at work, we receive the daily faxed menu from local delis so we can order lunch beforehand. We rarely do. But boy do we memorize, discuss and debate each dish they'll serve that day. 
Although, the usual fax menu is panini, salads, sandwiches, soup, chili, pasta dishes and wraps..one day a particular dish jumped off the page. It didn't have an actual name like Eggplant Rollatini or Chicken Caesar Wrap just Grilled Shrimp over Couscous with Broccoli and Pistachios. That was good enough for me! I actually had all the ingredients in my cupboard or freezer. It being Friday, when Steve has his homemade meatball pizza and I put together whatever I can lay my hands on...this was a perfect meal to try. I figured it out, changed a few ingredients and got it right on the first try. Was mine as good as the deli that inspired this meal? "Oh, my God it was unbelievable!"

Shrimp Couscous Peas & Pistachios
1 box couscous
1 can (14 1/2oz) chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pistachios
1 cup peas
1 doz shrimp, peel, clean/devein
1 cup flour seasoned with salt garlic powder & onion powder
2-3 T Crisco oil
1 T butter
1. Cook couscous according to directions but substitute broth for water 1 1/4 cup. Stir very well and add Parmesan cheese. Set aside.
2. Cook peas seasoned with salt, garlic powder & onion powder
3. Heat Crisco oil. Dredge shrimp in seasoned flour. Brown until cooked through and golden 3-4 min each side.
4. Warm 1/4 cup of remaining broth in a cup in microwave and add to cooked couscous. Stir and add a pat of butter.
5. To Plate: Put couscous on a platter, top with peas and pistachios then top with shrimp.

Enjoy...And Remember To Make Memories At The Table