The basic black dress

Back when the food network actually was gutsy enough to show programs about cooking, they had a wonderful show called "Cooking Monday to Friday." The host was a wonderful woman named Michelle Urvater. The theme of the show was, basically, "ok, you just walked in the door after working all day and you have to get dinner on the table. What do you do?"

And they cancelled it. I guess we don't need a show like that, huh? And how many hours of Emeril screaming BAM have we got available to us ? Bobby Flay has a very cute face, but if I see one more of his "throw downs" I'm going to throw him down and step on his cute face. And yes, there is plenty of eye candy on "Iron Chef America," (admit it, c'mon: you've got a thing for Alton Brown. He SAYS he's straight, but do you believe it? I don't. I want to think that the whole cast is going back stage at the end of shows and. Oh, dear. I'm getting carried away aren't I?)

Anyway, back to Michelle Urvater. Her shows were wonderful. I still make some of her recipes. And she published a cookbook, which included a chapter on couscous, which she referred to as "the basic black dress " of her kitchen.

Now, for Italians, a "basic black dress" is part of every women's wardrobe. Not because they go out a lot, but because they have to be ready for their husbands to die at any minute. You think I'm kidding? HA. Must be a WASP reading this. I think the tradition is ending, which is unfortunate, but you could go to church and see dozens of these ladies, of various lumpy shapes in their black. I always thought that they must have had twelve of the same dress, but my Nana would never tell me that (she, by the way, did NOT subscribe to this black dress thing. In many ways she was a modern woman).

Ok, I'm digressive today, aren't I? Back to couscous. Making couscous from scratch is a very tedious process, that is done in Morocco and other areas of North Africa, and in Sicily , where it's called cussucussu, and served only with fish. The stuff we get is already "pre-cooked" sort of like Minute Rice, only the couscous is good, and you don't have to be scared by the list of ingredients on the side, if you don't get the flavored kinds. Try to get organic varieties, and stick to plain (which looks like little golden pastinas), or whole wheat (which looks like little brown pastinas).

This is the thing to have in the house when the thought of cooking a pot of pasta seems too opressive. Here's how you cook couscous. You put the couscous in a pot. You cover it with enough water to cover it by about an inch. You put a teaspoon or so of salt in. You bring it to the boil, cover the pot, turn off the heat, and change your clothes or do something that takes 5 or ten minutes. It's ready. Really. It is. I swear.

Unless you want to play with it. And here's the easiest way to play with it. Put a big piece of butter into it, and stir. Want to get fancier? Add some peas, even if they're still frozen. Or some other vegetables. Looking for heartier? Get a handful of peeled raw shrimp and stir them in while it's hot. Wait a few more minutes.

Want something sweet? Stir in some milk or cream, and some sugar. Maybe some preserves or some fruit. And you've got a breakfast. Now, this is a VERY good thing to know how to do. I mean, let's face it. At some point you're going to bring someone home who you want to come back again. That means breakfast the next day. And you know you're good horizontal, but how many people are? Yeah, a lot. But how many can make an interesting innovative breakfast without injuring themselves ? Sure, he probably wants blueberry pancakes, but are you up for that? French toast? COME ON. You want to give him something fast and tasty because, well, you want the fun to continue. Pull out the couscous. It keeps in the cupboard for months, and it's always there for you. Sort of like Annalena.