Shrimp and pineapple salad with lebanese couscous

The weather in Dallas these days is fabulous: 76F, sunny,trees are in bloom! So, I wanted  a pineapple! Stuffed with shrimp, cashews, Lebanese couscous, spices and herbs, it was a  perfect meal to welcome springtime.

Lebanese couscous is made up of semolina and the grains are big and fat! In Palestine and Jordan and maybe Syria, their couscous is called maftoul and is made of wheat. Slight difference. In Beirut it is possible to buy it fresh but in the States any middle-eastern grocer will carry both the  dry semolina and the wheat couscous. In Lebanon, we call our couscous moghrabiyeh. In the olden days, people used to make it at home.

How to cook Lebanese couscous or moghrabiyeh:

1. Heat some fat in a pot, about 3 tablespoons for 1 1/2 cup of couscous. Throw in the couscous grains and let them fry a little until they get a bit golden, about 4 minutes; add some seasoning such as salt, white pepper, a pinch of cinnamon or allspice or whatever else rocks your boat.
2. Add 2 1/2 cups of water with a couple of veggie cubes.
3. Let it simmer until the grains have swelled to double their size about 30 minutes; taste a few; they will be chewy like pasta.

How to carve the pineapple and stuff it:

1. Grab a sharp knife and cut the fruit in half lengthwise; Score it in squares and remove the squares one at a time until all the flesh is removed. Scrape any more flesh with a serrated spoon and reserve any extra juice for the dressing.
2. Remove the hard pineapple part in the middle and use later for juice. Cut the pineapple in squares and set aside.
3. Season the shrimp with the spices and heat some olive oil in a large skillet; add the shrimp when the oil is hot and let them sizzle  for three  minutes until they turn pink; remove the shrimp and add the cashews and fry them for a couple of minutes adding more oil if necessary. Fry the cashews until they turn golden and remove and blot them on paper towels. Add to the shrimp in a bowl.

1. Fry the pineapple for one minute too, adding brown sugar to the fruit. Reserve in a bowl with the shrimp and cashews.
2. Chop the green onions and the parsley and other herbs if using (I used dill), add to the shrimp and cashews; add some chopped jalapeños too, to add some kick; squeeze a lemon and swirl some olive oil, tasting the seasoning and adjusting, adding more paprika if needed, or some honey.

1. Line the pineapple with some lettuce and fill with the pineapple mixture; serve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups of Lebanese couscous or moghrabiyeh
• 1 pound of small shrimp
• 1 bunch of green onions
• 1 cup of cashews
• several tablespoons of chopped parsley or other herbs such as cilantro or dill.
• Spices: salt, pepper, paprika, turmeric, chili powder, brown sugar or honey.
• 1 chopped jalapeño pepper (optional), one red bell pepper, diced.
• 1 lemon, juiced
• olive  oil, as needed