Mediterranean Couscous Salad & Catania, Italy are two must-do’s for your bucket list! Mediterranean Coucous Salad has fresh from the garden flavors with green and red peppers, cucumber, red onion, and lemon. Mediterranean Couscous Salad recipe is a fabulous pasta salad made with one of the tiniest pasta shapes and fresh vegetables. It’s so delightful!
Culinary Journey around the World
Thanks for joining me in all of my Culinary Journey around the World adventures. I love to bring international recipes to your kitchen along with a some highlights of things I experience from each city and country that inspires each recipe!
Today we are doing some exploring in Catania, Italy!
Catania is on the island Sicily, which is the largest Mediterranean island, is just off the “toe” of Italy’s “boot.” Its rich history is reflected in sites like the Valley of the Temples, the well-preserved ruins of 7 monumental, Doric-style Greek temples, and in the Byzantine mosaics at the Cappella Palatina, a former royal chapel in capital city Palermo.
Catania is an ancient port city on Sicily’s east coast. Off in the distance in the photo above you can Mt. Etna, which is an active volcano and it has trails leading up to the summit. Since Catania is nestled at the foot of this volcano and over time it’s eruptions have caused destruction ranging from somewhat minor to intensely severe! Even still the local catanese people love the volcano and their beautiful city.
Fontana dell’Elefante
One simply must see the symbol of the city which is in the photo below, it’s a statue of a smiling elephant that stands in the Piazza del Duomo. The Fontana dell’Elefante statue is made of lava stone and dates back to the Roman times.
Piazza del Duomo is the life of city!
In the southwest corner of the Piazza del Duomo square, La Pescheria weekday fish market is a rowdy spectacle surrounded by seafood restaurants. Every day under large red and white awnings and on marble counters, the ritual of selling fish and also meat and fruit takes place, it has repeated since ancient times.
I enjoyed a lovely dinner on the patio of Prestipino Cafe in the square. . .
The first course was handmade gnocchi with red sauce, followed by a delicate white fish and vegetables accompanied by a beautiful glass of local white wine. I was full to the brim but I still managed to enjoy a cannoli from the vast array of pastries in the pastry case! I was in foodie heaven! 🙂
As you’ve most likely noticed, I love to visit many of the beautiful churches and cathedrals during my travels. . . the stain glass, art work, and history are each unique and stunning! This beautiful church is located near the square and you’re even allowed to climb to the top of the bell tower to see the views of the ocean, Piazza del Duomo, and Catania City below in all directions!
The views from the top were astounding. . . you could see the ocean and city scape in every direction! Behind me in the photo above you’ll a telescoping lens for better viewing. It was simply magical!
Mediterranean Couscous Salad & Catania, Italy
Catania, Italy is enchanting and I can’t wait to share more from my adventures there in the upcoming weeks! Now, let’s get to our mouth-watering recipe! All the cities I visited in Italy I enjoyed touring the food markets . . . they all looked somewhat similar to the ones that I shared from Rome, Italy. I loved seeing the variety of vendors selling fresh produce, meats, and cheeses. I while I was there I had a similar salad to this Mediterranean Couscous Salad so decided to share it with you today!
Enjoy some more of our international salad recipes:
• Japanese Cucumbers with Sweet Vinegar Dressing
• Celery Root and Apple Salad with Dill Mustard Dressing
If you love pasta like we love pasta then here are some more of our faves:
- Hearty Ratatouille with Penne Pasta
- Pasta and Red Sauce, Basil Chicken with Caramelized Parsnips and Onions
- Hearty Ratatouille with Penne Pasta
- Bruschetta Pasta
- Italian Soda Bar
- Lemon Chicken Roasted Red Potato Pasta
- Sun-dried Tomato, Artichoke, Mushroom Alfredo Pasta
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Italian Artichoke Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Marsala with Linguini
- Truffle Macaroni and Cheese
Exploring Bruccoli, Italy
One more quick travel share. . . I took a quick day trip out to a small town named Brucoli. Brucoli is a southern Italian hamlet of Augusta, a municipality part of the Province of Syracuse, Sicily. Brucoli is located by the Ionian Sea coast of the island of Sicily. I road the train out and back to visit it!
It’s tiny, beautiful , ocean side town that was quite an adventure. I learned that less and less people speak english the farther you get out of the main cities. When in this situation, find someone under the age of 25 years old and it’s more likely they’ll speak some english or know of someone who does . I found my way without any issues but it ended up being quite an adventure. 🙂
Thanks for joining in today’s Mediterranean Couscous Salad & Catania, Italy! We hope you’ll be inspired to make this recipe in your kitchen.
Love Always,
Ruthie & Madeliene
Mediterranean Coucous Salad
- 3 ½ cups isralean couscous
- 1 ¾ cups english cucumber (peeled, seeded, and diced)
- 1 ½ cups red bell pepper (small diced)
- 1 ½ cups green bell pepper (small diced)
- 1 cup red onions (minced)
- 1 tablespoon garlic (minced)
- ½ cup cilantro (cleaned and chopped)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons sea salt (to taste)
- ½ tablespoon ground pepper (to taste)
- ½ tablespoon lemon pepper (to taste)
- Cook the couscous in salted water until al dente (almost tender).
- Be careful not to over cook as the couscous will become soggie.
- Drain and rinse the couscous in cold water until cool.
- In a large mixing bowl combine all vegetables and couscous; gently mix to combine.
- Add cilantro, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, and seasonings; gently mix to combine.
- Adjust seasonings according to desired flavor.
- Couscous salad will keep refrigerated for up to 3 day’s.
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