Israeli Couscous with Roasted Tomato, Swiss Chard, and Poached Eggs

This week we scored a dozen fresh eggs thanks to one of my managers who raises chickens. I originally planned on making this soup recipe (one of my favorites), but to put our eggs to use, I tweaked it a bit to make an israeli couscous, swiss chard, and roasted tomato dish topped with a fresh poached egg!  It's hearty thanks to the couscous, intensely flavorful thanks to the roasted tomatoes and herbs, and the oozy yolk gives it a little extra richness. 

And hey, if eggs aren't your thing (or if you find poaching eggs a bit too intimidating even though I promise, if I can do it, you can do it), ditch the egg and this would be wonderful all on its own as a vegetarian main dish or side.  

Serves 4

Ingredients

7 roma tomatoes, halved

2 Tb butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig of rosemary

1 sprig of sage
2 cups israeli couscous
2 1/4 cups water

1 bunch swish chard, stemmed and roughly chopped

salt and pepper

4 eggs, poached

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F. Place halved tomatoes skin side down on a foil-lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Put in the oven and let roast for 30 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, heat a large pot or enameled Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. In a separate saucepan or in the microwave, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to boil. 

Add 2 Tb of butter to the large pot. Once melted and heated, stir in the minced garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add in the couscous and cook, stirring continually, for about 3 minutes, letting the couscous toast. 

When the couscous is toasted and golden,  pour the boiling water over it, add in the sprigs of rosemary and sage, and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer for 8-10 minutes.

When the couscous is tender, remove the rosemary and sage, lower the heat to low, stir in the swiss chard, and cover.  Let cook, stirring occasionally, until the chard is wilted (about 5 minutes). 

Once the tomatoes are roasted, remove them from the oven and stir them into the couscous, breaking them up a bit with your spoon. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Once the couscous dish is ready, poach your eggs. I use this super simple method from Smitten Kitchen.

Serve the couscous in four bowls, each topped with a poached egg.