“Spiedini” di Shrimp alla Siciliana

The poet wrote, “To see the world in a grain of sand.” For me, it was seeing the world in a grain of couscous.

I was surprised to find couscous on the menu of an Italian restaurant. Isn’t couscous a North African/Arab dish? But, just look at a map of the Mediterranean and there is the toe of the Italian boot kicking Sicily toward Tunisia. The nearness of Sicily’s Trapani and Tunis in Tunisia allowed for tremendous interplay of culture, architecture and, of course, food. Thus couscous found its way into the cuisine of Italy.

The Dish: “Spiedini” di Shrimp alla Siciliana -- ’s grilled shrimp over Sicilian couscous ($23)

What’s In It: Two skewers of grilled shrimp are placed atop the couscous, which is flavored with typical Italian ingredients: olives, capers, roasted peppers (or plum tomatoes) and herbs, as well as a citrus basil vinaigrette.

How’s It Taste: Everything comes together in the pasta as the bland and crunchy large-granule couscous is nicely salted with the capers and olives. This would be a fine dish even without the shrimp.

 Sides: Salad and wine.