Israeli Couscous with Artichokes

We had a big menu change at work.  The menu is being streamlined, so several ingredients were cut.  Once the frozen marinated artichokes were off the inventory, I asked if I could have a bag.  I didn't realize that came out to roughly three quarts of artichokes.  So I decided to splurge on this dish.

A few days before, I had a huge scare with my four year old fridge.  It wasn't holding temperature, and I was on the verge of scheduling some very expensive repairs.  It's behaving now, so I'm pretty sure Bruin Smurf left the door cracked open again.  There's a door alarm, but maybe it was not open enough to trigger it.  Meanwhile, I realized just how much space I have in the chest freezer and the mini fridge that I never turn on until there's something wrong with the kitchen one.  All summer, when I was trying to find space for the cakes, I could have been using the mini fridge.

Anyway, I decided to cook off a few things that might spoil if the fridge died, and this made a good side dish to go with that.  I actually used the last of the herbed butter from the salmon instead of oil, and I think it would taste better with the olive oil.

*1 C dry Israeli (pearl) couscous
*2C marinated artichoke quarters, drained
1/2 C kalamata olives
1 Tb butter or olive oil
*Parmesan cheese for garnish

1.  Cook couscous according to package directions.

2.  While that's going on, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add artichoke quarters and olives and cook until heated through.

3.  When the couscous is ready, add artichoke mixture and stir to combine.  Serve hot, topped with a sprinkle of parmesan if desired.

Difficulty rating  π