A Southern Grace: oh, bulgur off

July 6, 2015

oh, bulgur off

Yum

Just kidding! Stay! Stay and read about my foray into the world of bulgur wheat!


Because I can't listen to a podcast, read a magazine, or peruse a favorite blog without seeing tabbouleh or hearing about Yotam Ottolenghi, I bought some bulgur and parsley with the intention of making his tabbouleh recipe. I love that stuff--it's so refreshing and has such a unique mouthfeel and taste. I don't have it often but always enjoy it.

My plans derailed, not for any reason in particular, but mostly because I had feta cheese that was beginning to take a turn and two peaches that were still as hard as rocks even after another week of ripening on the counter. I thought of this wonderful couscous salad (which I actually haven't made since that post went up nearly five years ago and I have no idea why it popped into my head now), and decided to tweak it a bit using bulgur.


You guys, this is really good. The chickpeas offer such a toothsome bite that you know when you've got one in your mouth, but everything else kind of melds together until the sweetness of the peaches hits you or you crunch down on an almond or you detect the footiness saltiness of the feta. Herbaceous, bright, and so full of flavor, I may eschew real tabbouleh altogether and just make this dish a part of the regular rotation!

Tabbouleh Bulgur Salad for Spring (or Summer)
Makes about 6 cups
Ingredients:
  • 1 cup bulgur wheat
  • 1-1/2 cups boiling water
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons good olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
  • 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
  • 2 small peaches, peeled, pitted, and chopped
  • 1 cucumber, seeded and medium-diced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese
  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Place the bulgur in a large bowl, pour in the boiling water, and add the lemon juice, olive oil, and 1-1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then allow to stand at room temperature for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
Add the mint, parsley, chickpeas, peaches, cucumber, tomatoes, feta, almonds, remaining salt, and pepper; mix well. Season to taste, and serve or cover and refrigerate. The flavor will improve after several hours in the fridge.

17 comments:

Jordan said...

This looks really interesting! I love the taste of chickpeas, so I definitely should give this a shot - sounds like a great combo of flavors. Never tried bulgur wheat before!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Bulgur is delicious and versatile. Lovely tabbouleh.

Cheers,

Rosa

dedy oktavianus said...

never had bulgur before, tempting to try!!!
Dedy@Dentist Chef

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'm annoyed with myself now - I just ate a couple of peaches just because they were there. They would have been so much better like this! I've got all the other bits in, too.

Unknown said...

Omg, this is so weird. For the first time in many months I had (almost) the same thing for supper. I used semolina (realize it's not quite the same) but the rest of the ingredients, minus the the peaches, were the same...... and I loved it. Left overs for lunch!

Ally said...

I'm going to have to try this one. Looks delicious!!

Natalie @ Obsessive Cooking Disorder said...

Interesting, I've never tried bulgar wheat. I guess it's wheat from Bulgar? This is a tasty side dish for summer - easy and light on the belly (it is bikini season after all)

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies said...

I see Bulgur on the shelf at the grocery store, and tell myself I should try it, and I never do. I think I should change that, this sounds delicious!

Katerina said...

I love this type of salad and that feta cheese definitely arose my appetite!

Angie's Recipes said...

I haven't made or had a bulgur salad in a while. This looks like an easy, but a great one!

Joanne said...

This sounds even better than tabbouleh, if you ask me! Love that you added fruits to the mix!

Unknown said...

W-O-W! This is quite an inventive departure from traditional tabbouleh! Love your creativity! I think you would perform well on 'Chopped.' They should have a Food Bloggers edition. I would root for you!

lisa is cooking said...

This sounds like perfect summer food! I'd love to have a bowl of this in the fridge to scoop from for lunch every day.

Pam said...

Great idea! This looks like the perfect summer side dish. YUM.

I Wilkerson said...

You sooo get the prize for blog post titles! I am seeing whole grain salads everywhere now and I was inspired to go out and buy barley and wheat berries (so there may be a new variation on this salad coming up!)

Leslie Anne Tarabella said...

I bought a package of bulgar two weeks ago because it sounded healthy, and it's been sitting in the cabinet this entire time, waiting for me to figure out what to do with it! You're a hero!

Marcela said...

OMG! I totally crave this dish! Such a wonderful bulgur salad!