Winter Tabbouleh with Roasted Vegetables

I've always loved making tabbouleh as it's such a quick and easy salad. You may have seen the recipe I posted over the summer - with my own special ingredient!  Now that this year's tomatoes and cucumbers are coming to an end, I've been looking for ideas to make a winter version.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! 

The basic ingredients are just like any tabbouleh i.e. bulghur wheat with a mint, parsley and lemon dressing.  To me, colour is just as important as flavour.  It's got to look good as well as taste good which is why I chose a home grown butternut squash and some freshly picked green rocket and added bright red and yellow peppers and a red onion too.  Other roasted vegetables such as aubergines or courgettes could be used instead and baby spinach leaves used in place of rocket.

Ingredients                                     Serves 4 - 6 

125g bulghur wheat
1 butternut squash
2 peppers (red and yellow)
1 red onion
A generous handful of fresh rocket
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh mint, finely chopped
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil + extra oil for roasting
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper

Method

First put the bulghur wheat in a bowl, pour over plenty of boiling water and leave to soak for about 30 minutes. 

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas Mark 6.

Peel the butternut squash, then cut in half lengthways and scoop out the seeds with a spoon.   Cut into pieces approximately ½" (1 cm) square and place in a bowl with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. 

Mix well,  then transfer to a large baking tray.

Slice the peppers and mix in a bowl with olive oil and seasoning as before, then  spread out on the baking tray alongside the squash (or on a separate tray). 

 
Repeat with the red onion, then place on a separate baking tray.

 

Now roast the vegetables in the oven until tender, turning occasionally to ensure they are evenly cooked.  The onions and peppers will probably take about 20 to 25 minutes whilst the butternut squash will need longer, usually 35 to 40 minutes.  The vegetables should be tender but not brown and crispy.

Meanwhile make your dressing by whisking together the olive oil and lemon juice in a large bowl. Then add the finely chopped parsley and mint and a good seasoning of salt and pepper. 

      

Drain the bulghur wheat through a sieve and press with the back of a large spoon to remove excess water.

When your bulghur wheat has drained thoroughly, place in a large bowl and stir in the dressing.   Add the roasted vegetables and mix together gently.  Check seasoning. 

Finally, just before serving,  tear up the rocket leaves and stir into the salad.

This salad can be made well in advance. I often soak the bulghur wheat,  add the dressing, then leave in the fridge till needed.  I think the flavour improves with keeping and then you can roast your vegetables sometime when you've got the oven on.

Red Bean Bulghur Pilaf

Bulghur Wheat is probably best known as the main ingredient of tabbouleh, the popular summer salad.  In this recipe it's served hot and cooked with onion, garlic, kidney beans and tomatoes and mildly spiced with chilli.

As it's name suggests, bulghur wheat comes from whole wheat grain that has been hulled, par-boiled and roasted.  It's a useful substitute for mince in a bolognese sauce or vegetable casserole as it readily absorbs flavours as well as cooking liquid (and even has the appearance and texture of mince!).

In this quick and easy recipe, the bulghur wheat soaks up all the juicy goodness from the tomatoes and vegetable stock to produce a moist and wholesome supper dish. 


Ingredients                     Serves 4

1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 red pepper, deseeded and diced
175g bulghur wheat
1 x 400g red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 x 400g tin chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp sun dried tomato paste
1 Kallo organic stock cube dissolved in 600ml hot water
1/4 tsp chilli powder (or more to taste)
1 tbsp olive oil
freshly ground salt and pepper

Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan or casserole and fry the onion over a medium heat for about 5 minutes until soft but not brown.  Add the garlic and red pepper and stir well. Cook for about five minutes until the peppers are beginning to soften.

Add the bulghur wheat and give it a good stir round, then add the chilli powder, chopped tomatoes, sundried tomato paste and hot vegetable stock. 

Cover with a lid and simmer gently for about 20 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the bulghur wheat tastes cooked.

Stir in the drained kidney beans and season with salt and pepper.

Leave for a few minutes for the beans to heat through, then serve with salad or a green vegetable.