Funnily enough, bulgur can be used for things that are not tabbouleh and those things can be delicious. The weirdo and oft-misunderstood “berries” of various grains are lifesavers during our Ontario summers in a city that was built on a swamp as they involve no cooking and are a great blank canvas for all kinds of scrumptious flavours, like this little number that features peaches and basil that goes really nicely with all kinds of grilled proteins, especially this grilled pork loin marinated in orange and baharat.
This recipe serves 4 as a side.
What you need:
- 150 g bulgur
- Pinch of salt
- A hefty pinch of freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 250 ml boiling water
- 1/2 of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 ripe peaches, cleaned and sliced
- 1 cup of snow peas, cleaned
- 1.5 tsp ground sumac
- A pinch of nutmeg
- ½ cup of fresh basil leaves, torn
- 3 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- Pepitas
What you do:
- In a large bowl, weigh out the bulgur, stir in the salt pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil, then pour over the boiling water.
- Cover this (I use a plate) and set it aside to reconstitute for at least 1 hour.
- Once the bulgur is reconstituted, add the remaining ingredients, except the basil and pepitas to the bowl and toss gently until everything is well-combined. Taste test and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Just before serving, sprinkle the basil leaves and then the pepitas across the top.
melanisms 