Top | The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean

Bulgur Salad with Red Pepper and Walnuts

(recipe, Paula Wolfert)


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Introduction

This salad is excellent with grilled meat or just warm pita bread.

Ingredients

    Salad
    1. 1½ cups fine-grain bulgur
    2. 1 cup finely chopped onions
    3. ⅓ cup olive oil
    4. 4 Tbsp. ketchup
    5. ½ cup finely chopped parsley
    6. ⅓ cup chopped walnuts
    7. 1 Tbsp. pomegranate molasses or more to taste
    8. 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
    9. 1½ tsp. ground cumin
    10. 1½ tsp. ground coriander
    11. 1 tsp. Near East, Aleppo, or hot Hungarian pepper
    12. ½ tsp. ground allspice
    13. 1 tsp. salt
    14. ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
    Garnish
    1. 6 or 7 short sprigs flat-leaf parsley
    2. 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped walnuts
    3. 2 Tbsp. pine nuts, browned in oil

    Steps

    1. Place the bulgur in a fine sieve and shake to remove dust. Dampen with cold water and let stand 15 to 30 minutes. Squeeze out excess moisture.
    2. In a skillet, sauté the onions in the oil until they become translucent. Remove from the heat to cool.
    3. In a mixing bowl, combine the bulgur, onions, and all the remaining ingredients; blend well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
    4. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper, and garnish with parsley sprigs, walnuts, and sautéed pine nuts.

    Note

    Culinate recipe editor's notes: When I made this, I cooked the onions a bit longer (until just beginning to brown), tripled the amount of pomegranate molasses, and substituted Spanish (smoked) paprika for the Aleppo pepper.