Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Sautéed Mushrooms, Peas and Tomatoes – Mantarli, Bezelyeli Bulgur Pilavi

Posted by Ozlem on Jul 14, 2011 in Pilafs and Rice, Uncategorized | 2 comments

We consume a good amount of bulgur wheat in Turkish cuisine – in the form of salads and pilaf rice – and I am always on the look out for spicing up bulgur. Packed with fiber and vitamins and low on fat, bulgur is a very healthy option and can be very delicious too. This time I experimented bulgur with sautéed mushrooms; the meaty, juicy flavor of mushrooms worked really well with bulgur. If you can add a few more vegetables into the mix and grate some parmesan (or any hard cheese you prefer) over, this dish could be a wonderfully satisfying, easy and delicious week day supper. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Serves 4- 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20-25 minutes

4 garlic gloves, crushed and finely chopped
3 large Portobello mushrooms, cleaned and coarsely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
45gr/1/2 cup frozen peas
350 gr/12 oz bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
600gr/1 pint/2 1/2 cups hot water
30ml/2 tablespoons olive oil – and an extra drizzle for the bulgur
5ml/1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Grated parmesan (or any hard cheese you prefer) to serve

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pan. Stir in garlic and chopped mushrooms, and season with salt generously (mushrooms and garlic go very well and the salt helps the water to come out of mushrooms). Sauté for 2-3 minutes until mushrooms soften and start to loosen up. Add the dried oregano, mix well and turn the heat off, leaving it a side.

On a separate pot, drizzle a little olive oil and add the bulgur and chopped tomatoes, tossing thoroughly over low heat. Add the hot water, season with salt and ground pepper. Stir to combine thoroughly. Bring to boil for 1-2 minutes, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 8 minutes. At this time stir in the frozen peas to bulgur mixture and stir to combine. Then cover and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. Turn off the heat and add the sautéed mushrooms into the mixture and combine well. Cover the pan with a paper towel and press the lid on top. Leave to steam for a further 10 minutes.

Serve the bulgur pilaf with some grated parmesan over the top. You can serve some steamed vegetables by the side if you would like too.

Afiyet Olsun!

Bulgur Pilaf with green lentils, served with caramelized onions -Mercimekli Bulgur Pilavi

Posted by Ozlem on Mar 29, 2011 in Pilafs and Rice, Uncategorized | 4 comments

This wonderful, traditional pilaf is from my hometown Antioch (Antakya), and it is served with caramelized onions over the top. The sweetness of the caramelized onions complements the lentils and bulgur really well. I like to serve it with spicy pickled peppers or a green salad with a sharp lemon juice and olive oil dressing, they complement the pilaf wonderfully. Easy, healthy and delicious, this pilaf can be kept in fridge for 2-3 days.

Variation: I had some chestnut mushrooms that needed using the other day. So I sautéed the slices of the mushrooms with some crushed garlic, and then added a handful of chopped parsley. Seasoned with salt and pepper and added a juice of 1/2 lemon to the mixture for a nice tangy finish. I served the bulgur and green lentils pilaf with this sautéed mushrooms, it was delightful. Just another idea for serving.

Serves 6-8
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 35 minutes

225gr/8oz/1 cup green lentils
350gr/12oz bulgur wheat, rinsed
15ml/1 tablespoon mild olive oil
750ml/ 1/4 pints/3cups hot water
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
To serve:
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
45ml/3 tablespoons mild olive oil
Pickled green and red peppers

Boil the green lentils in a heavy pan with plenty of hot water for about 15 minutes. Drain the water and set the green lentils aside.

Combine the half cooked green lentils and rinsed the bulgur wheat in a heavy pan. Pour in the hot water and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine thoroughly. Bring to boil for 1-2 minutes, and then reduce the heat. Cover and simmer until all the liquid has been completely absorbed (about 15 minutes).

While the pilaf is cooking, heat the olive oil in a pan and stir in the onion slices. Over a medium heat, cook the onion slices for about 10-15 minutes until they start to get caramelized, stir occasionally. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the bulgur and green lentils pilaf with the caramelized onion slices over the top. Spicy pickled peppers or a green salad with a sharp lemon juice and olive oil dressing would go really well with the pilaf.

Afiyet Olsun!

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Zucchini, Tomatoes and Onions – Kabakli As

Posted by Ozlem on Mar 22, 2011 in Pilafs and Rice, Uncategorized | 0 comments

This very easy and tasty bulgur rice makes use of the flesh of the zucchini (courgettes) that was scooped out to make the stuffed zucchini. That way, not only you get to use every bit of zucchini, but also you get a very delicious and wholesome dish in no time. This is a meal by itself, served with some garlic yoghurt, dried mint and cucumbers, Cacik, if you like (you can find the Cacik recipe is under Appetizers in the blog).

Good, wholesome food doesn’t need to be expensive or difficult, as this wonderful dish shows.

Serves 4-6
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes (+10 min resting)

Flesh of 3 zucchini (courgettes)
1 onion, finely chopped
350gr/12oz bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
400gr/14oz (1 can of) chopped tomatoes
600ml/1 pint/2 1/2 cup hot water
30ml/2 tablespoon olive oil
5ml/1 teaspoon dried mint
5ml/1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a heavy pan and stir in the zucchini and the onions. Cook until the onions softened. Add the bulgur wheat, tossing it thoroughly. Stir in the chopped tomatoes and pour in the hot water. Season with salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine thoroughly. Bring to boil for a minute, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, until all the liquid has been completely absorbed.

Turn off the heat, cover the pan with a clean dish towel and press the lid on top. Leave to steam for about 10 minutes. Stir in the dried mint and red pepper flakes then mix with a large spoon.

You can simply enjoy this dish with cucumber, garlic and yoghurt (Cacik) and with the stuffed zucchini with ground meat and chickpeas if you like.

Afiyet Olsun!

Braised Chicken Rice (with chickpeas) Steamed with All Spice – Nohutlu, Tavuklu Pilav

Posted by Ozlem on Oct 13, 2010 in Pilafs and Rice, Uncategorized | 0 comments

I very much enjoy reading the food writer Rose Prince’s articles at the Telegraph and was delighted to get her recent cookery book, “Kitchenella; The Secrets of Women: Heroic, Simple, Nurturing Cookery – For Everyone”. The title says it all; a wonderful cookery book that I have been reading like a novel, a celebration of modest everyday cookery yet packed with flavour, as well as nutritious and practical. Just what we need in our busy lives, to provide nurturing home made meals without breaking the bank. I also loved her emphasis on how important for us to hand down recipes and knowledge of good food to our children and loved ones, as this will be the most effective food education they will have. I know my copy of Kitchenella will stay close to me in the kitchen and it is highly recommended. Here are some wonderful recipes from the book that makes a complete meal. Hope you enjoy them and pass them on.

Braised Chicken Rice (with chickpeas) Steamed with All Spice – Nohutlu, Tavuklu Pilav

A very family friendly, delicious and easy to make all in one main course by Rose Prince’s Kitchenella, with my addition of chickpeas. The recipe really reminded me of our very popular street food, rice with chickpeas (with the addition of chicken pieces occasionally) and you can find in street stalls as well as traditional restaurants in Turkey. Rose’s original recipe doesn’t call for chickpeas but there are ideas for many other additions if you’d like. Once cooked, you can serve with salad or plain yoghurt and roasted pine nuts.

The recipe is also great to use left over roast chicken or meat.

Serves 4-6

Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes

30 ml/2 tablespoons pine nuts
30 ml/2 tablespoons butter or dripping
1 onion, finely chopped
5 allspice pods, crushed in a pestle and mortar, or 1 teaspoon ground all spice
1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into children’s bite-size pieces (or equivalent of left over roast chicken)
200 gr/7 oz basmati rice, rinsed in a sieve under the cold tap water – or chicken stock to cover – about 1.2 litres/2 pints
160 gr/5 ½ oz cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Coriander (cilantro) leaves to serve

Use a large heavy-based frying pan to cook this dish. Cut out a circle of greaseproof paper or baking parchment that is 1 cm/1/2in larger in diameter than the pan. Place the pan over a medium heat and add the pine nuts. Toast for about 3 minutes shaking the pan from time to time until they are golden. Transfer them to a separate plate.

Put the fat into the pan. When it melts, add the onion and cook over a low heat for about 5 minutes or more, stirring, until it is pale golden. Add the spices and the meat and cook for another 2 minutes stirring slowly. Add the rice, stir over the heat for 1 minute, then add enough water or stock to cover to a depth of about 1.5 cm/3/4in. Bring to the boil, turn down so it slowly simmers, then cover with the paper, pressing the paper down on to the surface of the pan’s contents. Leave to cook for about 12-15 minutes, then lift the paper and test a grain of rice to see if it is tender. Give it a few more minutes if not, paper lid on. Add about 100 ml/3 ½ fl oz more water or stock if it seems dry. When the rice is tender, lift off the lid, season with salt and pepper. Stir in the cooked chickpeas and mix well. Put on the table with a bowl of plain yoghurt, plus the pine nuts, coriander leaves and a salad ( the cucumber and tomato salad works well) if you like.

Note: If you’d like to use dried chickpeas, you need to soak them in plenty of cold water overnight. Next day drain the water and put fresh water, boil for about 1 hour. I use canned precooked chickpeas and it works really well.

Bulgur Wheat Pilaf with Vegetables – Sebzeli Bulgur Pilavi

Posted by Ozlem on May 17, 2010 in Pilafs and Rice, Uncategorized | 0 comments

My cousin asked me recently what to feed his 15 month old baby. Our children have been eating mainly what we have been eating (with the condition of compromising from the seasoning and adding more salt and spices on our own plate), we have been lucky. And that’s what I have suggested to him. Turkish food provides a healthy and balanced diet to the children too and this bulgur pilaf with vegetables would be a healthy and delicious option to give to them – my children enjoy it greatly!

Often confused with cracked wheat, bulgur wheat is a grain made from cooked whole wheat berries, which have had the bran removed, and is then dried in the sun and crushed. As it has already been cooked, it requires little cooking to reconstitute itself. It is available coarsely and finely ground. For pilaf, the coarser type is used, to create a nutty and delicious dish, which is a meal in itself and served with yoghurt. Bulgur has been a major staple in many rural areas in Turkey; during the Ottoman Period, the rice was a very precious commodity that only the rich could afford. This made the bulgur a very popular option and healthy one too. It is reach in fiber and provides good source of protein.

Serves 6
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: about 20-25 minutes

350 gr/ 12 oz/ 2 cups of coarse organic bulgur wheat, rinsed and drained
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, diced
15 ml / 1 tablespoon olive oil
30 ml / 2 tablespoons butter
400 gr /14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
600 ml / 1 pint / 2 1/2 cup hot vegetable or chicken stock or water
1 teaspoon salt – please adjust to your taste -
freshly ground black pepper
chopped parsley for garnish – optional-

Rinse the bulgur under cold running water, drain and set a side.

Sauté the chopped onions in olive oil and butter until soft. Add the green bell pepper and chopped tomatoes, cook for another minute. Add the stock (or water) and bring to boil.

Add the bulgur, salt and ground pepper and stir once. Cover and cook over a low heat until the bulgur has absorbed all the stock and stem holes are visible on the surface. It is important not to stir the pilaf during this time. Remove the pan from the heat. Cover the pan with a cloth or absorbent kitchen paper and the lid over the top. The bulgur will continue cooking in the steam and the cloth will absorb any excess moisture. Leave to stand covered, for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Fluff up the pilaf with a fork and serve hot, garnished with a sprinkling of chopped parsley if you would like.