The Sweet Touch: Toasted Bulgur Salad with Corn and Tomatoes

Friday, May 20, 2011

Toasted Bulgur Salad with Corn and Tomatoes

In an effort to clear out our pantry and use up all of those random half boxes of food, plus avoid the grocery store for one more day, I decided I wanted to cook a bulgur dish last night. After a quick search, I found a recipe that I could throw together with ingredients I already had at home. We ate this salad as our main meal, but in the future, I would love to serve it chilled as a side dish - perfect for a summer picnic! The toasted bulgur has a great nutty taste and a nice chew while the veggies add and extra burst of color and flavor. I have included a link to the original recipe (which looks delicious) but I made several changes to account for the ingredients I had on hand.

Toasted Bulgur Salad with Corn and Tomatoes
adapted from Epicurious

Serves 8 (Serves four if using as a main dish)
Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur
2 3/4 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups frozen corn (Use fresh if in season)
1 medium tomato, chopped (I think the cherry tomatoes called for in the original recipe would be even better)
3/4 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons lemon juice, or to taste

In a large heavy dry skillet toast bulgur over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 to 10 minutes, or until it makes popping sounds and is browned lightly (Mine took about 7 minutes and turned brown really fast at that point so keep an eye on it). Transfer bulgur to a bowl and cool.

In a saucepan bring water with salt to a boil and stir in toasted bulgur. Reduce heat and simmer bulgur, covered, about 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Remove pan from heat and let bulgur stand, covered, 10 minutes. Transfer bulgur to bowl and cool.

While bulgur is cooking, in skillet heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook onions until soft. Then add corn, stirring, 2 to 3 minutes, or until just tender. Finally add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.

Cool veggie mixture and add to bulgur, tossing to combine. Stir in cilantro and squeeze lemon juice over salad. Garnish with additional cilantro and serve. I served ours warm but you can also make it ahead of time and serve it at room temperature or chilled.