Lemony Bulgur Salad with Shrimp and fresh Mint leaves

Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat; it is usually soften with the boiling water. For this terrific main-course salad, I simply soften it in hot vegetable stock before tossing it with mint leaves and pre-cooked shrimp. This lemony flavour salad is a quick fix for any meal. Green colour and flavour of mint with a light pink colour of radish and shrimp makes it a perfect summer salad.
Serve :          1

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Coarse bulgur:                       1 cup
Vegetable stock:                    2 cups
Lemon zest:                           1 teaspoon (finely grated)
Lemon juice:                          4 tablespoon
Extra-virgin olive oil:              2 tablespoon
Shrimp:                                 1 cup (deveined and cooked)
Mint leaves:                           1/2 cups
Radishes:                               4-5 (thinly sliced)
Pine nuts:                               2 tablespoon (dry roasted)
 Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Method:

1) In a bowl, add the bulgur with hot vegetable stock and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let stand until the grains are tender, about 15-20 minutes hours. Use a fork to make it fluffy.
2) In a large bowl, whisk the lemon zest with the lemon juice and olive oil. Add the bulgur, shrimp, fresh mint leaves, sliced radishes and pine nuts and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

3) This salad can be refrigerated for up to 1 day. Add the mint, radishes and pine nuts just before serving. Serve Cold.

BON APPETIT...

Green Fish (Spinach and mushroom stuffed fish fillet on bulgur base)

I got these long fish fillet from a nearby supermarket. I was thinking to experiment with these fillets in a different way. Opened my fridge and saw some blanched spinach and mushroom.. EUREKA let do it this time with spinach and mushroom. To give it more volume, I am using bulgur to make a base to place my fish roll. This recipe is a feel good for eyes and stomach. It looks yummy and low on fat.

Ingredients:

White Fish Filet:                 2 Long
Spinach:                            1/2 Cup (blanched and cut in small pieces)
Mushroom:                        1/2 Cup ( Cut in small cube)
Dried Oregano:                  Small pinch
Dried Basil:                        Small pinch
Garlic:                                1 clove
Vegetable stock:                1/2 cup
Bulgur:                               1/2 cup
Ricotta cheese:                   2 table spoon
Black pepper
Salt to taste
Olive oil

Method:
1) Heat some oil in a pan. Add oregano and minced garlic. Stir for 10 sec and add blanched spinach and mushroom. Season it salt and pepper. Divide it in two portions.
2) Add dry ricotta cheese to 1 portion and mix well. Place this mixture on the wider end of the fish fillet and roll it.
3) Put the rolls with open end below, in a oven proof dish and sprinkle with dried basil and some butter. Bake it for 10 minutes at 200 degree Celsius. Grill it for 5 more minutes on grill and fan mode at 250 degree Celsius. Keep it warm.
4) Mix the vegetable stock with the second half of spinach and mushroom mixture and let it boil. Add bulgur and cook for 2 minutes. Cover the pan using a kitchen towel for 10 minutes.
5) Spread the bulgur in the serving dish and place the hot stuffed fish over it.

BON APPETIT..

Rolling Cabbage with Yogurt Cream Dip (Bulgur stuffed Cabbage leafs)

Yet another try of making a fusion mediterranean recipe. It is a mezze and served cold with a fascinating yogurt cream sauce. It is called "Sarma" in middle eastern region. Sarma means 'a wrapped thing' in Turkish language, from the verb sarmak 'to wrap' or 'to roll'. Besides the savory dish of leaf-wrapped filling, sarma in Greek can also refer to sweet pastries similar to baklava. Ideally meat and rice is stuffed in such kind of roll but I wanted to make it simpler and vegetarian, I am using bulgur in stuffing. In my earlier recipes I have mentioned about the bulgur, its recipes and use. Its one of the quick to make food and can be used in several ways. Bulgur is cooked with tomato/chili sauce, rolled in a fresh cabbage leaf and poached to in water and natural vinegar.

Ingredients:
Cabbage:            1 large
Bulgar:                1 cup
Boiling water:      1 cup
Tomato puree:    2 table spoon
Hot Chili Sauce:  1table spoon
Green onion:       2 pieces ( finely chopped)
Spinach:              1/4cup (finely chopped and blanched)
Salt to taste
White pepper
Olive oil:              2 table spoon
Cumin Powder:    1/4tea spoon
Fresh Parsley:      1/4 cup ( finely chopped)
Lemon juice:        2table spoon
Natural white vinegar:   2table spoon

For yogurt cream sauce:
Cucumber:           1/2 Cup ( small cubes)
Sour Cream:         2table spoon
Greek Curd:         3table spoon
Olive oil:               1table spoon
Lemon Juice:         1/2table spoon
Fresh Parsley:       2table spoon ( Finely chopped)
Salt to taste
White pepper

 Method:
1) Take out the whole cabbage leaf carefully and put in the boiling water with some salt. Strain it once the leafs are soft. Place the whole leaf on a clean chopping board and take the hard vein in between using a knife and split the big leaf in two parts. Keep it aside
2) Melt tomato sauce and chili sauce in 1 cup of boiling water. Add bulgur and salt. Cover it with kitchen towel for 10 minutes.
3) After 10 minutes add parsley, green onion, spinach, cumin, pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix well.
4) Spread the cabbage sheet and put a spoon full of stuffing at the softer end. Roll it folding the side of the leafs so that the stuffing doesn't come out.
5) Carefully place all the rolls in a pan and pour water till half level. Bring it to boil at high flame. Add some salt and vinegar to water and cove it making the flame slow.
6) Cook it for 10-15 minutes at low flames. Take it out carefully in a serving dish and let it cool in the refrigerator.

For Dip:
1) Add all the ingredient of the dip together in a bowl and mix well. Serve this cold dip with the cold rolling cabbage as an appetizer any time of the day.

BON APPETIT...

Arab Tabbouleh

I got the first hand experience of Tabbouleh in Turkey. Its Turkish variation is called Kisir locally. A fantastic cold mezze to start of your meal. Super simple and full of nutrition. Today I am sharing a kisir's recipe. Like hummus, baba ghanouj, pita and other elements of Arab cuisine, tabbouleh has become popular all over the world.

Tabbouleh  is Arab salad traditionally made of bulgur, tomatoes, finely chopped parsley, mint, onion and garlic, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice and salt, although there are various other variations such as using couscous instead of bulgur.Traditionally served as part of a mezze in the Arab world. Mezze has roots in antiquity, the word and usage came from Turkey. A meze is not a meal course like an appetizer (although meze dishes can be served as appetizers), but rather a dish, hot or cold, spicy or savory, often salty, that is served, alone or with other mezethes, as a separate eating experience.The purpose of the meze is two-fold: to complement and enhance the taste of the drink (wines, ouzo, raki, etc.), and to provide the backdrop for a social gathering.

Ingredients:
Bulgur:                    1 cup
Boiling water:          1cup
Tomato paste:         4table spoon
Hot chili paste:        2 table spoon
Cucumber:              1 Cup (diced in small cube without seed)
Green onion:           1/2 Cup (finely sliced)
Green Parsley:        1/2 Cup (finely chopped)
Banana Pepper:      1/4 Cup (finely chopped)
Chili flakes:             1/4 tea spoon
Mint leaves:            1 small bunch ( finely chopped)
Salt to taste
Black crushed pepper:
Cumin powder:        1/4 table spoon
Lemon Juice:           4table spoon
Olive oil:                  4table spoon
Romaine Lettuce
Cherry tomato

Method:
1) Melt tomato and chili paste with some salt in 1 cup boiling water. Add bulgur and cover it with a kitchen towel. Keep it aside for 10 minutes.
2 ) Cut all the vegetable and herbs as suggested in ingredient section.
3) Fluff the bulgur using fork after 10 mins. Add all the vegetable, olive oil, cumin, chili flakes, crushed pepper and lemon juice.
4) Mix well and refrigerate it to cool. Kisir is usually served on a lettuce bed with slices of tomato on the side.

BON APPETIT...