Friday, August 19, 2011

Bulgur Salad with Arugula, Zucchini, and Pine Nuts

Lately, whatever it is that Russ Parson writes about for the LA Times is what I want to cook. There was the story about eggs for dinner and then the one about comparing vegetable dishes from Plenty and A Year in My Kitchen. Most recently, it was a story about grain salads. I know, that might not sound terribly exciting, but he went about describing ways to put vegetables and grains together and how to cook different grains for salad use, and I was hooked. It helped that I already really liked grain salads, but the three specific recipes included in the story were all great for light, summer meals. I picked the bulgur salad because it was a chance to do something new and different with zucchini. Here, that new and different thing was actually leaving the zucchini raw. It was chopped, salted, allowed to drain, and then rinsed, dried, and added to the salad. Another new and different thing in this recipe was toasting the bulgur wheat. I usually use bulgur for tabbouleh, and I always just add boiling water and let it soak. Parsons suggested toasting the bulgur in a dry pan first and then pouring water into the hot pan and leaving the bulgur to soak. The flavor difference was big, and I’ll be toasting bulgur from now on.

So, toasting the bulgur only takes about five minutes and is probably easier than boiling water. The bulgur was placed in a dry saute pan over medium-high heat and was left for about five minutes. Cold water was added to the hot pan, the bulgur was stirred, and it was left to soften. It could take about an hour for the bulgur to soften, but mine was ready in about 35 minutes. Meanwhile, a couple of zucchini were chopped into big chunks and placed in a colander. The zucchini was liberally salted and left to drain. After 30 minutes, it was rinsed and dried. To make the salad, the bulgur was placed in a big mixing bowl with minced onion, the zucchini, lemon juice, olive oil, arugula leaves, and toasted pine nuts. Once combined, the salad was ready.

It’s a fresh and light salad, but the bulgur and pine nuts give it some heft. And, don’t think for a minute that this is just a boring, whole grain, healthy dish. The onion and lemon give it zing, the zucchini and pine nuts bring crunch, and toasting the bulgur added even nuttier flavor from the grain. The flesh of the salted and rinsed zucchini had become a little softer than when raw but it mostly retained its texture. I’m looking forward to getting creative with more toasted grain and fresh vegetable combinations or maybe whatever Russ Parsons writes about next.



21 comments:

  1. I adore grain salads! They are one of the only ways I'll eat leftovers - leftover grains turned into a salad the next day.
    I love all the arugula in this salad! pinenuts sound like an amazing addition too - I always forget about pinenutes but they have such great flavor.

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  2. A beautifully healthy salad!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I love zucchini, because not only that I like the taste there a lot of benefits that I can get from. I would love to try this salad and add it from my weekend dish.

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  4. What a wonderful salad and another great way to eat zucchini. Beautiful!

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  5. Grain salads are my go-to lunch, but like you I don't eat bulgur so very often. That's gonna change after seeing this!

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  6. Beautiful salad, Lisa! Grains and nuts are such a wonderful addition to salads. I just wish all this glorious summer produce would be available all the time.

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  7. This one looks so fresh, yummy and easy to make...can't wait to taste it!

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  8. I love grain salads too, and lately I've been on a bulgur kick, just made a nice sandwich bread with some.

    your rendition of a bulgur salad is definitely a winner!

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  9. I'm convinced all salads need some carbs for staying power so this is right up my alley -yum!

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  10. What would you say is the primary flavor here? Is it the salted zucchini?

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  11. Rob: The flavors in this salad are mild. You'll mostly taste the toastedness of the bulgur, the pepperiness of the arugula, and the onion and lemon. Since the zucchini was rinsed and drained after being salted, it doesn't actually taste salty, it just tastes seasoned.

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  12. I need a recipe with zucchini.......I have some in my fridge and I had no idea how to cook easy and in a few minutes.

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  13. i've never toasted bulgur, but i'll obviously be trying it now!

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  14. I never ate bulgur, but this dish is giving me ideas. It looks so refreshing and light.. I may try it with couscous.

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  15. Lisa, this is exactly the kind of meal we love! A wonderful salad with the added consistency of a grain. Gorgeous!

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  16. I love salads packed with whole grains and veggies.... this sounds great!

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  17. What a neat salad. I never thought to toss in some grains.

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  18. I would love the nutty flavor of this delicious looking salad, yum!

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