a resilient recipe

Last week I met S and B at the St Johns Bookseller, for an evening with Lukas Volger, who is on a book tour for his most recent cookbook "Vegetarian Entrees That Won't Leave You Hungry". While I am far from being a vegetarian, the recipe for sample salad at that event has now been added to the recipe box here at Acorn Cottage.

In short, Bulgar Salad with Kale and Feta is delicious!

1 c bulgar 2 c water 2 t cumin seed 1 T oil 1 small red onion -- cut in strips 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 jalapenos ½ t salt ¼ c white wine* 6 oz kale -- cut in thin strips 3 green onions, minced ½ c cilantro, chopped 3 oz feta, crumbled 1 T olive oil

Bring water to a boil, stir in bulgar cover, and remove from heat, - let sit to absorb the water while you prepare the rest... Heat oil, then sizzle the cumin seed almost immediately, add the onion Cook onion till soft and browned some. Stir in garlic, pepper and salt Pour in wine, add kale, stir and cover Cook till kale is tender Mix in the remaining ingredients. Combine with the bulgar May be served warm or cold

There are a lot of ingredients in this recipe, but once they are all prepped, it comes together quickly. By starting the bulgar first, the rest of the dish can be cooked while the grain is steeping; once it has absorbed the water, the other half of the dish is cooked and ready to be added.

I'd not had bulgar in a long time, and had forgotten how very easy it is to prepare. Since it is pre-cooked, it simply needs to be combined with boiling water and left to sit, in about a half hour it is rehydrated. Apparently bulgar stores really well, since the way it has been processed makes it more stable than uncooked wheat. This makes it a dandy candidate for the emergency earthquake shelf, since boiling water makes the water safer, and it need not cook for very long, which saves on fuel.

* as I'd no alcohol handy, I substituted water mixed with about a tablespoon of lemon juice, which worked well.