Dish of Bulgar & Vegetable Salad
(click to enlarge)

Bulgur & Vegetable Salad


Algeria   -   Salata Borghol
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 3-1/4 #
**
2 hrs
Best		 This flavorful salad is substantial enough to serve as a light lunch. This is an excellent buffet salad, as it will not wilt. Bulgur wheat is used throughout the Maghreb. See also Comments.




1-1/2
2
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8
6
4
2
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2
2
3
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3
4
1/2
1/3
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6
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c
c
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oz
oz
lrg
cl
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T
T
T
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T
T
t
t
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oz
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Bulgur, fine (1)
Water, boiling
-- Vegetables
Bell Pepper, red (2)  
Cucumber (3)
Scallions
Garlic
-- Herbs
Parsley, flat (4)
Mint, fresh
Cilantro
-- Dressing
Lemon Juice
Olive Oil, ExtV
Salt (5)
Pepper, black.
--------------
Cheese (6)
-- Garnish
Olives, Black (7)
Lime Wedges
Make     (1 hour   + chill time 1+ hr)
  1. Place BULGUR in a heat proof bowl and pour in the Boiling Water. Let stand for at least 30 minutes, stirring now and then. Cool well.
  2. Blast Bell Pepper black with your Kitchen Torch (see Note-2). Brush off the skins under running water. A few flakes of chard skin left on will give it a grilled flavor.
  3. Cut Bell Pepper into short slices about 3/8 inch wide. Dice Cucumber about 3/8 inch. Slice Scallions fairly thin, white and green. Crush Garlic and chop small. Mix all.
  4. Strip stems from all HERBS and chop leaves small. Mix.
  5. Squeeze LEMON JUICE and mix all Dressing items in a small jar.
  6. Shake up the Dressing well and mix into Bulgur. Stir in Herbs and Vegetables until evenly distributed.
  7. Crumble CHEESE (or dice, or slice thin and chop, depending on type) and mix into Salad.
  8. Chill well, perhaps even a couple hours to let flavors blend.
  9. Serve garnished with Olives (if used) and with lime wedges on the side. For buffet service, cut the olives in half and mix into the salad.
NOTES:

  1. Bulgur:

      #1 or #2 (fine and medium fine) can be used - I usually use #2. Do not attempt to use cracked wheat - bulgur is precooked and soft, cracked wheat is raw and hard.

  2. Bell Pepper:

      The pattern recipe calls for the Bell Pepper to be grilled. I'm simply not going to fire up a grill for just one Pepper. I use my regular propane torch method. This leaves the pepper raw and quite crisp. If you feel it's too crisp, just steam it for a few minutes.

  3. Cucumber:

      If possible use a narrow cucumber that doesn't need to be peeled or seeded - Persian, Japanese, European, etc. If you have only the standard Green Blimps, wight is after peeling and seeding.

  4. Herbs:

      The amount given is for chopped fine and moderately packed. Use only flat leaf (Italian) parsley, curly leaf tastes like plastic.

  5. Salt:

      Adjust salt depending on the saltiness of the cheese used. It can be from 3/4 t to 1-1/2 t.

  6. Cheese:

      You are unlikely to find a traditional Algerian Bouhezza cheese (made and aged in goatskin bags) in North America, but other soft white cheeses can be used. The pattern recipe suggests Feta, but a goat cheese would probably also work. The the photo I found attributed to Algeria shows a somewhat firmer, yellower cheese, sliced thin and chopped. That cheese looked a lot like a soft, lightly aged Egyptian Romey cheese, a legacy of Turkish rule.

  7. Olives:

      The pattern recipe says "optional" but I use them. These should be Mediterranean oil cured Olives, not California Black Salad Olives. Moroccan oil cured olives are easy to pit, if you make a lengthwise cut on one side, then reform or cut in half as you prefer.

  8. Comments:

      The pattern recipe gave no country. I did, however, find a photo of an Algerian bulgur salad with the same ingredients, including cheese, which is not a common ingredient in the Maghreb.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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