Bulgur, Lentils, Lemon

Shortly after reading about Lukas Volger’s toasted bulgur bowl on the Tipsy Baker , I made it in its entirety. We then feasted on the leftovers the following two evenings, and yesterday for a little Olympics-viewing get together, I introduced the neighbors to what I can’t seem to get enough of: a mix of bulgur and lentils, chopped cucumbers and tomatoes, toasted almonds, cilantro, and a lemon-tahini dressing.

I’ve adapted the recipe a little bit to what I’ve had on hand — this, after all, is the beauty of a grain bowl, right? — but here are the essential components:

1. An assertive dressing . I tend to dress everything with olive oil and vinegar, but Volger’s mix of lemon, tahini, garlic, and cumin is a nice change, and it complements the bulgur and lentils so well — slightly creamy, slightly smokey, slightly tangy. I recommend making a double batch, which will give you 1 1/2 cups of dressing to use all week.

2. A mix of grains and legumes . Cooking two starches always feels too much like hard work — what’s wrong with using one? — but the additional textures and flavors supplied by one more really makes for a more interesting overall bowl. Also, there are many quick-cooking grains and legumes that don’t require soaking. Bulgur steams in about 15 minutes. Lentils cook in 25. I plan on trying quinoa next.

3. Vegetables . We are in constant supply of cucumbers and tomatoes at the moment, so that’s what I’ve been using, but use what you have on hand. The first night, I added sautéed chard.

4. Herbs : cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, chives are all good options.

5. Nuts : We always have sliced almonds on hand, and if you toast a big batch of them, you can use them over the coarse of several days.

That’s it! There’s no additional protein — this bowl, which is surprisingly filling, doesn’t need it — and when you have some of the components prepared ahead of time, the assembly happens quickly: scoop bulgur and lentils into bowls, top with cucumbers and tomatoes, top with cilantro and toasted almonds, drizzle with lemon-tahini dressing.

My mother recently introduced me to this Achva tahini, which is very nice:

This version included sautéed Swiss chard:

Description

This bowl is inspired by the Toasted Bulgur Bowl in Lukas Volger’s Bowl . Original recipe can be found here.

I suggest making a double batch of the dressing to make assembly of bowls on subsequent evenings a breeze:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

Notes:

• There was no sweetener in the original dressing, but I love a teensy bit of honey or maple syrup in tahini dressings.

• Grains can be cooked ahead and stored in the fridge. I like to bring them to room temperature (if time permits) before serving.

• Also, original recipe calls for toasting the bulgur first … I’ve been feeling lazy, so I skip this step, but check out the original recipe for details.

• 1/2 cup lentils, I like the French green variety

• 1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur

• 1 to 2 cucumbers, peeled and finely diced

• 1 to 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes

• herbs such as cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, coarsely chopped if large

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

• flaky sea salt and pepper to taste

• lemon wedges, for serving

for the dressing (see notes above for double batch):

• 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
• 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the lentils. Simmer until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover by 2 inches. Cover with a lid or plate and let stand for 10 to 20 minutes, until chewy-tender. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. (See notes re toasting bulgur first.)
3. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, salt, and honey, if using. Slowly drizzle in the water, stirring to combine. Add more water if necessary to thin to pourable consistency.
4. To assemble bowls, scoop some bulgur into each bowl, spoon some lentils over top. Scatter over a handful of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and almonds. Drizzle with the lemon-tahini dressing. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges and more dressing on the side.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Description

This bowl is inspired by the Toasted Bulgur Bowl in Lukas Volger’s Bowl . Original recipe can be found here.

I suggest making a double batch of the dressing to make assembly of bowls on subsequent evenings a breeze:

• 1/2 cup tahini
• 6 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup water
• 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup

Notes:

• There was no sweetener in the original dressing, but I love a teensy bit of honey or maple syrup in tahini dressings.

• Grains can be cooked ahead and stored in the fridge. I like to bring them to room temperature (if time permits) before serving.

• Also, original recipe calls for toasting the bulgur first … I’ve been feeling lazy, so I skip this step, but check out the original recipe for details.

• 1/2 cup lentils, I like the French green variety

• 1 1/2 cups coarse bulgur

• 1 to 2 cucumbers, peeled and finely diced

• 1 to 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes or diced tomatoes

• herbs such as cilantro, basil, mint, parsley, coarsely chopped if large

• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

• flaky sea salt and pepper to taste

• lemon wedges, for serving

for the dressing (see notes above for double batch):

• 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon honey or maple syrup, optional
• 1/4 cup water, plus more as needed

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon kosher salt and the lentils. Simmer until cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, place the bulgur in a large bowl. Pour over enough boiling water to cover by 2 inches. Cover with a lid or plate and let stand for 10 to 20 minutes, until chewy-tender. Drain through a fine-mesh sieve. (See notes re toasting bulgur first.)
3. Make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon, garlic, cumin, salt, and honey, if using. Slowly drizzle in the water, stirring to combine. Add more water if necessary to thin to pourable consistency.
4. To assemble bowls, scoop some bulgur into each bowl, spoon some lentils over top. Scatter over a handful of diced cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, and almonds. Drizzle with the lemon-tahini dressing. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Serve with lemon wedges and more dressing on the side.

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Category: Side Dish
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American

Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2016/08/10/bulgur-lentils-lemon-tahini-drizzle/

Eggplant involtini — tender slices of eggplant rolled into ricotta-stuffed parcels baked with homemade tomato sauce — never tastes better than this time of year, when the eggplant and tomatoes begin arriving in full force. Until last week, however, the dish, which requires salting and frying the eggplant, felt SO fussy, the thought of standing at the stovetop always deterring me from making it.

But last Friday after roasting eggplant slices for a sandwich , I felt inspired to use the same technique for the involtini, which, as several commenters had noted already, works like a charm. By simply brushing the eggplant slices with oil, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and roasting them, 20 minutes of standing at the stovetop was saved. The process proved so painless, I made the involtini again on Sunday — eggplant involtini twice in three days is a first, a feat never realized in the past five years.

Two caveats: homemade sauce , fresh ricotta . With these two components of the dish prepared (or purchased) ahead of time, eggplant involtini demands little effort. For the first time in a long time I made the ricotta from scratch, which reminded me how easy and delicious it is: line a sieve with cheesecloth, boil milk and cream, add salt and vinegar, strain . It takes about 25 minutes total.

Final discovery: The adorable eggplant bundles can be assembled ahead of time, nestled in their tomato sauce-slicked dish, and stashed in the fridge until needed: in 25 minutes, the pan emerges from the oven, tomato sauce thick and bubbly, ricotta rolls bronzed and oozing. It’s a beautiful thing. Do it.

Components: roasted eggplant, tomato sauce, ricotta seasoned with lemon zest, salt, and breadcrumbs:

Description

Original, fussier recipe can be found here .

Updates to the original recipe include skipping the salting and, in place of frying, roasting the eggplant for 10 minutes on one side, 8 to 10 minutes on the other, brushed with olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. I’ve also simplified the filling by omitting the thyme and lemon juice—I just use lemon zest, salt, and bread crumbs, and often I skip the bread crumbs!

The recipe is easily doubled: Use two sheet pans to roast the eggplant, rotating as necessary to ensure even cooking. Double the filling. Use a 9 x 13-inch baking vessel or two 9-inch vessels. Definitely double the recipe if making for more than 2 people … I can nearly eat a single recipe on my own.

• 2 medium eggplants
• kosher salt and pepper
• olive oil for brushing
• homemade tomato sauce (such as this one or this one )
• 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream or half an d half, for brushing, optional — I use olive oil now
• freshly Parmigiano Reggiano for serving

for the filling:

• 1/2 cup fresh or panko breadcrumbs, optional (see notes)
• 1 cup whole milk, fresh ricotta or homemade
• grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1/4 tsp . kosher salt, plus more to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a sheetpan with parchment paper, a Silpat, or rub lightly with olive oil.Trim the stem end of each eggplant. Stand the eggplant vertically, and make 1/4-inch thick cuts down to create long slices. Arrange on sheetpan. Pour about 3 tablespoons of oil into a small dish for convenience. Brush each eggplant slice with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes. Flip. Brush other side with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes more or until beginning to turn golden. Remove pan from the oven and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, make the filling. In a bowl, stir together the bread crumbs (if using), ricotta, lemon zest, and salt. Taste. Adjust with a pinch more salt if necessary.
3. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Ladle tomato sauce (about 3/4 cup) into a 9-inch round baking dish or similar-sized vessel till bottom of dish is covered in a thin layer. Place a spoonful (about 2 teaspoons) of filling at one end of each of the eggplant slices. Roll the slice around the filling and place it seam-side down in the dish on top of the tomato sauce. Drizzle or brush the cream over the rolls to moisten. Alternatively, brush the tops with olive oil. Bake until the edges of sauce around the sides of the dish are dark and the rolls are nicely caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes. Shave parmesan over the top before serving.

• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Oven
• Cuisine: Italian, American