What could be more versatile than bulghur wheat? It is ridiculously inexpensive, has a long shelf life when stored in the freezer and is crazy healthy. Honestly, it’s one of those items that should be kept in your pantry at all times. It is simply wheat kernels that have been steamed, then dried, then crushed. I have been toying with it a couple of different ways over the past few weeks.
First, I found some frozen salsa juice that was leftover from late last fall in my freezer that needed to be utilized. So after thawing in the refrigerator, I placed it in a saucepan over medium high heat and added a cup of bulghur wheat. After allowing it to sit off the heat for 30 minutes, it was deliciously infused with a zippy, spiced tomato flavor. I used it as a serving base for a dinner of grilled cod and it couldn’t have been more perfect.
Next, I had a vegetable produce bin full of odds and ends that was also demanding my attention and did the same thing with bulghur, but this time with some leftover chicken stock. After it cooled, I added chopped carrots, tomatoes, peppers and onions along with a liberal drizzle of olive oil and sprinkling of salt and pepper. I served it with a squirt of fresh lemon juice and it felt like spring on my dinner plate. The leftovers were served the following day with some grilled shrimp to add a protein.
I hope this inspires you to get creative with it as well. If your freezer is jammed, you can store it in the refrigerator or in the pantry. But it is likely not to languish in any of those placed for very long.
Haute Flavor 