Exceptional heirloom bulgur makes for some great meals
The folks at Koy Pantry have been doing great work to bring ever-tastier traditional Turkish foods to the U.S. for us to enjoy! Last spring, we started to get some of this terrific bulgur! Made from the Karakilcik variety of ancient wheat, a wheat that has been grown and eaten for thousands of years now. It’s much darker in color, higher in fiber and protein, and according to many who have trouble eating industrial American wheat, easier to digest due to the lower gluten content. From my end, it tastes GREAT!
Wheaty, nutty, and wonderful, bulgur is super easy to cook. I just boiled it in salted water until tender, drained it, and ate it with olive oil and vegetables. That said, there are literally thousands of Turkish dishes that call for this great ingredient! Make mushroom bulgur soup. Use it as one would in Turkey to make a pilaf—here’s a link to a recipe from friend and amazing food writer Paula Wolfert. Paula has dozens of recipes that call for high-quality bulgur like this one—one of my favorites is this special stew made with purslane (it grows wild in many places, is all too often ignored but is actually delicious for salads, soups, etc.), chickpeas, lentils, and mint.
Serve it as a side dish with pretty much any main course. I like it, too, with a couple of over-easy eggs on top for brunch, maybe with a bit of feta cheese on the side.
A wonderful addition to my weekly cooking routines and maybe to yours, too
