I must apologize, my post did not post as I had hoped (perhaps it was because it was scheduled for Wednesday!). Better late than never!
Our summer began with the most perfect temperatures (for me), low 20’s° C (low 70s° F) with low to no humidity. You have to understand, Toronto becomes a sauna in the summertime, high temperatures and humidity and which makes it seem so much hotter and muggier than it actually is. It’s usually so soupy that a shower seems less wet than going outside! As soon as July hit, so did summer temperatures 34° C (93° F) and in rolled the humidity (making 34 seem like 42° C or 107° F). I am a sweater, I sweat thinking about physical effort, it’s really awful, so these hot temps force me to stay inside with the A/C cranked low and a fan blowing on me. It really is a curse.
I came up with this recipe for a lunch during a long-weekend that I was locked inside my house. I wanted something fast, light and easy with ingredients I had at home. Usually, I wouldn’t blog about this type of recipe but JT loved it so much, he literally asked for it again the very next day! This is day two, I didn’t have enough home-grown tomatoes so I added a vine-ripened tomato I had at home. I’ve made this salad a few more times! The bulgur adds a lovely texture, not quite chewy but not soft either. The tuna is a nice addition but it’s even tasty without it for a vegan recipe.
Mediterranean Red Bulgur Salad with Tuna
A KitchenInspirations Original Recipe
This recipe makes 4-6 servings
To make this vegan, omit the tuna.
Ingredients:
- 200 g red bulgar
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 1 can tuna (flaked white albacore in water)
- 10 cm cucumber, finely diced
- a handful of parsley, chopped finely
- 3-4 mint leaves, chopped finely
- 12 or so kalamata olives, chopped
- a handful or so of grape tomatoes, finely diced
- Handful of chopped artichokes
Ingredients for the dressing:
- juice and zest of 1 lemon (about 60 mL)
- same quantity olive oil, or less
- 10 mL tomato paste
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- Combine the lemon juice, olive oil, tomato paste and salt and mix well.
- Add the garlic cloves to the bulgur water with salt. Cook the bulgur according to directions (mine said 500 mL water with 200 g bulgar). If all of the water did not absorb, strain. Discard garlic.
- Pour dressing over the strained, hot bulgur. Cool slightly.
- Combine everything for the salad and mix well.
- Serve immediately in a bowl or spoon into iceberg lettuce leaves.
Notes:
- If you don’t have any tomatoes, use about 125 mL sundried tomatoes in olive oil, strained and chopped.
- I usually buy chunk albacore tuna because we like it better than flaked but this recipe is better with flaked because it distributes more evenly.
- If you dress the bulgur when hot, it will absorb the dressing more and evenly.
- I would have added a little Greek Sheep’s Milk crumbled feta if I had some at home. If you do, omit the salt in the dressing.
