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.
I’ve never had red bulgur! The salad looks very refreshing and summery indeed! Adding tomato paste to the dressing sounds so original and good! I must try it one day. I also love temperatures around 20°C (I could live all year long between 20 and 25°C!), but we’ve had several weeks of mostly 30°C heat, so half of my meals were salads… I only cooked some summer stews during the weekends and then reheated in small portions.
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A simple yet very stylish refreshing dish! yummy! Lovely presented too! 🙂
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I love this sort of salad. I’m glad you posted the recipe. I love tuna with Kalamata olives – great combo. Also, the tomato in the dressing – that sounds really interesting, too.
I know what you mean about the heat. It can be stifling. I try to spend those super-hot days at the beach, under the shade of a tree or umbrella.
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Thanks Jeff, the combo is really moreish, it is a staple in my summer kitchen. Spending time at the beach sounds awesome. Hopefully that is where you were in July!
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What a lovely salad! I don’t have any bulgur on hand, but plenty of quinoa. Bill is out of town and I must add this to MY menu!!! xo
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Quinoa works too but it lacks the bite that bulgur has. I almost made the version with quinoa for a gluten intolerant friend last week but realized I was out of quinoa! Thanks for your comment Liz.
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Hi Eva, I like the idea of using tomato paste in the dressing. I think you may have omitted the tomatoes from the ingredient list? If using feta, I would omit the tuna.
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Thanks Stefan, I appreciate your attention to detail, I used grape tomatoes in this recipe because they are small and less watery than the larger counterparts. Interesting point about omitting the feta if using tuna. Thanks again.
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When it comes to culinary matters, I tend to think like an Italian. Mixing seafood and cheese is generally avoided in Italy, although there are some exceptions. I think the rule is right in this case, as the feta and tuna would both be salty and the feta would probably overpower the tuna.
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I love cool salads in the summer and this one looks like a winner. I’m a sweater, too, so can appreciate your distaste for humidity and high temps! 🙂
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Thank you for your comment, Betsy. I understand that sweating is supposed to keep you cool, but I just don’t get it! I hope you enjoy the salad.
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I adore mediterranean flavour! This looks not only delicious, packed with flavour, also so good for you!
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Thank you for your comment, Angie. It’s a tasty but quick meal to prepare.
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Neat dish! And cool way to use bulgur. The tuna in this is inspired — it must add a ton of flavor. And I love finding olives in dishes, too. Thanks!
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Canned tuna can be challenging other than a sandwich but this one makes the tuna really shine, and it’s quite delicious. The olives are definitely a must. Thanks John.
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Eva, all your grain based salads are amazing (I’m actually making your Moroccan Quinoa Salad as I type!) so you know I’m totally going to make the vegan version of this one!! It sounds delicious! I’ll let you know how it goes…
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Michela, I am so flattered every time you post that you are trying one of my recipes, thank you. I actually smile from ear to ear reading your comments about it. I am looking forward to hearing what you think (sans tuna). I made the salad again last night, it’s such a quick and easy meal and we just love the flavours and texture.
I have been meaning to try using Jack Fruit because the visual texture reminds me of shredded meat or flaked tuna. You may wish to give it a try instead of the tuna. I would marinate the Jack Fruit in some watered down soy sauce and then boil it to cook. Or you can try the canned type. Like I mentioned, I haven’t tried it yet, but the texture intrigues me.
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